71Rcode
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Gents, I just got done replacing the last cloth seat cover in my 2017 GT (300A package) with the basic black Katzkin leather seat kit ($615 shipped including tax) from this Classic Automotive Industries (ebay seller). Local upholstery shops wanted ~$650-800 to do the install, whether I pulled the seats and brought them up or brought them the car. As time is what we all have these, days, I decided to take a shot. I probably have 8-10 hours in the job, working in the floor of my home office. And yeah, my hands/fingers are killing me. But definitely worth the effort. The covers are super high quality and look quite durable (thick leather and backing).
Reference resources:
I'm not going to go into the how-to, as the above resources cover mostly everything. But I did want to share a few tidbits of advice to help you with your install. Please forgive the loose terminology (I've never redone and interior before and am winging the descriptive terms).
No pix yet of the installed seats, as I'm waiting for my sound deadener to arrive. My next steps this week are to pull the rocker trim, rear interior quarters and console out so I can remove the carpet. I'm going to add as much underlay as possible to the bare floor pans and interior sheet metal.
Reference resources:
- Front install video
- Rear install video
- Forum post from ColdshotXX (thanks, man!)
- (found this video after I did my project --- the installer is a real pro. Great tip for handling the headrest buttons!)
I'm not going to go into the how-to, as the above resources cover mostly everything. But I did want to share a few tidbits of advice to help you with your install. Please forgive the loose terminology (I've never redone and interior before and am winging the descriptive terms).
- Replace the covers on the seat backs first to gain some confidence. Then the rear seat bottom. There seemed to be a lot more clips/tabs used on the original seat cover than on the Katzkin rear seat bottom. But no big deal. Also, my original Ford rear bottom had some of those tabs/clamps stapled to the seat bottom plastic frame (front-most part of the rear seat bottom). I didn't use staples going back together, as the Katzkin seat bottom cover seemed pretty snug.
- Use silicone spray on the headrest foam/inside of cover to allow the cover to slip down easily. Very tight and without the silicone, you'll tear the foam that sits in front of the headrest.
- The headrest cover plastic mounting tabs only go in one way (headrest steel posts slide into these) Look at the orientation of them as there is a key (male) in the side of the mounting tab (looks like an ignition coil boot) that goes into the female steel slot in the seat frame. They will lock in place. You use a skinny flathead screwdriver to release the tabs to pull these mounting tabs once you pull the headrest out of the seat (depress the both tabs to pull the headrest out of the seat).
- I needed three hog rings per front seat back (and hog ring pliers) to attach the Katzkin seat cover (seat back about chest high) to the steel bar/rod running horizontally in the seat back in a deep/broad channel in the foam seat back. The cloth seats did not use hog rings as they are loose fitting and don't pull snug against the seat back (only deluxe/leather seats use them).
- There are two deep channels in the seat bottom form (horizontal R-L running) that with 5 total attaching clamps that grab hold of this "V" or "U" shaped white plastic "rod/end" attached to the seat material, which once snapped in place, pulls the seat nice and tight against the foam. When removing the original covers, DO NOT pull upward. You will want to SLIDE the cover off either left to right or right to left. If you pull upward, you will pull/rip those attaching clamps right out of the foam seat. I glued one of mine back in place when I partially ripped it out.
- ALSO, be careful when pulling these white plastic rods attached to the seat bottom fabric (you pull downward on the installation to attach/seat the cover on the front bottoms). I ripped one of mine (plastic rod started ripping away from the seat material) getting too aggressive trying to get it to seat attach in the channel. Fortunately, it was in the rear part of the seat bottom and did not impact the tightness or fitment of the leather.
- Work on the seat bottom foam away from the steel seat bottom frame. Once you have the foam covered, you attach it back to the steel seat bottom frame and attach with all the tabs.
- My Katzkin covers had a tiny dab of silver paint/marker to mark the position where the front seatback strap magnetic button mounts. Also, I used my original cloth straps and didn't worry about sourcing leather straps. No one will notice.
- It's a good idea to put the covers in the sun to warm up and allow them to stretch a bit more. The leather is very heavy duty and can handle the stretching.
- I disassembled my seat backs off the bottom frame (4 torx bolts - same size you used to remove the seats). I found this easier. Note that there are two small torx bolts that attach the hinge cover on the inside of both front seats. You may not see the silver torx bolt right away, but it's there.
- Outside of the hog ring pliers, there are no real special tools needed. It's nice to have interior plastic trim removal tools, which you'll use in a couple of spots.
- Leave one front seat intact while working on the other. You may want to reference it.
- As you go, take pictures. You'll refer back to them for sure.
- The kit will come with leather inserts for your door panels/door cards. Nice touch! I'll be pulling my door panels in the coming weeks to see if this is something I can tackle, or if I need to outsource it to an upholstery shop.
No pix yet of the installed seats, as I'm waiting for my sound deadener to arrive. My next steps this week are to pull the rocker trim, rear interior quarters and console out so I can remove the carpet. I'm going to add as much underlay as possible to the bare floor pans and interior sheet metal.
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