seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Here's some good repair guides for your Tercel :) Look here for help first!
timsamp
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My tercel:: 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon
Location: Fairbanks, AK

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by timsamp »

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?
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by dlb »

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
Last edited by dlb on Sat Nov 10, 2012 1:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
timsamp
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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

Post by timsamp »

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!
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
Location: Arlington WA USA

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by Petros »

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)
borozinski
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My tercel:: 1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD
Location: Little Rock, Ar

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by borozinski »

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.
tercle
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My tercel:: 1985 SR5
Location: Seattle

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by tercle »

Are the left and right seat bottom cushions interchangeable?
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
Location: bc, canada

Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by dlb »

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.
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Petros
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My tercel:: '84 Tercel4wd w/extensive mods
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Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by Petros »

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)
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marlinh
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Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by marlinh »

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
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ARCHINSTL
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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

Post by ARCHINSTL »

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!
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dlb
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My tercel:: '87 sr5, '83 dlx parts car
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Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by dlb »

ditto tom's comment. that's an excellent article. i will definitely consider doing something similar, particularly the super simple extra lumbar support.
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Mad_Marx
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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

Post by Mad_Marx »

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 :(
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Petros
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Re: seat and upholstery (seat cover) removal

Post by Petros »

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)
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Mad_Marx
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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

Post by Mad_Marx »

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....
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Mad_Marx
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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

Post by Mad_Marx »

After two years of hunting a vintage upholstery broker found 5 yards of NOS Toyota Blue Plaid!
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