Elsewhere in this issue, you'll find Jim Smart's article about replacing upholstery in vintage Mustangs. Here, we're doing the same, only in Joe Galloway's '98 Mustang convertible. The procedure is basically the same, except there are a few differences. For example, the newer seats don't use listing wire and hog rings. Instead, you'll find some of the upholstery secured by glue, which adds its own degree of difficulty when removing the old covers.
For his convertible, Joe replaced the weathered and wrinkled original leather upholstery with new two-tone leather upholstery from the Specialty Division of Distinctive Industries, as obtained from Latemodel Restoration Supply. It's a fairly easy R&R that almost anyone can perform in their home garage with basic hand tools, along with some upholstery glue for wrinkle-free security and elbow-grease for tugging the new covers into place. However, for expertise and advice, we handed the chore over to Anthony's Custom Restyling located just across the parking lot from the Mustang Monthly offices in Tampa.
A Touch Of Carbon
Joe Galloway's interior makeover for his '98 convertible included new carpet and the new Distinctive Industries' leather upholstery from Latemodel Restoration Supply. He also added a touch of class with a carbon-fiber dash kit from eDashkit. The Full Kit includes 16 carbon-fiber trim pieces for the air vents, dash cluster, console, cup holder, door panels, shifter surround, and glove box latch and handle. A 12-piece Basic Kit is also offered.
The eDashkit carbon-fiber is easy to install. Simply clean the surfaces with the included alcohol wipes and apply the supplied adhesive promoter. Then press the trim into place.
The bucket seats in Fox-body...
The bucket seats in Fox-body Mustangs are easy to remove, with four top-mounted bolts securing them to the floorpan, unlike vintage cars that must be unbolted from underneath the car. At the back, plastic bolt covers are retained by small screws.
Our '98 leather seats were...
Our '98 leather seats were well-worn and wrinkled. The new Distinctive leather covers, in two-tone gray, will be welcomed visual relief.
Start the disassembly by removing...
Start the disassembly by removing the plastic covers, secured by Phillips-head screws, for the seat-back latch and side hinges.
To separate the seat back...
To separate the seat back from the bottom cushion, remove the hinge bolts on both sides. There on two bolts on one side and one large screw on the other.
Starting with the seat cushion...
Starting with the seat cushion upside-down, take note of the seat track assembly and its various springs and rods. You may even want to draw a diagram or take a digital photo for future reference. Then remove the bolts and set the seat track aside.
Fox-body upholstery doesn't...
Fox-body upholstery doesn't use the listing wire and hog-ring retaining system like vintage Mustangs. Instead, the covers are secured at the edges by plastic clips that attach to the seat frame. Pull the clips away from the frame to unfasten the covers, then roll the edges over the foam.
Now the tricky part. You'll...
Now the tricky part. You'll find that the upholstery seams are glued inside the foam channels. Jose at Anthony's Custom Restyling used a razor to carefully trim the upholstery away from the foam, trying to remove as little foam as possible. He also applied heat to the area to help loosen the glue.
Because our new Distinctive...
Because our new Distinctive seat covers don't have seams to glue into the foam channels, Jose secured the covers by coating the foam with upholstery glue.
After turning the seat bottom...
After turning the seat bottom cover inside-out and coating the back of the seating surface with glue, Jose positioned the cover and began to pull the edges over the foam.