How To Re-cover Seats

On to your first venture into reassembly. You'll need to hit a local supply store and buy about 4 yards of burlap. Ambrose uses more burlap than the factory and strongly advises folding it over double and covering the entire spring portion of the seat. Attach it to the springs with hog rings and special hog-ring pliers, both available from OPG. Begin by attaching it to one main wire and then the other (arrows), making sure to keep it taught.

Here's a closer view of how to attach the burlap around the perimeter of the seat. First, note that the burlap is double-folded for strength. Next, notice how Ambrose puts the hog rings on the thickest part of the perimeter (arrow) where two pieces of the wire join. This keeps the rings tighter so the burlap doesn't get saggy.

When you were removing the old seat covers you may have noticed that the vinyl was reinforced with wire most of the places where it needed hog rings. The new covers don't come with wire, so you need to install your old ones in the channels in the new covers. Old coat hangers or welding rod will also work.

The first seat-cover wires to install are the ones that attach to the main wire in the seat base. They are also the same ones to get reattached. First, set the seat foams in place. Ours had turned to dust and the Pontiac foams didn't match the Chevelle seat pattern, so we got new foams from OPG. Next, hog-ring the seat cover to the main wire-you'll be going through the cover, the foam, and the burlap, so make sure the hog rings get firmly hooked to the main wire. This is an important step because it sets the main pleat in the seat; keep tautness in mind as you start ringing to the second main wire.

With both the main wires done, you need to add a wire around the perimeter of the seat-base cover. Ambrose folds a loop in the end of the wire so it doesn't snag as it's being fed into the fabric.

Pull the vinyl over the foam, smoothing wrinkles as you go. It'll help if you leave the new covers in the sun for a while to soften 'em.

Now it's time to hog-ring the cover to the sides and front of the seat base. We hope you remember where the rings attach, but it's fairly easy to figure it out if you don't.

The tougher part is at the back of the base where the vinyl is designed to be folded over at the seams before it's attached. Compare the loose material at the left of the photo to the folded portion being worked on at the right. The very outer edges of the material (arrow) need to be left loose for now so you can access the seatback brackets.

If you follow the steps shown for the seat base, then the upright part of the seat will seem easy to cover. It's the same procedure, the wires are just in different places. Once the back was covered, Ambrose installed the new OPG plastic seatbacks-they're available in black, dark blue, dark green, ivy, gold, and red. Holes need to be drilled for the screws. OPG also provided new chrome seatback buttons.

To assemble the seat, reinstall the left and right brackets as well as the oval rubber bumpers and the seatback slider shown earlier.

Only now should you fold the extra flaps in the seat-base upholstery over the brackets and hog-ring them in place. This is the toughest part of the seat to get wrinkle-free.

OPG also has new plastic for the seat-bottom sides available in the same colors as the seatbacks. The material is a bit harder than stock, so be careful not to crack it by overtightening the screws. We were amazed by how well the plastic matches the color of the vinyl. Stock seats come with chromelike trim on the plastic (shown), and OPG offers it new. Ambrose doesn't recommend installing the chrome for use in hot SoCal climes because the glue inside it tends to melt and drip.

Here's the done deal-a brand new '70 Chevelle seat. We opted for red, which, truth be known, takes some getting used to. Now we think it's cool. OPG offers all the hardware and covers for the headrests, but we chose to leave 'em off for now. Coming soon: seeing more red in the ElCo gut!