bench seat re-upholster

[7echo]

The bench seat in my '93 Silverado needs to be re-upholstered. It seems that the seat cover is glued to the foam. Makes it real difficult to match the OEM look.

I am not real concerned about the OEM look, just want new cloth.

What are the options for getting it done? BTW, the seat back has the built in fold down arm rest for the driver if that matters.

 

[Ruger_556]

Buy a good custom fit seat cover? Not sure on the fold down armrest but Northwest seat covers makes a really nice one for the regular bench.

 

[sewlow]

A steamer (for clothing, drapes, etc.) works well for softening the glue enough so that the cover is easier to remove.
Or, separate the cushion from the backrest. Turn the each piece upside down & block it up just enough to get an electric kettle under there.
Throw some plastic or a tarp over top & then stick the kettle in there. You want the steam to be hitting as directly as possible on the fabric. Have to work in sections. 1/2 of each part of the separated seat parts at a time. It'll probably take about 1/2 to a full kettle of steam on each section to get that glue to loosen up.
Let the steam really work into the fabric. It has to get through a 1/2" of foam before it gets to the glue. The fabric is gonna get wet!
To remove the glued fabric, roll the material back at a 180* angle to the main body of the foam. Don't just yank at it. Roll it off with steady pressure.
Any of the main foam that may still be sticking to the cover can be separated with a dull knife or your fingernails. Don't let it go too far before trying to get that separated.
Have patience. Work slow & steady.

There is a stickied, specific upholstery/interior thread here. 'The Stupid Interior Questions' thread.

 

[7echo]

OK, I have a steamer and can use that to soften the glue and remove the old fabric.

If I am successful I will have a seat foam that has the scallop shapes molded into the top. Is it possible to glue new fabric to the seat foam? Or what should I do? I suppose I could put a layer of smooth foam over the seat to smooth out the scallops, then have that upholstered?

 

[sewlow]

Got pix?
If you are taking it in to be recovered, don't do anything else to it. Your upholster guy will be so much happier!
Bring him all the stuff, including whatever's left of the cover.
Even if it's gonna be a total custom re-do, there will be bits of it that he can refer to, as far as certain shapes for the proper fit.
Tell him what you want, he can tell you what's possible, according to your wallet & his capabilities.
If you're a rookie at this stuff, the upholstery guy's got the equipment & the expertise to do whatever, faster & cheaper for you in the long run.
I'm not trying to discourage you, but there have more than a few times where I've had to spend too much time undoing what a customer thought would be helping me.

The new cover will have 1/2" foam sewn into it. That's what's inside the sewn pleats.
There's a few ways to fill those scallops.
Fill them with what's called 'B-Felt'. Cheap, quick & easy. Like a raw cotton. It's that stuffing in old antique furniture. Think...'Chester's Used Car lot, Laundromat & Pin-Ball Emporium' cheap! It looks bad & will only get worse. You can do something similar with foam too. Same results!
Or, cut out each scallop all the same width so that they have square edges & a flat bottom. Cut foam strips just slightly wider & 2x as tall as the depth of the cut-outs. Glue those on three sides & stick them into the cutouts. Then cut them down level with the original foam height. Lotta work! Fussy, sticky work!
Or, cut off the whole top of the foam down to the level of the lowest part of the scallops. That'd probably be around 1.5"-2". Then I'd glue a new piece of new 2" foam back on, followed by some time shaping. This is the easiest to do in a shop because it needs to be done with the tools most upholstery guys should already have. I have some really long blades, electric foam cutters & I've made a specific tool just for cutting long wide thicknesses of foam using heated piano wire.
Doing it this way will result in the best job possible.
The new cover doesn't get glued down. At least, it's not what I would do. I've seen it done in other shops. Really no need in most cases.