Hey Everyone,
Ripped out the interior of the Beetle yesterday and have decided to re-upholster the front and rear seats. I don't want to cheap out and use the slip on upholstery kits, so I was looking at the Hog Ring kits that CIP sells. The price is right, but I am wondering about installation...is it really difficult or is it possible to do on my own?
As a sidebar note...when I pulled the carpet up in the cargo area behind the backseat....there was NO RUST!!!!
Thanks,
Pete
its only about a 3 on the difficulty scale(ten being the hardest, and of course this rating is *my* opinion). Go for it....one tip, make sure the seat covers are *warm*....i know it is probably cold in your area this time of year, so keep em inside and maybe even slightlywarm them with a hairdryer....
congrats....what i love is when you pull out the carpet and some assbag has cut out a big hole or "flap" in the cargo area to make the starter more accessible.....like it is really that hard to change from under the car....
------------------- Chris Perdue
*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug"Is there a website that shows how to replace the upholstery with the Hog Ring kit?
As for the body....I can't complain....considering I am the second owner of the car, it hasn't been molested like my other Beetle was...
- Pete
can't help ya there Pete...i have heard that some of the upholstery people have excellent videos...i just dove in head first the first time i did it(about
10-12 years ago)...wasn't that hard the interior kit i got at the time had some "directions"...what a joke they were..those "unmolested" beetles are getting harder to find...congrats..
------------------- Chris Perdue
*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug"
if you slip the new ones over the the old ones, like i did before, be sure to cut off all the old piping with a razor knife, remove any buttons. this stuff will show thru the new ones.
yeah, keep'em warm to make it easier.
the hog rings are kinduv a no brainer. i used regular pliers instead of the "hog ring pliers". just look under the seat to see the originals (i think they used them-memory probs) and you'll get the idea.
to sew the buttons back on -if you have them, cut up a coat hanger, take the longest piece, hammer one end flat, drill holes to make an "eye" and sew away. works just fine.
good luck
Putting the new upholstery on is not hard, but take the time to do a complete job. Strip the seats of their old skins carefully using a sharp razor knife, but don't cut into the pads if they are still in good shape (not very likely, but you might get lucky. Look for any metal rods that are pushed into the edges of the old covers, you will need to reuse them in the new covers. Also, separate the backs from the bottoms -- I know that seems obvious, but some people don't and pay for it with a difficult and crappy job. Check the seat frames and springs for broken pieces and repair anything you can, including rusty sections (seal with epoxy paint after wire brushing as much as you can off. My first job went smooth, looked good, but went to hell quick because I didn't take the time to prep to frames before putting on new foam pads and upholstery. Anything sharp will work its way through the covers eventually, and sooner than you think. My biggest mistake was not shelling out about $10 for some heavy canvas (sissel) to stretch over the bare frames before putting on the pads. Just hog-ring the canvas to the frames so that it has some room to move with the springs when sat on (you can even sew a few loops through the canvas in the middle of the seat bottoms and backs to be sure). And some tips:
- make sure you don't break off any of those short points attached to the frame; bend them up carefully with needlenose pliers, and use something hard and flat to press them back down after the upholstery is on.
- make sure you work with warmed-up vinyl (if that's what you have). I put mine out in the summer sun for awhile, but I think you can use a short spin in the clothes dryer if you turn them inside out first.
- great trick I used on the seat backs: cover over the padding with a kitchen trash bag, just "bag" the seat back, pull the upholstery down over the back with ease, then reach up and tear the bag out from the inside -- quick, easy and smooth....
- find a wood box or something similar to press the seat bottoms down on (upside-down of course) to compress the springs and padding before you secure the covers.
The rest I think you can figure out, just remember to take your time in preparation for the covers, but know you must work quick to get the covers in place while they are warm and pliable. If you have trouble with one, don't force the issue, just pull it off, warm it up again and give it another shot.
I can't think of anything else critical...good luck
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