I would consider $2400.00 to be a good-guy deal.
These truck's seats are a PitA for a few reasons.
The OEM fabrics are non-existent.
GM holds the proprietary rights. Yardage was available through the dealerships up until the roll-stock inventory was depleted. Last I knew, that was 20+ years ago.
There's a couple of guys on an upholstery forum I'm on that do have some stock squirreled away. Only way anyone is getting their mitts on that stuff would be through an estate sale.
The mills can't reproduce it without permission. Plus, GM would want whatever cut of that pie. But they've shown no interest, even with the obvious demand.
When it was available, it was stupid expensive.
$125.00+ per linear yard. 36"x 54".
Your 40/60 is going to need about 8 yards. $1000.00 just to get it to my door. Plus the incidental supplies & the 1/4" & 1/2" foam. Plus labor. 8 hours. (X $60/hr.)
Ouch.
Pre-sewn covers were also available through GM at one time, too. Never priced them out. Probably very scary, considering the roll-stock price.
I have occasionally found materials that look kinda-sorta close. Similar colors but the texture is off. Those are in the $25.00-$40.00/yard range. Most are close to or better than OEM in performance. Price reflects quality.
One thing about the original is that GM did a good job spec'ing it. It's tuff stuff. 100% man-made. Nylon. Resists stains due to the fibers being so slick. U.V. resistant. Long lasting. Comfortable to sit on.
But...unless you're going full-blown factory original numbers-matching restoration, trying to track down the OEM materials isn't worth the time nor the effort. Nor the cost. Whomever has any is going to price it in the same ballpark as the finest Scottish or Italian leathers. In other words, it ain't for sale.
Kits.
Hmmm...
A pet peeve.
Most every kit I've ever installed was either poorly patterned or poorly sewn. 90% were both.
Some 'kits' I've had to tear down, re-pattern & then re-sew all over again because...well...my shop name is going to be on it. I'm only as good as my last job. Sh*t looking like that ain't going out my door.
I've told more than one client that they would of been further ahead if they had just bought the roll-stock to begin with & let me fab it all from scratch. They would have a better quality finished job for LESS $$$ than having to go through the kit & make it right. They way it should of been done in the first place.
The sad thing is that most of the kit manufacturers advertise their product as being 'for the do-it-yourselfer'. The guy with no experience working on his project in his single car garage.
I can't remember how many guys have brought their interior kits to me, 1/2 installed. ...or ripped. ...or so F'd up, they were beyond saving. Money. Well...spent.
Which brings me to the pic of that company's kit.
What the h3ll is that crap?
You'd think that a company advertising their product would be putting their best foot forward.
What a gong show. The fit is crap & not just because of a poor install. The actual sewing together of the parts is just outright bad. Individual panels stretched when stitched to others causing huge wrinkles in one panel but not the one next to. I'd lay odds that 1/2 of the line-up marks, don't.
That back seat...Sooo so b-a-d. I can't look at that anymore. Makes my teeth hurt.
If one of my students produced something like that, they'd be tearing it down & figuring out where it all went so wrong.
I'd be embarrassed to let something like that leave my shop.
Lose sleep until was fixed.
There is a trick to getting the pleats on these seats to look decent. They won't be as original, but it certainly would be very respectable.
Grind off all those raised parts of the foam that GM glued the fabric to, to create the pleats.
Mini-angle grinder & an 80 or 100 grit disc.
Just take them down to the lowest point of the original foam pleat bumps. It'll take a bit to do.
The grinder has no respect for the foam. It's easy for it to get away from you & go too deep. Getting it level can take some finesse. It doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, but the flatter, the better.
Go slow. It's easy to remove the foam. Pretty hard to put it back, especially when what you've taken off has been ground down to crumbs.
Then, when your upholstery guy makes up the new covers, he can do the pleats the traditional way with 1/2" foam. That little bit of padding in the pleats will bring the cushions/backrests back up to the height it was before the foam removal. The 1/2" will also help to hide any minor flaws made when removing the foam.
Then the cover can be glued down in the same manner as the original.
