Can't attach Cars front seat cover, Help!

[Belairmike]

I purchased the front seat foam for a 55 chevy . It was made by Al Knoch. I refinished the springs and put the new foam down. The seat covers are made by CARS. The problem is the front edge measures about 101/2 inches from the bottom of the frame to the top of the new foam. It should be about 61/2 inches. I can't compress the new foam enough to attach the new seat cover. Even if I could I probably would tear it . Can any one help? Mike

[stitcher_guy]

Is the 6 1/2" measurement correct on the original seat cover? I'm thinking it is, and that isn't all that much to compress. You have to draw down the springs and the foam and make it fit.

First off, you need to make sure to have whisper quiet down over the foam (it's the thin, antistatic plastic cover to allow covers to slide easily and avoid damaging foam). Also, I always make sure I have the inner rear listing attached first before I start to stretch. That is the one that hogrings down to the springs directly behind the foam bun, but ahead of the main cross brace at the very back of the frame. Then the rear part of the cover stretches down over that back brace and is hogringed underneath, but I save that til last.

Once the rear inner listing is squarely (left to right) attached, Pull the cover out and try to get it over the edges of the foam. This part should fit snug but fairly close to size.  Before trying to attach the bottom edge of the cover, make sure that there is a true wire running through the listing. Some of the aftermarket covers are cheesy in that they put poly core welting in the listing and expect it to do it's job. No way. Usually, I'll retrieve the wire from the original cover, or use heavy coathangers end to end in the listing. You have to have this strength for the hogrings to do their job without ripping out the listing.

Over the years I've gotten to the point that I can pull about any cover with it laying up on my table. But the easiest for someone who hasn't done many is to put a large piece of carpet down on the floor, and turn the seat cushion upside down on the carpet. Actually kneel down on the bottomside of the seat and use your own weight to compress the springs and foam down. This will let more than enough of the cover come past the bottom edge that you can get hogrings in. Just do a few all the way around the perimeter with it in this position. Then turn it over and check for pulls, wrinkles or places that are out of shape before filling in the rest of the rings. For those you should be able to pull the listing down to your mount points by hand. You kind of look like you're wrestling a goat when you do it this way, but it beats cramped hands and wrists at the end of the day.

[Belairmike]

Thank you for all the information! The distance was so great I was afraid I would rip the seams between the straw cloth and the vinyl with all that pressure on it. It had me worried. At the rear of the seat where I hog ringed the listing to the springs (frame), It is so thick that it is hard to get it to tuck down and let the cloth stretch out in a smooth line from the listing. This pre-moulded foam is just floating on the springs.  Mike