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edward_davis Member 
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Two quick questions: I've heard that the club magazine did a series on installing the Delta seat covers a while back. When was that, and can I get a copy of that series? (it's from before I joined) Also, is there a trick to getting the seats out of the car? Thanks so much. Edward |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member 
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I think the seat cover replacement article may be found in one of the online back issues in the 'club garage'. I have a vague recollection of having seen the article, but have no idea what issue it might have been in. Each seat is held to its rails with four nuts and bolts that are almost impossible to access, and each rail is held to the transverse seat support brackets with two large allen screws (total of four per seat). In my car, I could only undo each allen screw a sixth of a turn at a time, and consequently their removal took literal hours. It's as severe a test of one's patience as I've come across recently. Rust is often present, and the use of penetrating oil -- or a cutting torch -- is likely to be mandatory. Generous amounts of anti-sieze compound on all the hardware will be of benefit for any future removal that becomes necessary. An alternative, which may not be possible when the seat is in place, is to pop off the ten C-clips that hold the bottom cushion to the seat frame, then lift the cushion up and out. This allows direct access to all the hardware. IIRC, there are normally two clips holding the vinyl to the seat frame's front tube, two holding the vinyl to the rear, and three on either side. It's been my experience that the bottom seat cushions stay in place reasonably well without any C-clips at all. Unfortunately, doing so may leave the cushions subject to removal by random passers-by. Edit: The bottom cushions attach with C-clips to the seat frame, not the floor as originally stated. The text above has been corrected. Last edited on 04-23-2006 04:30 am by Mark Rosenbaum |
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Greg Fletcher Administrator 
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I don't remember either that article. I had some issues with the Delta seat covers and had to return them when I did that on my last car some years ago. I can only assume those problems have been worked now, but I have not seen a set done and installed recently. Just my opinion, but if you want the seats to look sharp- skip the DIY and find a good auto upholsterer. What they do really is a skill that isn't normally matched by a home restorer and you will see it in the finished product. |
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Mike Aubuchon Member
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I have to agree with Greg. A professional upholstery job is hard to beat. It also gives you a lot of options to customize your interior. I rebuilt my interior in 2000 using a charcoal gray cloth for the seats and door panels. The center panels in the seats are a gray with a small pattern in it. I had vertical stiching added on the door panels from the window down to the horizontal trim strip and spaced about an inch and a half apart. This really broke up the flat look of the doors. Using cloth made the driving much more comfortable. No more sticking to the seats in warm weather. I figured this interior is going to be in the car for a long time so it was worth the extra expence to have it done. Good luck with your project. |
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LambandAndy Member 
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A trick I used to remove the pesky allen heads holding down the seat rails was to cut a 1/4" allen wrench off about an 1-1/4" long and insert it into the screw (so that a 1/4" or so protrudes above the rail), then turn it with a regular 1/4" open end wrench. A 1/4" ratchet wrench would work even better if you can find one. Andy #15223 |
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Arvin Appelman Member
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I bought a set of covers for seats and door panels from Delta 3 years ago. Putting the covers on was the easy part. I had one with a borken frame and the straps were stretched to the limit on both. The Delta parts fit well and and look original. If you order from Delta, don't forget the headrest rings. If I had to do it over, I think I would look for a more comfortable replacement. I have done some measuring and I think mid 90's Saturn seats would fit nicely. |
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Jay Member 
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Does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the seat mounting screws when the blind nut in the body rail does not appear to be held from rotating? I'm a little reluctant to use a cutting torch on this to gain access. I was looking for a clever idea. |
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Mark Rosenbaum Member
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Try holding the nut in place with the shaft of a screwdriver or something similar. It might be necessary to drill a hole into the floor bracket to do this. If that doesn't work, you can try pulling off the C-clips holding the seat bottom cushion in place, removing the cushion, and working from above. And if that doesn't work, you may need to use the torch. |
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dwalls1 Member
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Mine are 7/32" allen heads. |
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dwalls1 Member
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OK, got the seats out and the cover off in preparing to replace the seat foam with Delta's replacements. However, the elastic support bands are no longer tight or very elastic. Does anyone have an idea for repair or replacement. Will try this week to get the seat frame to an upholsterer for advice, but the locals are either 8 to 10 weeks behind or recovering from surgery. |
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John Finch Member
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I purchased elastic strap material (for cheap) from an auto upholstery shop and my wife sewed the loop ends on her machine. I used the old straps as templates allowing for 30+ years of stretch. If you don't sew I suppose you could devise a plate/clamp/rivets etc of some sort to secure the loops. I replaced the seat straps only and no foam. It was a big improvement. I had to guess as to the tension on the new straps. Difficult to stretch iirc during re installation but no sore butt after 3-4 hour trips so its ok. Good luck. John |
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dwalls1 Member
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Thanks John! I had a hunch that an upholstery shop might be able to come up with the straps. I'll check them out at the first op. The wife will be back from her visit before I can use her machine, so I may have to do the plate rivet thing, but you have been most helpful and encouraging. Thank You |
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