seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
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- Newbie
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:42 pm
- My tercel:: 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon
- Location: Fairbanks, AK
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
When you were putting the fabric back on the seats, did you use the same 2 million little metal pieces that you pulled off, or did you use something else, my seat covers are currently on round two in the washer and I was thinking about using heavy duty zip strips, any ideas?
- dlb
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 7337
- Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
- My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
- Location: bc, canada
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
hi TA. i reuse the hog's rings. to get the off, i pretty much just grab them with needle nose pliers and give em hell but putting them back on is a different story. before i put them in place, i use two pairs of needle nose pliers to bend them into a 'C' shape so that when they are in place i can just squeeze them with the pliers and the ends will wrap around each other. works pretty well, and i've gotten much faster at it with each time i've done the job. probably takes me half as long now as it did the first time. here's a thread on the last set i did. i think there is a bit more specific info on exactly how i cleaned mine, too.
www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7776&p=57807
www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7776&p=57807
Last edited by dlb on Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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- Newbie
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:42 pm
- My tercel:: 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon
- Location: Fairbanks, AK
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
Yeah my little rings were pretty bad, looks like maybe i can reuse 1/3 of them, I think I am going to have to try out the zip strip way, I will keep you guys updated on it! Thanks for the awesome thread!
- Petros
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- Posts: 11934
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
- My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
- Location: Arlington WA USA
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
I think auto parts stores sell those clips, you can certainly get them at an upulstry supplier. They do not cost much at all. the kits in the auto parts stores come with a little set of pliers that have a deep groove in them to hold the clips snugly while you cinch them down. You couls also use tie wire, but be careful where the shape ends end up.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
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- Newbie
- Posts: 13
- Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2013 7:29 am
- My tercel:: 1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD
- Location: Little Rock, Ar
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
Just thought I'd give my .02. I redid all the cloth interior in my xB with leather. I had the same metal rings that hold the fabric to the seat, I refer to them as hog rings. Anyways, I just put zip ties back in to replace them. I liked doing it that way for a couple reasons. One you can really cinch up the fabric and make it nice and tight. Two, when removing the hog rings I used dikes to clip them all. Faster than bending them out to reuse them. My hands were getting pretty sore though hahah, that's some pretty thick metal. Side note, I've had my leather installed for a year or two now and the zip ties hold up just fine. That is all... just trying to contribute.
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- Top Notch Member
- Posts: 210
- Joined: Sat Aug 27, 2011 9:57 am
- My tercel:: 1985 SR5
- Location: Seattle
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
Are the left and right seat bottom cushions interchangeable?
- dlb
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 7337
- Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
- My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
- Location: bc, canada
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
yes, the driver and passenger seat bottom cushions are interchangeable but IIRC, you have to keep the seat pan with correct seat frame. i think they bolt to the frame differently to accommodate the adjustment controls of the sr5 driver seat. it's been a while since i've had a seat apart.
- Petros
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 11934
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
- My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
- Location: Arlington WA USA
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
The fabric and foam part of the seat and back can be swapped left and right (I have done it, found really nice passenger's seats but needed a drivers seat, switched the cover and foam over). It is a lot of work to take the seat apart but sometimes that is the only way to get a good driver's seat. I also like to add some extra foam or padding in the lumbar area on the back, and the thigh area on the seat, when I have it apart. It makes for a more comfortable and firm drivers seat (which is usually soft and mushy anyway).
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
- marlinh
- Highest Ranking Member
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- Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2012 9:15 am
- My tercel:: 'Everett' Blue 87 4WD Wagon (Rocky 86, recently retired)
- Location: Kootenays
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
I decided to attempt to take apart the seats to make them more comfortable. I find the lumbar support terrible. Here is a link I found if anyone wants to bolster their seat with more foam. Gonna give it a try myself.
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112927/article.html
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112927/article.html
- ARCHINSTL
- Goldie Forever
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- Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:52 pm
- My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
- Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
marlinh - this link was a great addition to dlb's already-great thread!
I was gonna make it a sticky, but someone beat me to it!
Now on my list for Goldie in the Summer!
Tom M.
I was gonna make it a sticky, but someone beat me to it!
Now on my list for Goldie in the Summer!
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
- dlb
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 7337
- Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:03 pm
- My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
- Location: bc, canada
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
ditto tom's comment. that's an excellent article. i will definitely consider doing something similar, particularly the super simple extra lumbar support.
- Mad_Marx
- Top Notch Member
- Posts: 429
- Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 8:52 am
- My tercel:: 1986DLX (K.I.A. by a Texting Driver, currently being uses as a parts car) 1986 SR5 AC, Cruise, Sunroof a.k.a. TERC II Electric Boogaloo (restoration in progress). 1984 SR5
- Location: Boise, ID
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
Does anyone have a source for fabric that matches, or is close to the original Toyota Plaid from 83/84 ? Looking into re-upholstery for Terc II project and it would seem original Toyota fabric is unobtainium
- Petros
- Highest Ranking Member
- Posts: 11934
- Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:31 pm
- My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
- Location: Arlington WA USA
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
you will never find fabric like that now, that style has been out of production 30+ years. You might find something that matches color at an upholstery supply place that stocks large inventory of mill ends and odd lots. I was just going to make leather seat covers that match the color only.
'87 Tercel 4wd SR5 (current engine swap project)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
'84 Tercel 4wd (daily driver, with on going mods)
'92 Mazda MPV 4wd (wife's daily driver)
'85 Tercel 4wd DLX auto(daughter's daily driver)
'01 Honda Civic (other daughter's daily driver)
- Mad_Marx
- Top Notch Member
- Posts: 429
- Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 8:52 am
- My tercel:: 1986DLX (K.I.A. by a Texting Driver, currently being uses as a parts car) 1986 SR5 AC, Cruise, Sunroof a.k.a. TERC II Electric Boogaloo (restoration in progress). 1984 SR5
- Location: Boise, ID
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
Yeah, the only hope would be NOS parts find. I've been looking since I started on Terc II. I want to go plaid even though it's an 86. The quest continues....
- Mad_Marx
- Top Notch Member
- Posts: 429
- Joined: Fri May 22, 2009 8:52 am
- My tercel:: 1986DLX (K.I.A. by a Texting Driver, currently being uses as a parts car) 1986 SR5 AC, Cruise, Sunroof a.k.a. TERC II Electric Boogaloo (restoration in progress). 1984 SR5
- Location: Boise, ID
Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal
After two years of hunting a vintage upholstery broker found 5 yards of NOS Toyota Blue Plaid!
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