'95-2000 armrest cover

[Danibal]

I just bought some seats out of a RC pickup in the 95-2000 range. I want to restuff the armrests with new padding, but the cover does not have a zipper. So, before I tear this cover off I wanted to know if there is a trick to it. Do I need to be aware of anything? Is the padding glued to the fabric? Is this super difficult? I would like to reuse the cover as they are both in good shape. Does anyone have any tips, tricks or videos I can glean from?

 

[JOHNGAAA1]

The seat shop sells the replacements with have a zipper on them.. Quick repair and easy.

 

[sewlow]

I just bought some seats out of a RC pickup in the 95-2000 range. I want to restuff the armrests with new padding, but the cover does not have a zipper. So, before I tear this cover off I wanted to know if there is a trick to it. Do I need to be aware of anything? Is the padding glued to the fabric? Is this super difficult? I would like to reuse the cover as they are both in good shape. Does anyone have any tips, tricks or videos I can glean from?

The guts come out that hole.
Yea. PitA!
Use either steam or heat to soften the vinyl.
You can heat the vinyl up till it's pretty hot. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot.
That's a fairly firm foam inside there.
I'd use what's called 'rebond' foam. Looks like carpet underlay, made of foam chips, glued & compressed.
Various densities available. I'd go with what's called 5-pound. (A method of classifying foam by the weight of a 12"x 12"x 12" block of the foam)
Rebond for the armrests because it stands up to high-impact use.

When re-installing, wrap some plastic over the foam, front-to-back, before pulling the cover back on. Makes the cover slide on much easier.
Dry cleaner bags work the best. Adds no bulk & won't make strange crunchy-crinkly plastic noises when using the armrest.

 

[Danibal]

The seat shop sells the replacements with have a zipper on them.. Quick repair and easy.

Thanks. I wanted to reuse the originals because I was afraid it would look funny to have brand new armrests on originally wrapped seats. Know what I mean?

 

[Danibal]

The guts come out that hole.
Yea. PitA!
Use either steam or heat to soften the vinyl.
You can heat the vinyl up till it's pretty hot. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot.
That's a fairly firm foam inside there.
I'd use what's called 'rebond' foam. Looks like carpet underlay, made of foam chips, glued & compressed.
Various densities available. I'd go with what's called 5-pound. (A method of classifying foam by the weight of a 12"x 12"x 12" block of the foam)
Rebond for the armrests because it stands up to high-impact use.

When re-installing, wrap some plastic over the foam, front-to-back, before pulling the cover back on. Makes the cover slide on much easier.
Dry cleaner bags work the best. Adds no bulk & won't make strange crunchy-crinkly plastic noises when using the armrest.

Thank you so much! I think I'm going to try this tonight. I don't have any replacement foam yet but I'm excited and inspired. I will post more afterwards.

 

[Danibal]

Thank you so much! I think I'm going to try this tonight. I don't have any replacement foam yet but I'm excited and inspired. I will post more afterwards.

So, it took me a couple days to get around to it but I finally did it. I used my steamer and rolled it off from the back. What I was also wondering in my original post was is/should the padding on the inside me attached to the cover. I wanted to know how this would come off. It seems to have been originally glued in just one spot. You definitely cannot just pull the cover and the padding off the armrest all at once.

I made a cardboard template close the size of the padding. Now to order some of that padding Sewlow referenced. Thanks again for your help.

 

[sewlow]

That foam is deader than dead!
Yea, my mistake. You can't get both the cover & the foam off of the frame at the same time.

The foam is glued to the inner metal frame.
The cover is not usually glued to the foam.
I'm guessing, but if it was glued to the foam, the only spot that would make sense to do that would be at the front end of the arm rest, so as to hold it in place & prevent it from rolling around & not remaining aligned on the foam as you pull it on.
But then, where the cover was stuck could be something sticky that was spilled on it sometime in the past 20-something years.
As foam gets old & breaks down, it too can also become gooey. Brown & sticky.
The certain spots where that can happen is where the armrest gets more use than the rest. Probably right where your elbow rests in the middle or right at the end that gets touched by hands. Oil & dirt from skin will cause the foam to break down sooner.

Use the cover as your template.
Pin it in place on the foam.
Trace closely around on the outside of the piping.
Cut the foam on the outside of that line.
It's better too big than too small. You can always make it smaller. Pretty hard to make it bigger.
Use 'Automotive Weatherstrip Adhesive' to glue the foam to the frame.

