1970 Ghia - Front Seat Installation:

Video Transcript:

0:00 I'm sorry, I've got nothing let's strip down some seats and put on some new upholstery. Front seat disassembly 0:10 After some delay, that unfortunately ruined the first intent of this project, 0:13 we finally received some original seats that we could reupholster and we start by tearing them down to the seat springs. 0:21 The two nuts that hold the backrest in place for the seat bottom are removed 0:25 and then each leg of the backrest is pried off the bottom frame and the back rest is pulled free from the bottom. Seat bottom upholstery removal 0:33 With the seat bottom flipped over, we can see the way the upholstery is held in place to the frame. 0:37 There are metal spikes across the back side, 0:40 at the side the upholstery is sewn to a piece of cardboard and tucked into a slot on the seat frame, 0:46 a drawstring holds the front of the upholstery in place along with more metal spikes at the front of the seat, 0:51 and again we have the tucked upholstery in the seat frame at the opposite side. 0:56 We start by pulling the upholstery out of one side of the frame. 1:00 We cut the drawstring at both sides of the front and then pry back the metal spikes across the front of the frame. 1:07 Once the tabs are straightened out a bit we pull the front of the upholstery up and off the metal spikes, 1:13 the material is pried out of the seam at the other side, 1:17 then we work on bending back the metal spikes across the back of the seat. 1:21 We flip the seat up so we can show the strings that tie the center of the upholstery 1:25 down to the seat frame, for more tucked seat center, before cutting the strings and removing them. 1:33 We go a bit overboard in this tear down and rip the sides and front seam free from the upholstery. 1:38 This is so we can more clearly show how the original upholstery was held in place to the seat frame. 1:44 Pulling up the front corner of the seat material, 1:47 we can see the upholstery is sewn to the pad from front to back at the edges of the heat pleats. 1:53 Pulling the string allows us to peel back the upholstery further 1:56 and we can see the seam and the drawstring that was pulled through to the bottom of the seat frame. 2:02 We continue cutting the strings and peeling back the upholstery to the back flat 2:05 where we can pull and pry the material from the seat frame exposing the metal reinforcement rod 2:11 which we'll remove and set aside for later since it will be reused. 2:15 We remove the material from the seat pad, 2:18 and then remove the seat pad from the seat frame, 2:22 before getting to work on the back rest. Headrests upholstery removal 2:26 Moving to the headrests, there are two dowel pins 2:28 one per headrest leg which must be tapped out 2:31 so that the headrest can be pulled off the seat back. 2:35 Once they're both removed, the headrest is pulled off 2:37 along with both plastic cover tubes, which will be reused, along with the dowel pins. 2:43 The headrest cover is cut along the bottom edge and the material is torn away from the padding. 2:49 The original cardboard strips that held the front rear flaps of the cover to the headrest frame are pushed out of their groove, 2:55 and this headrest is ready to be reupholstered. Seat backrest upholstery removal 2:59 Now we can remove the backrest upholstery which is held in place with five metal spikes across the bottom edge. 3:05 They are pried up, then the front upholstery flap is pulled up and clear the bars 3:10 and reveals a little rat's nest which we quickly dump into the trash. 3:15 On the front of the seat we can see the tucked area like the bottom seat had which we'll have to deal with. 3:20 Back to the front flap of the upholstery we cut the two hog rings, 3:23 one on either side, that hold the front material to the sides of the seat springs. 3:28 Then we peel back the back flap from the seat frame. 3:31 And before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the backrest release knob is popped off followed by its trim bezel, both will be reused. 3:42 We pull the side seam and front material back from the seat to expose the drawstrings for the tucked portion. 3:47 The strings are cut and the material for them in the front is pulled off. 3:53 The backrest board is pulled out of its sewn pocket from the backrest vinyl. 3:58 The backrest vinyl is cut free from the headrest tubes and pulled from the seat frame. 4:04 The remaining strings for the tucked seam are cut away from the seat frame 4:08 and the frame is pulled from the original padding 4:12 and then we can do this all again on the other seat. Headrest upholstery installation 4:15 Now, while some fresh paint is drying on the seat frames, we'll get to work recovering the headrests. 4:21 We checked the width and spacing of the bottom flap where we need to cut two holes for the posts. 4:27 We use the old cover as a reference guide lining up the sewn seams 4:31 and marking the back edges of the holes on the new cover. 4:34 If you don't have the old covers the edges are roughly three quarters of an inch from the seam. 4:40 The cover is set into place, over the posts on the headrests, lining up the marks. 4:46 Then we use a hammer to tap the vinyl over the posts. 4:50 After a few taps we have a cut and scored piece of material that fits over the post. 4:57 The other side is cut the same way, and then we spray the headrest foam with silicone lube to help the new cover slide over the pad. 5:04 Now comes the fun part of carefully stretching and pulling the covers over the headrest 5:09 tucking on one side and then the other back and forth. 5:12 If you're not careful, you might tear a flap like we just did here. 5:17 Fortunately though, the tear is on the edge of the hole and will be tucked under the outer seam and covered by the cover tube. 5:24 We continue pulling the material over the pad until the flaps are clear the bottom of the pad 5:28 and the long flap can be pulled up and over the posts 5:31 It is pulled back and the metal seam for the plastic strips is opened up a bit. 5:37 Then the vinyl on the short flap of the cover is rolled over the plastic strip and tucked into the groove. 5:43 The long flap is pulled back over the metal posts 5:46 and the sides are tucked underneath the edges of the headrest bottom opening. 5:51 The plastic strip is tucked under the vinyl and then into the groove in the headrest all the way across the bottom 5:56 and the flap that we tore is tucked into the side to finish off the installation, no worse for the tear. 6:03 The opposite side headrest cover is installed, with a little more caution, and then we get to work on the seat frames. 