Vicks X1/9 seat upholstery set

JimD

JimD

Waiting for Godot...
Moderator
I ordered a set of X1/9 upholstery from Vicks about a week ago and I have been slowly working on the passenger seat for my 85. Today I got the upholstery pulled on and I think it is looking pretty good so far. I need to pull, push and tug on it the seat back some more to move the material around and reduce the wrinkles. Some of the bunching at the bottom of the headrest is due to the fact that I haven't fastened the tie downs to the seat frame yet. When I pull on the tie down straps, most of that bunching is gone. I may even start over if I feel the need.

Vicks seat cover.JPG

I am letting it rest right now as it is a very tight fit and it seems like I am fighting myself more than the material right now. I am hoping it will get easier to shift after it has acclimated to the seat. In general, the upholstery set seems very well made and the current price point is pretty darn good. The upholstery has foam padding stitched to the back of the vinyl and the sleeves for the tie down rods are stitched into the seams at the right locations. I mentioned it is in really tight fit, but that is really what you want. The seat bottom is not too bad, but the seat back is a wrestling match in which patience is the key.

I think the seats will look really good in my car compared to the mismatched upholstery I currently have. The PS seat is grey/blk while the DS seat is green/blk. People always tell me they don't notice the difference, but I see it every time I look at the seats. :(

85_new_driver_seat.jpg
 
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Thanks Ed,

I found a couple videos on Youtube about using a steamer. Now I just have to ask my wife if we have a steamer. :)
 
I would happily take (pay) for your mismatched fabric seat covers for the oh my god those are gross brown cloth ones in my ugly gold n brown X
 
JimD said:
Thanks Ed,

I found a couple videos on Youtube about using a steamer. Now I just have to ask my wife if we have a steamer. :)
Click to expand...

You can also use her hair drier to soften and slightly expand the vinyl. Wives love it when husbands borrow their hair dryers.
 
I would have to borrow the wife's for sure. I don't even own a comb anymore, much less a hair dryer. When I want to rearrange my hair, I go get a broom. This emoticon and I have the same hair style. :(
 
Installing new upholstery is indeed a wrestling match with it.
The key to the use of steam or a hair dryer is heat. So really any method to warm up the material will help. Where I live a few minutes in the sun works (but understand that the sun here is INTENSE). Maybe you can come up with a method without having to buy anything (steamers are kind of pricey). Also be careful not to over heat it in any one spot; it can actually melt or burn (I did that once in a tiny spot and will never forget).
Good job.
 
Oh Jiminy!

Hope you and yours are well! Some upholstery tips:

1. Lay out all the new upholstery in the sun and let it heat up.

2. Purchase a bag of "quilt batting" from your local fabric store. Use it to bolster and stuff areas that may need some filler. Lay a couple of layers on top of the original foam for a bit more comfort, especially on the seat bottom. You can use some contact spray adhesive to hold it in place as well, the same store should carry it.

3. Cover the seat bottom and seat back with a plastic TRASH BAG. 13 gallon ones are about the best size. Then slip the new upholstery over it, like greased lightning! You can usually retire the plastic bag in place (R.I.P.) or pull most of it out if you want.

But make sure everything is stuffed the way you want it... the covers will slip on and off easily so make sure the wrinkles are gone and the like.

HTHs!
 
Hi Tony,

I have most of that covered. I didn't think to put it out in the sun first, so I may start over. The seat foam is fine, I lined the sides of the seat back foam with spray adhesive and plastic.
 
Just out of curiosity, did you replace or do anything with the foam? Mine has decomposed enough that the fabric is never tight... As time goes on I am sitting lower and lower in the drivers seat, which is annoying...
 
My foam seemed OK to me. I am thinking about starting over, so I will look closer if I do. I think I could add some foam to the seat bottom if I decide I want a little extra cushioning, but the seat back is already a very snug fit. I don't think I could add to it and still get the cover on.

Here is a picture of the back side of the seat bottom as delivered. The white backing you see is what I would guess is ~ 1/4" foam. So not much extra cushioning, but not just a sheet of vinyl.
Vick seat bottom.JPG

You can also see the grey narrow pockets that are there to slide the hold down rods into.

Another reason I may start over is that I tried to re-use the existing cotton ribbon tie downs from the original upholstery. Well, lets just say they are showing their age and about a 1/3 of them tore when I tried to tighten them down. Without the tie downs, you really can't get the seat to look right in the depressed sections of the seat foam.
 
