OK Bob, I assume I am out of luck on the small tear on the lower cushion. But it sounds like the vinyl glue would be the trick for the tear on the side?
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
Posts: 3064
Hey Scott- If the piping is solid plastic (not vinyl wrapped around a core), has broken away from it's tail ( that's left in the seam) and the seam is still sewed tight, then the method I described will work, but the repair can't take much abuse. If it is vinyl wrapped around a core, you can try coating both surfaces with contact cement or 3M black weatherstripping glue and re-wrapping the core. After that dries, try the VLP & tape trick to hold the finished piping back on the seat edge. If the seam popped and the piping is still in one piece, I would let a trim shop take the back off and restitch it- it'll be back to factory that way. BTW, another trick is to glue the parts back together with dots of super glue spaced apart with the VLP in between so it stays in place while the VLP cures. No tape to pull off that way!
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
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Posts: 4954
Rip Rip Rip. Every handy mans ingredient. DUCT TAPE! LOL
I had the same thing on my Fury Scott. The only solution is to bring it out and have Sponge Bob fix 'er up for you. We eliminated the piping all together. Didn't make any difference at all in looks and comfort. It just looks a bit more modern
By the way Bob, while your yapping with me, you can make a copie of that Duct Tape VHS. I'm itching to hear that Rip Rip Rip sound again. Now that I don't hang at your shop much lately, I miss that sound. LOL
Upholsteries by Bob! Available in all colors!!! In Stock
<span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:13PM ]</span>
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
Posts: 3064
Thanks Steve- What he's talking about is a very funny tape we were watching while working on his gold car called "The Red Green Show - Of Cars And Men". Lots of repair tips that all use "the Handy Man's Secret Weapon - DUCT TAPE !
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
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Upholstery tip #4 Not all vinyls are the same! Those available at places like the Rag Shop are low quality. For automotive use, you need to get the right stuff from automotive suppliers like Spradling, Legendary and Naugahyde. Legendary stocks a lot of original Chrysler grains. Other types are usually sold for hot rods and custom work under names like Mellohide or Rave (an amazing leather replacement). My suppliers, Active Foam, Bill Hirsch, Veteran, and Burch Supply all sell nice vinyls. Prices vary, and the rise in oil prices have affected vinyl and foam rubber costs across the board. The addition of urethanes and collagens to vinyl have taken it from the hard stuff in our older Mopars to rival leather in feel and wear resistance.
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
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Upholstery tip #5 Comfortable seats start with a good base. This seems to be lacking in many cars, which can only lead to one thing-duct tape! To beef up the seats, you must take them down to the bare frames. Then after inspecting the springs and making any repairs, stretch a piece af burlap (sagless burlap is best, but you can glue two pieces of regular together) across the springs. Pull tight and hog ring it to the outer wire frame or onto the springs. Keep it tight! If it is difficult to attach to the base due to it's design, you can sew or glue strong listing wires into the edges of the burlap and hang it like curtain rods from the springs, bridging across the gaps and use less hog rings. Then you glue your foam cushions onto this base. This keeps the springs from cutting into the foam. If your seats need some lift, glue a 1 inch thick layer of good foam between the burlap and your molded foam. You can also cover your molded foam with a layer of 1/4" to 1/2" thick foam to puff it up a little. Dacron on top helps with removing wrinkles in the covers. The magic trick is STEAM ! It puffs old, collapsed foam back up and makes the vinyl soften up and snuggle down into place when shot into the underside of the covers. We use industrial pressure steamers, but I've been wondering if these steam cleaners they sell on late night infomercials could work.
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
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Upholstery tip #6 A light mist of silicone spray on your seat foam will help you pull the upholstery covers on. This is almost mandatory when trying to re-use covers that have shrunken or turned hard after being on the seats for years. You can also use a plastic garbage bag, slit up one side, slipped over the cushions to let the covers slip, and rip the bag away when finished.
Joined: Sun Feb 05 2006, 11:51PM
Location: Pa
Posts: 3064
Upholstery tip #7 To fix hard vinyl items with foam under them, such as dash pads and door armrests, you can inject hot melt glue into the cracked area and saturate the foam. This allows you to press the repair area down lower than the surface. When the glue cools and cures, you have a depression (similar to a dent in sheetmetal) to be filled. Sand the area with 80 grit sandpaper to roughen for adhesion. Then fill the dent with flexible bumper repair epoxy, such as 3M (I like theirs because it sands easy) and smooth out. Sand this down flush and spot prime with SEM flexible primer/surfacer. To restore the grain, you can spray the primer again and when it is almost dry, press a piece of vinyl with a similar grain into the soft prime. When you pull the vinyl back it should come clean and leave an imprint. If it pulls the paint off, wipe with lacquer thinner and try again. If the imprint is too light, try pressing harder or respray the primer and repeat. Then spray the part with SEM vinyl dye to finish. Or you can have the repaired item recovered by a company like Just Dashes.