Jump to content

  •  


    Welcome to our Knowledge Base

    roa090117dpt-boot-swcnew8-1501000926.jpg

    Here you will find technical contributions promoted by our members.  

    Also check out other technical info in the Downloads and Forums
    We highly recommend obtaining a copy of the Zcar Microfiche.


  • Hardway
    Hardway

    DIY: How to Recover Your Z Seats - LOTS OF PICTURES

    In response to questions and requests on how to recover Z car seats I thought I would put together a post outlining my experience when recovering the driver seat in my ’72 240z. The job took me around 8 hours from start to finish but I worked in 1 or 2 hour increments. Stretching and fitting the covers is the hardest part and will give your hands, arms, and shoulders a workout. This is a job that anyone can do and is a worthwhile job to tackle yourself as many shops can charge $300 - $500 in labor to recover a single seat. The key is to take your time and walk away if you get frustrated or tired and constantly check your work to see how everything is fitting. If you are not happy with how things are looking, stop where you at and see what you need to do to correct the issue. *Please note, I am not an expert or professional of any kind and this is the first seat I have ever recovered. This is written as a guide and your situation may be different. I am not responsible for any damage or injuries caused by someone taking on this project. If you doubt your skills or capabilities in doing this job please contact a professional.

    Materials

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    00:00
    Loading ad
    00:00
     
     
     
    im.gif?r=imp_583ced71e4b0f85433400593&i=

    Synthetic Leather Seat Covers from Ebay - $200 shipped to my door

    New Seat Foam Sets from Classic Datsun - $310 shipped to my door

    100pk of hog rings from Amazon - $7 shipped to my door

    Semi-gloss black Krylon spray paint - $6 at parts store

    15ft roll 1/4 inch thick foam - $15 at local fabric store

    3M Heavy Duty Spray Adhesive - $8 from Home Depot

    Tools

    KD-Tools Hog Ring Pliers 2pk, straight and 45 degree from Amazon - $36.81 (These are totally worth the money and very well made)

    Needle Nose Pliers

    Traditional Pliers

    Channel Lock Pliers

    Heavy duty wire cutters

    Assortment of flat head screw drivers

    Assortment of Phillips head screw drivers

    Small hammer

    Socket Set

    Assortment of medium sized clamps

    Utility knife with new razor blade

    Pneumatic rotary tool with fine wire brush attachment

    Super Clean degreaser

    Paper towels

    Vacuum cleaner/Shop Vac

    Remove the seats from your car and move to a location that gives you plenty of space to work and offers some protection to the surface you will be working on since the seats have studs on the bottom. My living room with its plush carpet, TV, and air conditioning was the best spot for me. Assess the seat and if anything broken. If it is make appropriate plans to repair the broken parts. As you can see my seats were in a pretty sad state but were complete and functional. The foam had collapsed in the bottom cushion causing you to instantly sink about 6” or more once you sat in the seat. I could tell by the cover the seat had been recovered before due to the lack of vent holes and it did not match the passenger seat.

    01.jpg

    02.jpg

    Disassemble the seat by tilting the top cushion all the way forward. This will take some of the pressure off the bolts as you remove them since the right hinge is spring loaded.

    03.jpg

    Take some time to inspect everything as you go along. It is also a good idea to take notes or pictures just in case you do not remember how everything goes back together. My seat was shedding its potato sack material in between the springs but for the most part all the hardware looked good.

    05.jpg

    04.jpg

    06.jpg

    I started by disassembling the bottom cushion first. First you will need to slowly pry up the pointed tangs at the back of the cushion with a flat screw driver. This will reveal some more tangs that it covers up. Then gently pry up all the tangs around the perimeter of the cushion, pull the material up from around the tangs, and lift the seat and spring assembly out of the cushion. Inside the edge of the cover is a thick wire. Remove this wire if you can, you will need it later on.

    07.jpg

    08.jpg

    10.jpg


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Guidelines. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.