In last month's DIY Corner debut, I kicked off the interior rehab on my '75 Cheyenne. Things finished (or, rather, were cut short!) with the installation of the ACC molded carpet kit, leaving the seat recovering, door panels, and trim for this month.
Now, having laid carpet down a time or two in the past, the first portion of the job was not the least bit daunting. However, when it came time to re-cover the seat, I was a little skeptical of being able to pull it off myself. I'd never touched a hog ring, let alone held a set of hog-ring pliers-but I've seen it done before, and I knew if I messed up, I could pull the cover back off and try again. Fortunately, I added a new seat foam base to my LMC order, so getting the bottom cover on straight didn't seem like it'd be that difficult, and it wasn't. But I can say this is definitely something you want an additional set of hands-and eyes-helping you out with. (Since I'd already suckered Riz into aiding with the carpet, I simply stretched the favor a tad more.)
Beyond the carpet and seat upholstery, everything else is pretty much "solo" type work you can perform with the simplest of hand tools. The door panels and trim really only require a drill and Phillips screwdrivers, for the most part. But if you need to do any color changing with the moldings, then you better head to the local auto body supply and pick up some vinyl/plastic prep and your color of choice. I always use SEM products, though I know there are other brands on the market-I've just never used anything else. When dyeing plastic or vinyl (I know, it's spray paint, but it is an actual dye!), like anything involved with paint, preparation is key. Not only do you want to ensure that all the parts are thoroughly cleaned, but to avoid the color scratching off easily down the road, using an adhesion promoter like SEM's Vinyl Prep is important.
You may not be up to painting your own truck or even rebuilding the engine, but when it comes to the interior, don't put it off because you've never reupholstered anything before-it can be done, and you can do it yourself. I did, and the closest I ever came to doing a complete interior was spray-painting my Volkswagen Rabbit's seats and carpet back in the early '80s!
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 As with new molded carpet...  As with new molded carpet that's been previously folded, you'll want to lay your new seat covers out in the sun on a flat, clean surface. This also helps make the material a little more pliable when you're ready to stretch it over the seat foam and frame. |
 While Riz snipped the old...  While Riz snipped the old hog rings with a pair of dykes, I grabbed a cutoff wheel and did the same-in a fraction of the time! However, to avoid causing any damage to the seat frame and/or foam, it's always safer to take the "slow road." |
 Once all the rings were removed,...  Once all the rings were removed, the old seat cover upholstery was also removed, revealing the factory seat foam (base shown). You'll notice the padding has seatbelt cutouts; this particular seat came out of a later-model C-10, so we ordered the appropriate replacement foam (as well as the correct corresponding seat cover). |