[dataway]

Have a question about the installation of my Legendary 68 front bucket covers.

The two photos show the area under front of the bucket. Note that the original cover has a cloth extension and metal wire rod in this location.

The Legendary cover has no extension, the vinyl is longer to compensate it appears, but still a very tough reach to get to the hog ring locations. Also, the new cover has a fold with sealed ends .... so no way to insert the wire rod unless I cut it open at one end.

Question is .... am I supposed to cut open the end of this fold and insert the wire? Am I missing an extension that should be there? I can compress the seat a ton and make it reach but I'm kind of apprehensive that the vinyl is not going to hold up under this tension even with the wire.

Any thoughts?

[Brad Pringle]

Yes cut the cover and insert the steel rod.

[turbo69bird]

Not your question but I found it helpful to make sure it’s nice and hot when you work on the seat covers it makes it all easier, they move around a lot better

[OG68]

I have these photos sent from Ben Rambow. He doesn't provide a description or say which brand but its looks to be the same as yours. I think they're in sequence.

[Verdoro 68]

I cut the cover and inserted the rod. Even with compressing the seat, it was a stretch to get the vinyl all the way to the hog ring location. You'll need the rod in there for added support once you have it hog ringged.

[dataway]

Thanks folks, I thought that would be the answer.

I'm working with a heat lamp a few feet from the areas I'm working on, seems to keep things warm but not hot.

Found the plastic sheet between the cushion and cover to be an essential aid in installation.

My whole cover is a tad too far back, as the short rear listing wires seem a bit loose, and the piping on the front a tad too high on the front edge. Hoping I can work the whole thing forward a 1/4" or so, but since the listing wire is hooked up in the seat grooves it might be a chore to get those to slide in the hog rings.

All in all, it's looking pretty good. Will go down now and insert that wire and hook that up.

[dataway]

Here is what I ended up with. Went ahead and pulled the whole cover off and moved it forward a bit. I also pulled out the paper listing for the seat "gullies" that come with the Legendary seat and replaced with paper coated wire, made for a much more consistent groove in the seat.

Have done any massaging yet, or connected the rear points around the hinge.

By the way, this is with the American Cushion foam, used as it came, with no extra cotton used anywhere.

Seems a bit slack in the back there where it goes up over the metal back, but everything on the back edge of the bottom is ringed where it should be. The original seats this area seems quite a bit tighter.

Reddish glow is from the heat lamp.

[rambow]

It looks really good!
I know I'm late the party, but yes- that flap does the same thing as the OEM cloth flap, just cut the ends (like you did) and insert the rod.
Its not uncommon for reproduction covers to use slightly different materials for the stretchers compared to original.

That front flap is definitely hard to install- its setting the compression for all the springs along the front of the seat- pulling them down a set ammount.
To make that job easier- compress the front of the frame at the same time you are pulling the flap instead of trying to make the vinyl do all the work (if that makes any sense) then it goes relatively easy.

The rear section between the frame horns the the rear of the center pattern being "loose" isn't really an issue because the upper seat cushion covers it once installed.
You actually don't want that area pulled tight as it could cause issues with ripping when you sit on the seat and it all compresses.
The original seats, the vinyl in that area had become more stiff with age and had taken a "set". if that makes sense.

Nice work!

Originally Posted by dataway

Here is what I ended up with. Went ahead and pulled the whole cover off and moved it forward a bit. I also pulled out the paper listing for the seat "gullies" that come with the Legendary seat and replaced with paper coated wire, made for a much more consistent groove in the seat.

Have done any massaging yet, or connected the rear points around the hinge.

By the way, this is with the American Cushion foam, used as it came, with no extra cotton used anywhere.

Seems a bit slack in the back there where it goes up over the metal back, but everything on the back edge of the bottom is ringed where it should be. The original seats this area seems quite a bit tighter.

Reddish glow is from the heat lamp.

[dataway]

Thank you, done with your installation kit by the way.

Wife helped me .... I did a lot of the compressing while she did the hog-ringing. Two people definitely helps. And again ... that plastic sheet trick is a must for getting the vinyl to slide over the foam easy.

[nytrainer]

Johnny what is the plastic sheet you’re referring to?

[rambow]

Originally Posted by dataway

Thank you, done with your installation kit by the way.

Wife helped me .... I did a lot of the compressing while she did the hog-ringing. Two people definitely helps. And again ... that plastic sheet trick is a must for getting the vinyl to slide over the foam easy.

Cool!
The plastic sheeting will REALLY help with the upper cushion, getting the vinyl up and over those top corners.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions while you are working on them.