Two colors. Black or yellow. Same formula. But for some reason, black is more expensive. WTF?
On this job, I'd prefer the yellow, anyways.

You must be registered for see images attach

Apply a thin layer to both parts & let it dry to the touch. Putty knife or small bondo spreader works. I've used a thin piece of stiff cardboard too. ...'cause I'm cheap!

Align them up & stick them together. Foam on the bench, frame in your hand. This prevents the foam from being distorted outa shape as the parts are going together.
Start at one end with the frame & with little to no pressure rock it down into place onto the foam.
Don't compress the frame onto the foam quite yet.
Make sure it is all aligned & in the right spot.
The glue being dry will allow for some adjustment. Even still, it will stick somewhat. Be careful if it does need re-aligning. Pulling it apart will leave foam chunks behind on the frame where even the slightest pressure was applied.
If not removed, those can telegraph lumps through to the finished cover, or divots if those chunks are removed.
Once you're happy with everything, compress the h3ll out of it. Weight it down. The glue gets stronger over time.
If you've let the glue dry enough, the grip is going to be tenacious. It's a one-shot deal. After the glue has been compressed, the only way to get it apart is to shred the foam off of the frame.
...and you'll be starting all over again.

 

[Danibal]

Thank you so much! I think I'm going to try this tonight. I don't have any replacement foam yet but I'm excited and inspired. I will post more afterwards.

So, it took me a couple days to get around to it but I finally did it. I used my steamer and rolled it off from the back. What I was also wondering in my original post was is/should the padding on the inside me attached to the cover. I wanted to know how this would come off. It seems to have been originally glued in just one spot. You definitely cannot just pull the cover and the padding off the armrest all at once.

I made a cardboard template close the size of the padding. Now to order some of that padding Sewlow referenced. Thanks again for your help

That foam is deader than dead!
Yea, my mistake. You can't get both the cover & the foam off of the frame at the same time.

The foam is glued to the inner metal frame.
The cover is not usually glued to the foam.
I'm guessing, but if it was glued to the foam, the only spot that would make sense to do that would be at the front end of the arm rest, so as to hold it in place & prevent it from rolling around & not remaining aligned on the foam as you pull it on.
But then, where the cover was stuck could be something sticky that was spilled on it sometime in the past 20-something years.
As foam gets old & breaks down, it too can also become gooey. Brown & sticky.
The certain spots where that can happen is where the armrest gets more use than the rest. Probably right where your elbow rests in the middle or right at the end that gets touched by hands. Oil & dirt from skin will cause the foam to break down sooner.

Use the cover as your template.
Pin it in place on the foam.
Trace closely around on the outside of the piping.
Cut the foam on the outside of that line.
It's better too big than too small. You can always make it smaller. Pretty hard to make it bigger.
Use 'Automotive Weatherstrip Adhesive' to glue the foam to the frame.

Two colors. Black or yellow. Same formula. But for some reason, black is more expensive. WTF?
On this job, I'd prefer the yellow, anyways.

You must be registered for see images attach

Apply a thin layer to both parts & let it dry to the touch. Putty knife or small bondo spreader works. I've used a thin piece of stiff cardboard too. ...'cause I'm cheap!

Align them up & stick them together. Foam on the bench, frame in your hand. This prevents the foam from being distorted outa shape as the parts are going together.
Start at one end with the frame & with little to no pressure rock it down into place onto the foam.
Don't compress the frame onto the foam quite yet.
Make sure it is all aligned & in the right spot.
The glue being dry will allow for some adjustment. Even still, it will stick somewhat. Be careful if it does need re-aligning. Pulling it apart will leave foam chunks behind on the frame where even the slightest pressure was applied.
If not removed, those can telegraph lumps through to the finished cover, or divots if those chunks are removed.
Once you're happy with everything, compress the h3ll out of it. Weight it down. The glue gets stronger over time.
If you've let the glue dry enough, the grip is going to be tenacious. It's a one-shot deal. After the glue has been compressed, the only way to get it apart is to shred the foam off of the frame.
...and you'll be starting all over again.

Dude, that is amazing and scary. Do I cut a pocket into the foam for the frame, cut the foam to wrap around it, or something completely different? Thank you so much for all your help in this.

