Late-Model Mustang Seat Swap

17. We simply purchased a few three-foot sections of 3⁄16-inch plated steel rod from the local home improvement store to create new listing rods of the proper length. You can use your new foam to measure where to bend and cut by inserting the listing rod in the metal retaining loop at the top of the foam.

18. As noted previously, the sport style seat has an additional 3⁄16-inch rod that fits this mid-back listing loop, as shown here. It needs to be long enough for the vertical listing rods to secure it in place, which for our seats was about 13 inches.

19. Install the foam on the seat back frame and then hog ring the top listing wire into place on the foam. Slowly work the upholstery down over the foam, using heat or steam as needed. An old upholsterer’s trick is to use a plastic trash bag over the foam to help the material slide over the bolsters. Trust us, it really helps!

20. This is probably the trickiest part of the whole upholstery swap—installing the long listing rods in the seat back. You have to slide the rods into the listing loops and carefully feel for the retaining loop at the top of the foam while ensuring the listing rods are also on top of the horizontal rod. Finally, hog ring, zip tie, or crimp clamp the listing rod to the base of the foam.

21. If you plan to reuse the head rests, they can quickly be recovered with the included covers in the TMI upholstery kit. Remove the two nails retaining the fiber board base and then slide the base off the head rest.

22. Cut the old cover off (saves a lot of time) and slip the new cover over the head rest (noting the slight difference in the foam shape so you don’t install the covers backwards) and then apply heat to soften the material and carefully stretch it over the foam head rest. Once the material is in place it can be tweaked to ensure it is centered.

23.Reassemble the seat back and seat base using the original hardware, then bolt on your modified seat tracks (don’t forget to have the crossover rod installed on the tracks first) and your late-model Mustang seats are ready for installation in your vintage Mustang.

24. One of the great things about using the TMI late-model Mustang upholstery (and optional foam if you want the bigger bolsters) is that TMI can use their vintage Mustang patterns to stitch up matching rear seat upholstery and even door panels that will give your interior a custom look. The owner pulled out the fold-down seat and brought it to us so we could easily add TMI’s upholstery in matching Mach 1 material.

25. Recovering the fold-down seat took a few dozen hog rings to secure the upholstery and about an extra hour of our time, but the results are more than worth it.

26. With our modified seat tracks in place on the bottom of our Fox seat frames, the new seats drop right into place as if they were the originals. While we were recovering the seats, the owner installed new carpet, door sill plates, and a few other interior items.

27. The Fox seats, especially with the Sport style foam, are thicker/taller than the vintage seats. Some owners might have issues with steering wheel clearance or the headliner. Luckily, this ’68 fastback already had a Mustangs to Fear molded headliner in place, offering a couple extra inches of head room. Exceptionally tall owners might consider lowering the seat risers or a tilt-column conversion, but the comfort and support of the seats are worth it.

28. The owner opted to hold off on installing the head rests for now. If he decides to install them later, it is a simple matter of making a small incision in the top of the seat and sliding the plastic guide and the head rest into the upper seat frame.