Originally Posted by nytrainer

Johnny what is the plastic sheet you’re referring to?

Upholstery shops use a super thin plastic layer inside cushions to help the covers to slide on over the foam or cotton. Its then left inside when the cover is on.

Its called EZ film, or Silk film... But really ANY plastic sheet can be used.

I buy the thinnest ML plastic painters drop cloth rolls from my local HW store and use that. Its super cheap and works great. For buckets i only use a little bit over the front corners of the lower cushion and the upper corners of the upper cushions.
Back seats though i'll use a sheet over the whole cushion.

This makes it easier to get the cover on- and if you have to adjust or reposition it it helps it to slide a little.

[dataway]

Working on the driver side now ... so of course some more problems.

In the photo you can see the main perimeter wire is broken where it clamps to the rear of the frame, along with a broken spring.

I know you've probably answered this in your how to .. but, what's the go to fix for this? Order some rod and bend it up? Can I clamp a new piece of rod to the existing perimeter wire far enough away from the break to give it strength? I can tell this stuff isn't mild steel rod, probably spring steel ... which I could get in most sizes.

[OG68]

Mine was broken there too. Ben has the replacement parts

[rambow]

Originally Posted by dataway

Working on the driver side now ... so of course some more problems.

In the photo you can see the main perimeter wire is broken where it clamps to the rear of the frame, along with a broken spring.

I know you've probably answered this in your how to .. but, what's the go to fix for this? Order some rod and bend it up? Can I clamp a new piece of rod to the existing perimeter wire far enough away from the break to give it strength? I can tell this stuff isn't mild steel rod, probably spring steel ... which I could get in most sizes.

That's one of those "most commonly" broken spots I have identified in that diagram I always send... (That I can't seem to find with my phone that I'm on right now, lol)

I have some original edgewire I use as a template to bend up a repair part that clamps onto the good part of the edgewire farther forward.

If you like I can make one for you fairly inexpensively and send it to you.. or you can pickup some 1/8" steel rod at a hw store and bend it to shape using the original pieces as a guide and clamp it in place if you have some of those spring clips from the install kit left over.

I'll find a pic of how far up i make the repair so you can see how to do it if you want.

If you want me to make it, you may want to wait until you strip the upper cushions to see if you need any more repair parts for those (the "tension" rods in the upper cushions are often broken.. I make those too)

[rambow]

Originally Posted by dataway

Working on the driver side now ... so of course some more problems.

In the photo you can see the main perimeter wire is broken where it clamps to the rear of the frame, along with a broken spring.

I know you've probably answered this in your how to .. but, what's the go to fix for this? Order some rod and bend it up? Can I clamp a new piece of rod to the existing perimeter wire far enough away from the break to give it strength? I can tell this stuff isn't mild steel rod, probably spring steel ... which I could get in most sizes.

ALso... i just noticed- that 2nd in zig zag spring is broken also- there is supposed to be one more loop that catches the inner tab of the frame at the rear. Its missing because its broken. To properly fix, you need to replace it with a new section of spring and clamp onto the old.

Take a look at the pic i showed above of the rear corner edgewire repair, it shows that spring (also repaired in that pic) and how its supposed to be caught by the tab.
If you look on the other side of your seat frame, the opposite side is probably still in place.

let me go find that common breaks diagram and i'll post it

[rambow]

Take a peek at the spots highlighted on the diagrams... should help avoid missing any...

[dataway]

Yep, caught that broken spring when comparing to the other side, also two more broken springs, I've easily got enough from your kit to fix all of it.

I'd like to give it a shot bending up the wire, I must have $10K in bending tools here

I'll order some rod a bit stronger than mild steel, probably got have a few pounds of 1/8 welding rod around here too.

Diagrams are excellent, I'll check all those spots. So far I've been lucky, passenger bottom and entire rear seat had no broken springs or clamps.



Just ordered some 1/8" spring steel rod, will probably have to anneal it a tad for the bends. I'll mess with some first to see if I think it will hold up to seat duty. Can work on the other broken springs in the meantime.

[tjs72lemans]

Does welding the old and new spring connections work? Or hold up?

[dataway]

tjs ... that is exactly what I plan on trying ... going to give it a shot TIG welding the new spring to the old ... will all depend on how the metal behaves after it cools down. I have no doubt the weld will hold, but it will it destroy the properties of the metal as a "spring" I don't know.

[Shiny]

It will likely get brittle. I speculate it is similar to music wire. If so, the carbon will be high enough to harden when it cools fast. IMO it will be safer to wrap with copper wire and solder it.