 

[Danibal]

That foam is deader than dead!
Yea, my mistake. You can't get both the cover & the foam off of the frame at the same time.

The foam is glued to the inner metal frame.
The cover is not usually glued to the foam.
I'm guessing, but if it was glued to the foam, the only spot that would make sense to do that would be at the front end of the arm rest, so as to hold it in place & prevent it from rolling around & not remaining aligned on the foam as you pull it on.
But then, where the cover was stuck could be something sticky that was spilled on it sometime in the past 20-something years.
As foam gets old & breaks down, it too can also become gooey. Brown & sticky.
The certain spots where that can happen is where the armrest gets more use than the rest. Probably right where your elbow rests in the middle or right at the end that gets touched by hands. Oil & dirt from skin will cause the foam to break down sooner.

Use the cover as your template.
Pin it in place on the foam.
Trace closely around on the outside of the piping.
Cut the foam on the outside of that line.
It's better too big than too small. You can always make it smaller. Pretty hard to make it bigger.
Use 'Automotive Weatherstrip Adhesive' to glue the foam to the frame.

Two colors. Black or yellow. Same formula. But for some reason, black is more expensive. WTF?
On this job, I'd prefer the yellow, anyways.

You must be registered for see images attach

Apply a thin layer to both parts & let it dry to the touch. Putty knife or small bondo spreader works. I've used a thin piece of stiff cardboard too. ...'cause I'm cheap!

Align them up & stick them together. Foam on the bench, frame in your hand. This prevents the foam from being distorted outa shape as the parts are going together.
Start at one end with the frame & with little to no pressure rock it down into place onto the foam.
Don't compress the frame onto the foam quite yet.
Make sure it is all aligned & in the right spot.
The glue being dry will allow for some adjustment. Even still, it will stick somewhat. Be careful if it does need re-aligning. Pulling it apart will leave foam chunks behind on the frame where even the slightest pressure was applied.
If not removed, those can telegraph lumps through to the finished cover, or divots if those chunks are removed.
Once you're happy with everything, compress the h3ll out of it. Weight it down. The glue gets stronger over time.
If you've let the glue dry enough, the grip is going to be tenacious. It's a one-shot deal. After the glue has been compressed, the only way to get it apart is to shred the foam off of the frame.
...and you'll be starting all over again.

Also, what's your preferred source for foam?

 

[sewlow]

There's more than one way to skin a cat.
Looking closer at those arm rests, here's another way to get the foam onto the frame.
Glue foam to the sides of the arm rest. The foam should be too big around the frame & too thick for what is required.
Cut off the excess along the top to the top of the frame.
Now wrap the foam lengthwise around from the back, along the top, to the front edge & then back to the rear.
It should be sitting on top of the side foam. This'll keep the side foam from being pulled down once the cover's on.
This thing's going to be w-a-y too big for what you need.
Mark the profile (A Sharpie works.) on the sides with your pattern & cut away. Always on the outside of the line.
Do the same for the top profile.
You've probably noticed that the foam isn't the same thickness on the frame consistently. By gluing on a much larger in total block of foam, it can be carved down to the shape that is right.
You can use a razor knife, but it won't be the best results. Really hard to get a nice even final cut.
It can be shaped with a nice sharp butcher knife. The long blade allows for you to see & cut both inner/outer or the top/bottom lines of the pattern. This makes sure that the flat areas are actually flat & square to each other. No hoop-de-doos like a roller coaster.
Best choice is a household electric knife. Spray it with a bit of silicone every now & then so it slices through the foam nice & smooth without hanging up.

I buy my foam from local from my wholesale suppliers or the actual (local) manufacturer, depending on what type of I need.
Best place to buy foam is local to you. For the amount you need, a retail outlet such as 'The Foam Shoppe' should have stock. There's others. A quick check shows that there seems to be quite a few foam sellers in your state.
Re-bond comes in different densities. Tell them you want a firm to extra firm.
1" thick is good. You can glue it together for 2" if you need thicker.

Another idea is a carpet store. Some types of underlay for carpet is actually re-bond foam.
But it's only 1/2" thick. It'll take a few layers of foam to get the it built up to the size you need.
Every lamination is another layer of glue. That messes with the cutting because it will want to gum up the blade as you cut.
But it IS cheap! Lol!