Volvo RWD 200 Forum

INDEX FOR 10/2025(CURRENT) INDEX FOR 4/2001 200 INDEX

[<<]  [>>]


THREADED THREADED EXPANDED FLAT PRINT ALL
MESSAGES IN THIS THREAD




  REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

New Seat Covers! 200 1991

For about the cost that IPD charges for pullover cloth seat covers, an upholstery shop in Tucson made me new vinyl front seat covers using my old seat covers as patterns.

The seats now look exactly like the original seat covers, blue with texture and random wrinkles to make them look like leather. The only difference is that they sewed foam onto the back of the vinyl, so the seams are a bit more pronounced (rolled) now and the seat feels a bit more cushy. That is good because the foam beneath has hardened over the past 20 years.

I pulled off my seat covers and took them to Tucson when I went there on business. I removed and tossed out the seat heaters that were crumbling. Before reassembly, I secured the webbing and springs in the seat bottom with picture hanging wire so they don't shift around. I also took spray adhesive and put a layer of old denim beneath the bottom cushion. That will keep the side panels of foam attached as they were starting to separate from the bottom cushion. The denim between the seat bottom and the springs should also stop the springs and wires from crumbling the old foam that is getting hard. I was finding foam crumbs in my carpet when I vacuumed. I also put a cloth-backed foam panel between the lumbar support and the seat back to make the lumbar support more pronounced.

The fit is perfect except right around the seat hinge. The way the original vinyl tucked and clipped was very tight and a little tricky, and he never saw the complete seat. However, to see that it is not perfect, you would have to have your head down on the rear seat floor. Also, I realized that I did not pull downward quite hard enough on the first seat back I installed, but once I had made the hole for the lumbar support knob, it was too late to re-stretch it. It is not noticeable. It is best to warm the vinyl in the sun and pull long and hard to stretch it to a perfect fit.

I am extremely pleased with the results. Much better than any pullover seat cover.

I don't have the shop info handy, but if there is interest, I can put up before and after pictures on my web page, along with contact info for the shop in Tucson.








  •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

    New Seat Covers! 200 1991

    Please post some pics!








    •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

      Whew, I did it! 200 1991

      I had to gut and rebuild my whole index.html file. I lost some fancy formatting, but it now works properly with both Internet Explorer and Google Chrome, and hopefully with other browsers.

      The seat cover pictures are posted on my page:

      http://www.frontiernet.net/~papi/

      Now that my page is fixed, perhaps I will get around to getting more DIY projects posted. I have at least a dozen sets of photos on my hard drive that I intend to post 'someday'








      •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

        Whew, I did it! 200 1991

        Thanks for posting. The seats look really nice! I've been wanting to replace the covers in my 244 ever since a guy I took it to for repairing windshield rust burned holes in the covers from welding splatter. Now it looks like I have cigarette burns.

        I've been looking at the local pick n pulls for a decent set that match my interior, but this takes a lot of time and patience. I may go the custom upholstery route after seeing your results.

        Thanks!








    •   REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE    PRINT   SAVE 

      New Seat Covers! 200 1991

      I'm working on it.....

      Updating my web page has become a PITA. I have corrupted the HTML code somehow, and now it works with some browsers but not others.

      I got the bright idea that it would be easier to post and annotate pictures on a Facebook account, so I opened one today. I left my info totally open to the public, so anyone can get in to see the Volvo and BMW repair jobs I post, but I will probably get bombarded by solicitations from nut cases.

      It is pretty easy to post and annotate pictures on Facebook, but they are apparently available only to other FaceBook users, and I doubt that most bricksters are Facebook users. Also, even if you were a Facebook user, I would not know how to direct you to my particular page in Facebook. There are a number of people in there named Russ Henning (several of whom look like people that I would avoid).

      I would try photo bucket, but the last several times that I have clicked on a link to photo bucket, it has not worked.

      Any other suggestions?







<< < > >>



©Jarrod Stenberg 1997-2022. All material except where indicated.


All participants agree to these terms.

Brickboard.com is not affiliated with nor sponsored by AB Volvo, Volvo Car Corporation, Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. or Ford Motor Company. Brickboard.com is a Volvo owner/enthusiast site, similar to a club, and does not intend to pose as an official Volvo site. The official Volvo site can be found here.