How to put a new seat cover on?

[svo58]

My old seat has staples holding it in(the seat is from a 85 250es big red)Is it hard to put one on your self and what kind of stapler do you use.I bought a new seat cover ,i am wondering should i try to do it my self,and which end should i start from.Any tips would be great,thanks......svo58

[nouseforaname90]

I just used 1/4 inch staples. Use a staple gun.. like one of the heavy duty ones. If you don't have one around, I'm sure any kind of staple gun will work.. electric or otherwise. Just test it out first. At any rate.. just stretch the cover over your seat and staple with 1/4 inch staples. It might take awhile to get perfect, as it took me 3 hours to do mine. But you will get it done eventally and it will look great.

[EZ in NZ]

Search the threads. Tons of posts on this. You need to heat the vinyl and use an air stapler. A hand stapler won't get through the plastic base far enough (probably).

I just had a new cover put on my X. I took it to a marine upholstery shop and he did the job for $10. (I supplied the cover off ebay).

He has the stapler, the skills and more importantly, used stainless steel staples. Looks a million bucks and wasn't worth me maybe screwing it up!

[nouseforaname90]

I didn't use an air stapler and it worked fine.. the staples went all the way into the plastic. Only a few didn't, and the ones that didn't I just hit in there a little further. -shrug- If you say so. lol

[Huffa]

I did quite a few seats in my time. The best and most econimacal way for a do-it-yourselfer is get an electric staple gun for about 30 bucks.

I take a good 2-3 hours too to do it and never messed one up.

I 1st get a feel how the cover will stretch by using cloths pins semi installing the whole thing on seat to hold cover on. I figure what stretch it will need (every seat is different) from front to rear and staple the rear 1st with the least amount possible just to hold it.

Then I do the front and work down each side back and fourth and even then you will have wrikles and think.........." THIS SEAT IS NEVER GOING TO STRETCH RIGHT !!! "......... and thats why you put in as few staples as possible every where! You may have to go back a step and restretch a buckel out but eventually they all do come out.

I also fold some of the extra so the staples go thru 2 layers. Don't have to do it that way but thats the way I do. Just don't make any cuts TILL YOUR SURE the fit is proper !!! Always cut a bit less then you think. You can always cut a bit more but certainly can't add to it!

I never heat mine at all because by the time you work the stretches out, the seat has cooled down to room temperature anyway.

Here are 2 guns here.......a craftsman with a high & low power level and an arrow with just one level. Either one works fine. I don't think Craftman makes this exact model anymore. I tried a hand staple gun once and didn't like it at all. Some of the staples would go 1/2 way or bend.........it just looks shabby so I went out and bought the electric jobbers.

I lost the craftman , bought the other one, then a month later found the craftman again I'm sure at one time or another we have all done that!

[nouseforaname90]

Thats exactly how I did it, Huffa. Although, you may think you will have to take out a staple and stretch it because there is a wrinkle in it, but sometimes you can just push the wrinkle off the seat. Just like put your finger behind the wrinkle and push it until it goes over the edge of the seat. A few of the wrinkles on my seat were being P.I.A.'s, and it ended up that all I had to do was just push them and they worked themselves out.
And about the electronic staple gun. My dad had one, and I tried it on my seat and it worked worse than the hand one. I think it was a Stanley as well. I don't know what was up with it.. I just figured electric ones didn't work too well on seats, until now.

[jeswinehart]

What I found to be the hardest part was getting all those old staples out.
Pliers,small screw driver and patience ( I'm not to good on the patience part ).

john

[Billy Golightly]

I'd reccomend Rob and Tammy Mosher (moshman355) here from the forum actually. They did my 500R cover and I'm super happy with it.

[sblt500r]

i use an electric stapler with 1/4 inch staples, but to make sure they go in all the way i put the edge of the seat on the bench so i can really push on the stapler. that way the seat can't give when you put the staple in. i found that if the seat gives the staple won't go all the way in. i used to also use a hand one but it couldn't get all the staples in all the way most of the time.

start at the front and rear ot the seat. make sure it's centered. put a couple of staples in the front and rear of the seat. then pull the center down tight and put in a couple of staples. then work out from the center putting in staples. about 2 to 3 inches apart, just to hold it. and kep pulling it to pull out all the wrinkles in the cover. after there all out finish off putting in the staples.

it takes me about a half an hour to put on a seat cover. i've done many covers and never screwed one up. i've even put covers from different years bikes on the seat i had because either i couldn't find one for that year or i just liked the newer design better. as long as there's enough material any cover will fit any seat!

juat don't do what my buddy did and use 3/4 inch staples. he put them right through the side of the seat!