6:09 We test fit the new seat foam which is all high density foam not coconut husks. Seat pad notes 6:14 We know people swear by the look feel and even the smell of their incorrectly named horsehair pads. 6:20 The few times we have used it though we've ended up vacuuming that up from our interior days later 6:25 before swapping out to foam. 6:27 Oh and the interior smell wasn't any different when we swapped out the coconut pads for the foam. 6:33 With the padding fit confirmed we lay some burlap over the seat springs to keep the springs from cutting into the padding. Seat pad installation 6:39 We trim it to overlap the perimeter of the seat springs and then attach the burlap to the frames using hog rings. 6:46 Once the backrest springs are covered as well we can now set the pad in place over the springs and the headrest posts. 6:53 We test fit the original seat back board and then check the new upholstery backrest piece. 6:59 It doesn't have a separate pocket for the board like the old upholstery did, 7:02 so we'll just slide it into place once we get the upholstery pulled over the seat. 7:07 Which we'll get started on now. Seat backrest upholstery installation 7:09 Sliding [on] the upholstery, pulling down either side a little bit at a time, 7:13 until the upholstery is just above the rear backrest bar. 7:17 The backrest board is slid into the back of the seat frame 7:21 then we flip the seat over so we can cut the holes for the headrest posts. 7:25 We centered the upholstery over the two headrest posts 7:28 and verify on the uncovered seat that the posts sit in the middle of the top of the frame. 7:33 Now the fun part. [Again?] 7:35 We've verified that the upholstery is centered front to back and side to side. 7:39 Then using the same technique we used on the headrests, 7:43 we tap the seat upholstery vinyl over the posts with a hammer to cut the two holes into the top of the upholstery. 7:51 With the holes cut, we can continue working the upholstery from the top of the seat to the bottom. 7:55 Stretching and pulling the material down the seat frame, 7:59 until the bottom flaps can be pulled to the bottom crossbar. 8:03 Since our original seats only had one reinforcement metal bar, and the new upholstery needs two, 8:09 we cut down a metal headliner bow to length. 8:12 And then cut a small slice in the side seam of the seat back material and slide the rod into the seam. 8:18 The back seat material, with the rod in place, is pulled down to the lower crossbar 8:23 and with the upholstery centered on the frame we line up the seam over the middle spike 8:29 and using the help of a screwdriver poke a hole so the spike sticks through. 8:35 We work from the center out and once all five spikes are poked through the backrest flap 8:40 we feed another metal bow through the seam at the bottom of the front seat material. 8:44 To save some work later, the excess foam at the bottom corners of the seat backrest are cut to 8:49 match the angle of the seat frame and then the material is pulled back to the center metal spike. 8:55 We make sure the upholstery is centered and then pull the material over the remaining spikes. 9:01 We use a hammer to tap the spikes through the upholstery 9:05 and then towards the back of the seat frame to keep the upholstery in place. Headrest installation 9:10 Now, we can get the headrest back in place 9:12 so the plastic covers are set over the posts, with the angled portion sitting at the seat, 9:18 and the headrest is set onto the posts and slap down 9:23 before the dowel pins are set in place and tap flush with a hammer. 9:29 The original backrest release lever and its cover plate go in next. 9:33 So we feel along the side of the seat for the bracket inside the seat 9:37 and cut a slot in the side of the backrest. 9:40 The original plastic guide is snapped into the seat back followed by the seat release 9:44 knob with clip inside which is tapped over the lever before we test it it operates smoothly. Seat bottom upholstery installation 9:52 Next up, we'll get to work on the seat bottom and set the foam pad in place 9:56 and follow it with the seat bottom upholstery working it over the foam and seat springs. 10:01 The original reinforcement rod is slid into the seam at the back of the seat 10:05 and the back flap is pulled up and over the spikes across the bottom back of the seat. 10:11 A pair of pliers helps the spikes to poke through the upholstery 10:16 and then we move to the front of the seat. 10:19 The upholstery seam is pulled up over the seat frame and set over the two spikes at the front there. 10:25 Then we work to the side of the seat pulling a seam over the spikes as we work towards the plastic strip at the side. 10:32 The plastic strip is pulled up rolled over and tucked into the seam along the side of the seat frame. 10:38 A screwdriver helps to set the plastic strip in place. 10:42 We work the upholstery in place along the opposite side and here we can get a closer shot of how the plastic strip installs. Front seat reassembly 10:51 With the upholsteries now stretched over the frame all the way around 10:54 we gently use a hammer of the seat backrest post to poke a hole at either side. 10:59 Use caution as the seat posts have threaded ends and you don't want to damage the threads. 11:06 We finish off the upholstery by tying off the drawstring for the front of the upholstery at one side, 11:11 pulling it tight at the other side, and then tying it off to the seat frame. 11:17 The excess string is cut off, the metal spikes are all tapped down, 11:22 and we can install the seat backrest to the bottom. 11:25 The backrest legs are set over the posts, tapped into place, and then held in with the original hardware. 11:34 One last step we'll take is to use a hog ring at the front backrest upholstery material at either side 11:39 to secure the long flap from the front to the seat springs at the sides of the seat. 11:45 With the seat done, we'll install it into the car 11:48 with the side closest to the tunnel first as a seat rail there sits further forward. 11:54 The seat is slid back and over the outer rail and all the way back into place. 12:00 We take a seat, slide the seat back and forth, and then we get to do the whole process again on the driver's seat. 12:09 Once it is done we can install it and finally wrap up the air interior installation on this Karmann Ghia. 12:16 The new interior has really brightened up and brought a more vintage look and feel to the car. 12:20 We hope you've enjoyed this series thanks for watching and let us know 12:24 if you have any questions in the comments below.