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JimD said:
My foam seemed OK to me. I am thinking about starting over, so I will look closer if I do. I think I could add some foam to the seat bottom if I decide I want a little extra cushioning, but the seat back is already a very snug fit. I don't think I could add to it and still get the cover on.
Click to expand...

Jim...

Have you slid a plastic bag down over the top of the seat? If so, then letting the vinyl soak in the sun for a few hours should help with the installation. SOrry you are having trouble with this... The covers do appear to be a good deal relative to pricing.

BTW, so they also have wire or string to pull the inserts in tight against the back and the bottom? If so, tell/show us how you managed to install them. Thx!
 
Hi Tony,

I just added a picture while you were responding, so take a look at it and you can see the rod pockets are there for snugging the depressed sections. Vick's does not provide the rods or tie downs, but I just happy to see the rod pockets. I transferred the original rods for the seat back, but my original seat bottom had no rods. I made some from wire coat hangers pretty easily.

I wouldn't say I am having trouble with it, just working thru the installation. I am just going slow so that I don't tear the covers. I don't have the car they go in ready for driving anyway. It is heading to paint eventually and it is pretty torn apart right now. So no real hurry on getting the seats right.
IM003408.JPG
 
JimD said:
My foam seemed OK to me. I am thinking about starting over, so I will look closer if I do. I think I could add some foam to the seat bottom if I decide I want a little extra cushioning, but the seat back is already a very snug fit. I don't think I could add to it and still get the cover on.

Here is a picture of the back side of the seat bottom as delivered. The white backing you see is what I would guess is ~ 1/4" foam. So not much extra cushioning, but not just a sheet of vinyl.
View attachment 4554
You can also see the grey narrow pockets that are there to slide the hold down rods into.

Another reason I may start over is that I tried to re-use the existing cotton ribbon tie downs from the original upholstery. Well, lets just say they are showing their age and about a 1/3 of them tore when I tried to tighten them down. Without the tie downs, you really can't get the seat to look right in the depressed sections of the seat foam.
Click to expand...

Hi Jim, hit eBay and search for "cotton twill tape" or "cotton twill herringbone tape" and you will get pretty much an exact replacement for the original. It's the word "tape" that keeps you from finding it, who other than an upholstery person would know to use that term? When I did mine, I used hog rings and the tapes on the seat bottoms: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hog-Ring-Pl...ash=item28183e27a1:g:4ScAAOSwPcVVzSy1&vxp=mtr

I would love it if one of our vendors could get some NOS seat bottom foams, or could have a run of them reproduced. Your experience matches mine, the seat back foams seemed to have kept their firmness and body, while the seat bottom foams are much worse for wear, too squishy and they don't fill out the covers anymore.
 
Hi Dan,

I found the cotton tape late on Friday afternoon and ordered a roll. I will start over on the seat back, because I broke the tape coming from the top corner. I wish I didn't have to do it again, but its my own fault for re-using the obviously work out original tapes. I have never used a hog ring pliers before, so I must need to get one for my tool collection. :)
 
Thanks all for the pro tip. I was worried about getting the seat back cover off since it was so tight. 5 minutes in the sun made it way more pliable. I wont say it came off really easy, but it definitely came off way easier than fighting a room temp cover.

I am glad I got black, they heat up quick. I am sure I won't be as happy once I park the car in the sun some day and get back in to drive away. :)
 
Black-Tooth said:
Oh Jiminy!

Hope you and yours are well! Some upholstery tips:

1. Lay out all the new upholstery in the sun and let it heat up.

2. Purchase a bag of "quilt batting" from your local fabric store. Use it to bolster and stuff areas that may need some filler. Lay a couple of layers on top of the original foam for a bit more comfort, especially on the seat bottom. You can use some contact spray adhesive to hold it in place as well, the same store should carry it.

3. Cover the seat bottom and seat back with a plastic TRASH BAG. 13 gallon ones are about the best size. Then slip the new upholstery over it, like greased lightning! You can usually retire the plastic bag in place (R.I.P.) or pull most of it out if you want.

But make sure everything is stuffed the way you want it... the covers will slip on and off easily so make sure the wrinkles are gone and the like.

HTHs!
Click to expand...
I completely agree with Papa Tony...the plastic bag is the way to go, and setting the vinyl out in the sun for an hour first is a bonus. My wife has this sewing tool that has a small wheel with protruding spikes on a handle. I roll it across the bag to create serrations in strategic places, then put it over the existing seats, then place the new vinyl covers and pull out the bag in strips. Works great. Never had to bother with steam. For leather it may be essential, but for warm vinyl, not so much. Great job so far. Be patient. It's going to look awesome!

Cheers.
Mike
 
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