M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Interior => Topic started by: Old2002Driver on May 04, 2009, 08:20:06 PM
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What success have you had with reupholstering a driver's side sport seat. My tan interior is very decent except for the usual driver's side wear. Would like to investigate a redo.
Any idea as to likely cost? Suggestions as to source around Atlanta.
Thanks for any comments.
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Upholstery shops around me tend to charge around $350ish for an entire seat done in leather, and a very good job at that. dunno about ATL though.
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You can also get individual panels replaced for considerably less. I had one panel replaced on the back of a vinyl seat for $65.
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Ummm, call Kevin Chin. He's just south of Atlanta. He does BMW seats as well as anyone. Here's his outdated website but just call him.
http://www.creativeoptions.info/
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I just transferred everything from a passenger seat. Looks fantastic.
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I just bought a passenger seat to use for parts temporarily. How do the pieces detach?
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I ordered a micro-suede kit from Kevin Chinn. I think there's about 1 week left before he can get to mine. He has a very good reputation on the BMW forums.
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He is the best, he did my mtech cloth and micro combo. Just waiting on the door panels so I can install the rear and then work on front seats. Easy to install once you get use to the hog ring tool.
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Door panels eh? Do you have any pics or details about them? I would like to swap the all-vinyl ones to some vinyl/micro ones to match (or maybe all micro).
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Still waiting for them. The vinyl is OEM and coming from Germany. I will post pics under my profile here on m42 when I receive them.
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I just picked up a pair of tan vinyl seats from a list member. Passenger is perfect. Driver has minor split on left bolster. I have a good bolster from my current passenger seat. Can somebody give me some specifics on how to swap covers? It appears that there are pointed metal tabs that pierce the fabric and then are folded over. Is this the only attachment?
Thanks for any help.
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I put a set of BMW factory cloth replacement covers on my driver's seat recently. I looked at Purcell's website about rebuilding seats to see how to take them apart. It is a bit tricky the first time but Purcell's instructions are sufficient. I think you will need to remove the seat back from the bottom--at least I did. I pretty much took the seat completely apart. The cushions and bolsters are attached with hog rings and tabs on the steel frames. I took photos and made sketches before prying the hog rings off with needle nosed pliers. I'm not sure the effort was worth it, but the hog rings I found at upholstery shops were either much heavier (too big and very hard to use) or lighter (too small). (Rings are available from the dealer, too, but by then I didn't want to wait). I also cut some off with nippers (much faster). The fabric/vinyl is held to the foam cushions with long, thin staples. My staple gun didn't work at all, so I pulled and re-inserted all the staples by hand--it worked fine. The bolster covers slide right over the foam and are held in place by long wires and hog rings--no staples. I got the hog ring pliers at an auto parts store. The seats turned out better than I expected. I replaced my worn foam with foam from a pair of junkyard seats. Good luck.
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My first attempt to post a photo--completed seat, with factory anthracite cloth--about $450 total for back and bottom.
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I just used a bunch of zip ties instead of hog rings.
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I put a set of BMW factory cloth replacement covers on my driver's seat recently. I looked at Purcell's website about rebuilding seats to see how to take them apart. It is a bit tricky the first time but Purcell's instructions are sufficient. I think you will need to remove the seat back from the bottom--at least I did. I pretty much took the seat completely apart. The cushions and bolsters are attached with hog rings and tabs on the steel frames. I took photos and made sketches before prying the hog rings off with needle nosed pliers. I'm not sure the effort was worth it, but the hog rings I found at upholstery shops were either much heavier (too big and very hard to use) or lighter (too small). (Rings are available from the dealer, too, but by then I didn't want to wait). I also cut some off with nippers (much faster). The fabric/vinyl is held to the foam cushions with long, thin staples. My staple gun didn't work at all, so I pulled and re-inserted all the staples by hand--it worked fine. The bolster covers slide right over the foam and are held in place by long wires and hog rings--no staples. I got the hog ring pliers at an auto parts store. The seats turned out better than I expected. I replaced my worn foam with foam from a pair of junkyard seats. Good luck.
