One of our completed black...
One of our completed black Deluxe interior front seats sits next to the original blue standard interior bucket seat for comparison.
While our '66 hardtop's new sheetmetal is slowly finding its way to the quarter-panels and floors of our Mustang, we have plenty to do with everything we've removed to get the Mustang down to a rolling shell. Items such as the heater box, seat upholstery, gauge cluster, engine rebuild, and more can be restored and upgraded while the bodywork is being completed.
One of the first things we wanted to accomplish--mainly because we couldn't wait to see the finished product--was the reupholstering of our hardtop's seats. Not only were we going to change colors, but we also planned on upgrading the stock seats, as well as the entire interior, to the more luxurious Deluxe interior package--more commonly known as Pony interior. Just covering the original seat frames with new Pony seat buns and upholstery is a relatively simple task if you follow our suggestions here. Later, as the car progresses, we will bring you further articles on the Deluxe interior conversion process, including finding and restoring a Deluxe steering wheel, adding the woodgrain trim, and more.
When we started this project, the original goal was to restore the hardtop to pay homage to another car yours truly owned many years ago. We are still on track with that, as we gather up the correct parts to build a 289 C-code hardtop with black Deluxe interior, power steering, power drum brakes, console, and more. Stay tuned as we bring you regular how-tos and updates on our 1966 hardtop, which by the way has not been named yet.
We contacted Virginia Classic Mustang, a TMI Upholstery dealer, to help us complete our Deluxe interior conversion and provide new hardware and other Deluxe interior items that we'll be using down the road. Since we can honestly say we've never attempted this conversion, as well as the installation of new buns, we let the professionals at Mr. Autocraft in Bartow, Florida, handle the installation for us.
1 We already had the seats...
1 We already had the seats out of our hardtop from disassembling the car earlier. Simply remove the four retaining nuts from under the car to remove your seats. Find a suitable work area and remove the pivot arm trim from both sides, and then remove the two cotter pins to separate the seatback and base.
2 Beginning with the seatback,...
2 Beginning with the seatback, remove the seatback cover and cut away all visible hog rings that are retaining the seat cover.
3 Once the seat cover is...
3 Once the seat cover is free of the backside of the frame, you can roll the material around the frame to work on the front side. You might have to cut away the hog rings on the front as well, but most seat covers are so old you can simply pull them off as shown here.
4 With the seat cover out...
4 With the seat cover out of the way, the seat bun can be inspected. In our case (the conversion to Deluxe interior), we have to change the seat buns to accommodate the different stitch pattern. A new retaining wire is added to the standard seat to allow the retention of the Pony covers.
5 Once the new retaining...
5 Once the new retaining wire is locked down with hog rings, the new Pony bun can be placed over the frame and shaped. The Pony seat cover installation begins by hog-ringing the horizontal listing wire to the new retaining wire just added. Note we had to cut the foam to get to the new wire.
6 Proceed next to the side,...
6 Proceed next to the side, or vertical, listing wires and hog-ring them to the original standard interior retaining wires. If your old listing wires aren't long enough (they have to be cut to length for the Pony covers), then new ones can be easily made from wire coat hangers.
7 Carefully wrap the Pony...
7 Carefully wrap the Pony upholstery around the seatback frame, keeping the foam in place with your other hand, and then hog-ring the cover to the frameback. Check your progress as you go to work out any wrinkles.
8 New black seatbacks were...
8 New black seatbacks were installed, along with new seatback adjusting hardware. Don't forget new seatback mounting clips, as the old ones are usually damaged or missing.
9 The seat base is relatively...
9 The seat base is relatively easy, as no modifications are needed to the retaining wires or frame, but the cover is more difficult to install than the seatback. The combination of the new Pony bun and the TMI upholstery made for an extremely tight fit. Take your time and use lots of heat, such as from a hair dryer, to prevent splitting the cover.
The Skinny on Fat Foam
We've since talked with TMI Products and Virginia Classic Mustang and the companies state that the upholstery was designed to be used on original seat foam and when using any new foam under new upholstery, you will encounter a snug fit. If we had been covering original Pony seats with TMI's products, we were told we wouldn't have had such a tough time. Nevertheless, with some tips from Virginia Classic Mustang and the professional installation performed by our friends at Mr. Autocraft, all worked out well.
10 The many hands in this...
10 The many hands in this photo show you how much pulling and tugging went on to get the seatbase covers into place. Secure the corners with new hog rings, and then slowly work around the base, checking to make sure you are working the wrinkles out as you go.
11 These little fiber washers...
11 These little fiber washers are usually missing or damaged, so be sure to replace them because they have the important job of preventing the pivot arm from damaging the seat covers. The small seam you see here was a small repair made when the cover split during installation--another warning to go slow and use patience.
12 A new cotter pin is used...
12 A new cotter pin is used on each side as well. The old pins were bent. Some were missing or replaced by bent-over nails. Do it correctly while you have the seats apart.
13 We finished off the seat...
13 We finished off the seat buckets with new side-seat trim and pivot covers. The pivot covers come only in black...
...which saved us the hassle...
...which saved us the hassle of painting them, but you will have to finish them in your interior color if you have any other color.
14 Moving on to the back-seat...
14 Moving on to the back-seat base, the hog rings were cut off and the old seat cover was easily removed. Since our seat padding was in excellent shape, it didn't need any extra padding.
15 We carefully removed the...
15 We carefully removed the old padding, and then cleaned and painted our seatbase frame to protect it.
16 The rear seatbase is probably...
16 The rear seatbase is probably the easiest of any of the seats to recover. The one-piece cover easily slips on, and you simply hog-ring the outer perimeter, checking every few hog rings to make sure you are pulling the wrinkles out, and you're done.
17 The rear seatbase is complete...
17 The rear seatbase is complete and ready for storage, as we plan on installing the interior later in the calendar year, provided that our paint and bodywork stay on schedule.
18 The rear seatback is quite...
18 The rear seatback is quite similar to the seatbase with a simple perimeter hog-ring retaining feature. Once the old seat cover was removed and the new TMI Deluxe interior cover test-fitted, Mr. Autocraft felt it necessary to slightly build up the top edge of the seat for a better fit with the old seat padding.
19 As with the seat base,...
19 As with the seat base, begin with the corners, and then hog-ring the perimeter, checking the face of the seat cover as you work to remove wrinkles.
20 The seatback is finished...
20 The seatback is finished in a few short minutes and is also ready to be carefully stored until our interior is assembled.
21 The last few items we...
21 The last few items we had Mr. Autocraft take care of were the Deluxe interior-specific kick panels and padded quarter trim panels. The original quarter trim panels were scuffed and cleaned, and then the Deluxe padding was glued into place.
22 The presewn and cut quarter...
22 The presewn and cut quarter trim panel vinyl covers were then carefully aligned and glued down as well. Don't trim the edges too close until you are ready to install them. That way, you will know what the door sill plates and carpet will cover.
23 To create the look of...
23 To create the look of the Deluxe interior kick panels, you will have to get the kick panels and carpet sections in the correct interior colors for your Mustang. The standard kick panel has glue applied to it to allow the carpet sections to be secured.
24 Once the carpet is in...
24 Once the carpet is in place and the glue has dried, line up the chrome finishing trim and drill the holes needed to secure the trim to the kick panel. Push the chrome trim retainers through the holes and bend the retaining tabs over to secure the kick panel.
25 Our completed Deluxe kick...
25 Our completed Deluxe kick panels look great, and we can't wait to install them, but for now they will go into hibernation as we work to get our hardtop into the paint booth in the next few months. Stay tuned.