DIY: How to Recover Your Z Seats - LOTS OF PICTURES

[rossiz]

little ones are fine - you're just going to go around wire (about coat hanger gauge) in a couple of places. it's pretty basic, and hog rings by nature are self-adjusting in that they will clamp to the diameter needed.

i would recommend getting a pair of hog-ring pliers - makes the job a joy as they hold the ring before applying and do a nice, consistent job of closing them. you can do it with regular pliers but it's a PITA and you risk a mis-fire and holes in your nice new seat cover....

Edited September 1, 2014 by rossiz

[JR Ohio]

Thanks for the info. I did pick up a pair of Hog ring pliers at HF. Will look for some small rings.

Thanks again!

John

[Hardway]

+1 on getting hog pliers and rings. I bought my pliers and a bag of rings on Amazon for around $10. They make life so much easier.

[bacarl]

Great write-up Hardway, thanks. Always enjoy reading your stuff as it's well written and loaded with good photos. I know this was a couple years ago now and your '72 has been replaced, but how had everything been holding up? Also why did you opt to buy the covers and foam separately?

[JR Ohio]

Picked up a box of 500 hog rings. Won't need that many for sure. Prob end up selling what's leftover.

[Hardway]

Great write-up Hardway, thanks. Always enjoy reading your stuff as it's well written and loaded with good photos. I know this was a couple years ago now and your '72 has been replaced, but how had everything been holding up? Also why did you opt to buy the covers and foam separately?

Hey Bacarl. Thank you for the compliments! In regards to how the covers have held up, I believe they are still just as good as when they were installed. My old '72 is now for sale. If you look on the Datsun Classifieds it is now Mopar green and the seller is asking $27K for it. I bought the covers off Ebay because I liked the French double stitch on the edges. If I had to do it over I would have bought everything from Les at Classic Datsun since the covers fit very tight. From what I have heard and seen the covers and foam he sells is a perfect match from a look and fit standpoint.

[bvolken]

Excellent write-up and super-well documented. Thanks and well done. I wish I had seen this before I F'd up my first set of seat covers :mad: (They are not well reinforced in several of the places you pull-like-hell on them)

I had webbing under my seats rather than the springs. Also a caution if you are tall. Datsun 240Z Seat Rebuild - WoodWorkerB

[77Z]

Nice write-up Hardway. How important would you consider the thin foam on the back of the seat back? Is it to basically intended to smooth out the hard-shell lines once the cover is on? I'm re-covering my '77 Z with the Motosport leather and new foam. I've done the passenger side without foam but I found some 3mm foam at Lowes I'll use on the drivers side. I haven't buttoned up the hog-rings for the passenger side yet and I'll leave them open until I see how the drivers seat works out with foam. If its awesomer (sic) I'll pull that cover off and try again.

Another question; did you use wire in both the front and back edge of the seat back in order to hog ring to each other once the back is secured to the tangs (photo ...42.jpg)?

[Hardway]

Hey 77Z. My apologies for now seeing your questions sooner. On the foam on the back, I don't think it is required but I think it gives a better end product. The green foam I had was really too thick and I think that is why the cover was so hard to get on. You just need a little padding and 3mm foam may work better. When I recovered my passenger side seat I made a point to salvage the foam already on the back.

On the edges where the hog rings attach, no, there was no wire in the seat cover whereas the original had wire around the edges. If I had to do it again I would go with the wire as it would be more secure and possibly keep the hog ring from ripping away at the material over time. Based on the reports from the guy that bought my car the seats still look and feel like new so I guess it comes down to personal preference. Recovering the seats was definitely a learning experience. My passenger seat recover job went twice as fast as the driver seat. I say if you like what you have where it is at, I would not go back and change it. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Kerrigan]

I'm wondering the same thing about the webbing as Zhead240 ... I got the webbing set and looking at your installation pics and writeup (very good by the way) I don't see where the webbing is used in the 1971 Z.  Could someone illuminate this please?

[bvolken]

I'm wondering the same thing about the webbing as Zhead240 ... I got the webbing set and looking at your installation pics and writeup (very good by the way) I don't see where the webbing is used in the 1971 Z.  Could someone illuminate this please?

Look here for photos of webbing datsun-240z-rebuild/seat-rebuild/

[zed2]

In anticipation of fulfilling my 2016, 2017 and 2018 resolutions, I have begun to restore my seats.

After disassembly of the frames, I am struggling to locate an aerosol enamel paint that matches the dark green/black finish on the sliders.  Using the Sherwin Williams color card, I have identified that Muddled Basil #7745 (https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7745#/7745/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0) is a close match in color.

Does anyone have a recommendation of a matching aerosol paint?

Thanks,

Keith