What is that website you speak of? I cant seem to find it on google. I cant seem to figure out how to remove the bottom piece, where the shaft holds the fabric. Can anyone please help?
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Brendan Purcells Website: Seat Repair Article (http://www.esatclear.ie/%7Ebpurcell/318isseat.html)
bmwman91's seat DIY (http://bmw.e30tuner.com/articles_seatfix.php)
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Finally i get some inspiration yesterday to start my sport seat project. My 318I (euro 2 dr) have normal front seats, and are torn out after 380000+ km use. Since it's my daily driver, i needed another interior, which i got almost free.
Because this is only a daily driver, iam on tight budjet. I managed to locate similar rear seat, so i can sacrifice dirty one to repair cloths for the front seats
This is from what i started from, torn out drivers sport seat
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Penkki2.jpg)
dirty rear seat clothing waiting some washing
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Penkki1.jpg)
After some washingmacine treatment clothes are drying
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Penkki3.jpg)
Front seat cloths drying after washing. I use these only for templates
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Penkki4.jpg)
I ironed the clothes after they dried up. I manged to get rid of all the wrinkles.
Front set frame and all the superlons are for some reason in good shape.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Penkki5.jpg)
Now i just had to fix my 1938 Singer's (grand mom's old) leather drive belt which is broken, where is the quality, belt only lasted about 70 years :p
Here a chair (from 1937) i restored about 20 years ago with this same Singer
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/olli951/E30Sportpenkki/Asko1937.jpg)
To be continue.
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are the driver and passenger side the same, what i mean is can i use the passenger side template and make two covers??
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Fabrics are more or less the same.
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Fabrics are more or less the same.
so the only difference is the holes location for the side controls??
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so the only difference is the holes location for the side controls??
Yes, no other difference.
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so here is my attempt, i understand some of you will not like the color. i am doing the entire process myself. no experience, so it will not be perfect although heck of a lot better then my original torn up ones. (http://i37.tinypic.com/5ow2dt.jpg)
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Not a bad first attempt... and way cheaper than paying someone else I'm sure. I have no sewing skills so I will have to buy someone elses work, but props to you for DIY'ing.
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here's 98% done.
(http://i35.tinypic.com/ekmjo8.jpg)
(http://i38.tinypic.com/2rniuzo.jpg)
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Looks good. I personally would not have done it in orange. I are you going to do any other parts of the car?
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Man that looks awsome:D
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Do you have a template for your seats?
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Just to add, I bought some Corbeau sport seats that the bolsters and everything look just like the stock ones. I know I know I could of reupolstered them. But I wanted something different. So I spent about a $1000 with mounting brackets. I never figured out how to upload photos so, I will tell that they look good. Out
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Do you have a template for your seats?
i transferred everything directly into the vinyl. so template is the oem seat covers. i didnt make no stencils out of them. some of the piece were torn beyond recognition, but you can always use the flip side(from other side seat) to figure it out.
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Did you dye your carpet, or is that original?
here's 98% done.
(http://i38.tinypic.com/2rniuzo.jpg)
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I sprayed the carpet and door panels with dupli-color upholstery/ fabric paint.
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I sprayed the carpet and door panels with dupli-color upholstery/ fabric paint.
Looks great. Sorry for the OT, but I've noticed that there are (at least) two different types of carpet. The one you have (same as mine) isn't as dense or soft as the other type, but it looks like it would take paint or dye better because of it's lack of density.
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i think it looks great for a diy first time job. way better then i could do. i am just paying a buddy 500 bucks to redo a sport interior in black for me since he has been in the business for about 25 years. i had him change all the stitching to match m3 fronts and then when i find another m3 rear, i will have him redo that also
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here's 98% done.
(http://i35.tinypic.com/ekmjo8.jpg)
(http://i38.tinypic.com/2rniuzo.jpg)
How many yards of vinyl did it take to do all the seats? I am thinking on attempting this myself but don't know how much to get.
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6yrds should be enough if you dont mess up.