It's been a while since we've touched on one of the most common of all vintage Mustang repairs. While longtime readers will gripe that we've covered this subject ad nauseam, we understand that many new readers may have only recently acquired their first old Mustang. And there's an even better chance that their four-decades-old bucket seats need some attention, if not a complete rebuild.
That's what we're tackling here, going beyond the usual upholstery replacement to also replace the seat foam, burlap, and exterior trim on the bucket seats in a '66 Mustang GT that's undergoing a restoration at Classic Creations of Central Florida. Shop owner Merv Rego has been rebuilding and reupholstering vintage Mustang seats for nearly 30 years, so he's come up with his own tricks and tools. Basically, it's a job that nearly any Mustang owner can accomplish in their own home garage.
Start the disassembly of the...
Start the disassembly of the bucket seats by removing the trim on each side of the seatback, a long polished aluminum piece on one side and a small plastic hinge cover on the other. Both are attached by small Phillips-head screws. Be sure to save the plastic spacers under the aluminum trim; you'll need them for reinstallation later. If yours are missing, reproductions are available from NPD.
In many cases, seats need more than just fresh upholstery. Over the years, Mustang bucket seats have been subjected to plenty of abuse. Often, years of use by plus-size drivers have bent or even broken the driver-side seat frames, making them unstable and even dangerous. Merv notes that a common problem with convertibles is broken or bent passenger-side seatback frames due to joy riders of the past sitting on top of the seat with the top down. Most bucket seat frames can be repaired by a welding shop or, if broken or bent beyond repair, frame assemblies for low-back '65-'67 bucket seats can be replaced by reproductions available from National Parts Depot.
For our project, TMI Products supplied their high-quality black standard upholstery and seat foam, which includes molded-in listing wires as an improvement over the original seat buns. Upholstery and foam for the Décor (Pony) interior seats is also available. Replacement trim, like the polished side aluminum and seatback adjustment hardware, came from National Parts Depot, as manufactured by Scott Drake Reproductions. NPD also carries TMI products.
The seatbacks are attached...
The seatbacks are attached to studs on each side of the seat bottoms. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the cotter pins.
Our seats were already out of the car as part of its restoration. Removing the seats is simple-they attach to the floorpan with four bolts that are accessible from under the car. Rubber plugs or metal plates cover the access holes, although they are often missing.
One important tip: Vinyl upholstery is more pliable when warm, so you want to tackle the project on a warm day to make it easier to stretch the material over the seat frame. In fact, our project was delayed for a couple of weeks due to Florida's cold weather last winter. Laying the upholstery in the sun will warm it up considerably, making a big difference in the effort needed for installation.
To separate the seatback from...
To separate the seatback from the seat bottom, you'll need to pry the seatback's long arm off the stud. To prevent damage, Merv props the head of a sledge hammer on the seat track, then uses a long pry bar to lift the arm off the stud.
Flip the seat bottom over...
Flip the seat bottom over and remove the four Phillips-head bolts that retain the seat tracks to the seat frame. Be sure to note how the tracks, springs, and adjustment rods go together. Also, keep your fingers out of the track when releasing the adjustment lever to access the bolts; the track will spring back quickly-and dangerously-without the weight of the seat.
The seat upholstery is retained...
The seat upholstery is retained by small hog rings along the outside perimeter of the seat frame. Use needle nose pliers to pry the rings open so they can be removed.
Once the hog rings are removed...
Once the hog rings are removed from the outside perimeter, and after you've removed the small seatback adjuster plate, peel the edges of the upholstery over the seat frame. Now you can get to the hog rings at the center of the seat. They're located inside the slits in the seat foam, so be prepared to dig for them. With all of the rings removed, the old seat upholstery can be pulled away from the seat.
The seatback panel is retained...
The seatback panel is retained by small wire clips that pop into small holes in the seat frame. Carefully pry the clips out to remove the panel.
Our original seatback adjuster...
Our original seatback adjuster on the driver side had been replaced with a bolt. We'll toss it and replace with a new, original-style adjuster from Scott Drake Reproductions.
Like the seat bottom, the...
Like the seat bottom, the seatback upholstery is retained around the edges of the seat frame with hog rings.
After removing the inner hog...
After removing the inner hog rings, pull the upholstery away from the seat foam. At some point in our '66 Mustang's history, someone had added more foam to bolster the original foam. Over time, the new foam disintegrated into a fine, green dust.
Originally, the hog rings...
Originally, the hog rings for the seat upholstery also retained the seat foam to the frame. With the rings removed, the foam can be pulled off the frame. Our 44-year-old foam was actually in pretty good shape, but new foam from TMI will bring back the original seat shape and feel.
Interestingly, our driver-side...
Interestingly, our driver-side seat was in better shape than the passenger side, with the burlap still intact. Typically, it's the other way around because the driver's seat gets the majority of use. Now is the time to inspect the seat frames for damage. Breaks or cracks in the metal should be welded. If your frames are damaged beyond repair, reproduction low-back bucket seat frame assemblies are now available for '65-'67 Mustangs.
New seat foam from TMI Products...
New seat foam from TMI Products will get our old seats back in shape-literally. Unlike original foam, heavy-duty listing wires are molded into the reproduction foam, which means you can attach the foam to the frame separately.....
....These are for our standard...
....These are for our standard '65-'66 Mustang buckets; owners with the Decor interior will need to order foam for the differently shaped Pony seats.