MM&FF Fan George Xenos assisted...
MM&FF Fan George Xenos assisted with this upholstery renovation. The rear-seat bottom was one of the easier portions of the project, as you only have hog-ring fasteners to contend with. You'll want to install the new cover and secure it at the front of the seat before you move to the back edge. This way, the seam between the cloth and vinyl will be in the right place. After they're both secured, cut the holes for the seatbelt buckles.
It's True. Our beloved Fox-body Mustang is getting old. An '87 vintage Pony is coming up on 21 years of age, and in many cases, those years really show. While the 5.0L powerplant is fairly bulletproof to 150,000 miles, the interior never seems to keep up. The plastic door cups are the first to go, followed by the ashtray door, armrest lid, and door pockets. The plastic parts get dry and brittle, and the door pockets, if you have them, droop and get caught in the door. This ruins not only the pockets, but also the doorjamb seal. The last thing to go is the factory seat upholstery as years of use and abuse take their toll.
Unfortunately, 5.0 Mustangs get passed around quite a bit, and since the drivetrain lasts so long, the interior shows the majority of the vehicle's age. Daily use, track trips, cigarette burns, coffee stains, and 5-year-old fast-food deposits all conspire to create a less than ideal interior surrounding. There's hope, though, as we're here to show you how to renew your Pony's upholstery with help from Latemodel Restoration Supply (LRS).
For just $399.95, you can refurbish your Mustang's seats and give them that new-car look once again. The interior kit comes with two front seatback and seat bottom covers, a back-seat bottom cover, and two rear seatback covers. An installation kit is also included and provides the necessary plastic and hog-ring fasteners to secure the covers to the seats.
While we had the seats out, we also ditched the factory rug for an Auto Custom Carpet piece, along with some Pony-embroidered floor mats. You can get the ACC carpet and mats directly from LRS when you order your seat threads.
We didn't stop there, though, as our car's sunvisors had tossed in the towel long ago. The fold-down vanity-mirror flaps became three separate pieces as the material covering the cardboard flaps flaked off. This can cause the battery to run down if it's not taken care of. Another quick fix was the new chrome-plated metal door cups for the release levers. We picked these up from Pro-5.0 Shifters, and they come with new door lock pins. There won't be any more cracking where the screw holds it in, either.
Reupholstering your seats with the LRS covers isn't the most technical task, but if you take your time, you can do it in a weekend and everything will look good once it's done. The first front seat we did took about four hours, while the second took about three. We think we've got it down to about two now, but you'll want to be prepared for minor inconveniences.
The bracket that holds the power lumber switch on the driver-side seat wouldn't hold the switch securely, as its tabs broke off during removal. We Super Glued it together, but if you don't have any on hand, it can be a reasonable obstacle to a timely completion. We also ran into the problem with the driver-side forward release switch. This was an ongoing issue that we knew about, but it took an extra half-hour to figure out the actuation in the forward release and seat tilt levers.
All in all, you should be able to re-cover all four seats in about a day to a day and a half. The carpet installation probably adds another hour or two to the project, but the results are well worth the effort. After all, the interior is where you spend the majority of your time, so why not make it look and feel great? We've brought you really good instructions to help get you through the process, and if you can operate some simple handtools, you can accomplish this task. Take your time and make it look good.
Project ProCharged Pony has...
Project ProCharged Pony has seen all of its driveline replaced with new components. The outside paint, which was new about seven years ago, still looks good, but the interior needed help. In addition to the obvious hole in the side bolster, the overall material was worn down and flattened.
We Purchased the ACC floor...
We Purchased the ACC floor mats (left) years ago, but a scrubbing with a nonapproved cleaning agent resulted in discoloration. Add a few years of use, dragging track rubber and shop grime in and out, and you have a recipe for a mess. We'll have to be more careful with the new ACC mat on the right.
To Get started with the upholstery...
To Get started with the upholstery install, unbolt the four front seat bolts and disconnect the power harness, if applicable. Bend at the knees and lift the seat out of the car. Remove the bolster adjustment knob with an Allen wrench. The power lumbar switch is next. Pop off the faceplate using a small screwdriver or knife and then take out the two screws. There are two metal tabs on the switch that hold it in the bezel. Push these in and carefully remove the bezel. After that, there are two screws that secure the seat lever cover.
Next Up are the seat tracks....
Next Up are the seat tracks. Remove the large coil spring (arrow), noting its mounting locations. Use the seat adjustment lever to move the tracks back and forth to access the bolts at each end.
If You have the sport seats...
If You have the sport seats with the moveable leg support like we have, tap the roll pins out of the support arms and then remove the leg support. Note here how the seat cover is secured using hog rings and plastic clips.
To Remove the seatback, tilt...
To Remove the seatback, tilt it forward and unzip the seatback cover at the bottom. Disconnect the lumbar air line (arrow) as well.
Roll Up the cover to expose...
Roll Up the cover to expose the plastic guard near the forward release lever and remove it via the two screws. Remove the two 13mm bolts by the seat lever, as well as the T-45 Torx bolt on the other side. Lift the seatback from the seat bottom.
Flip The seatback and lay...
Flip The seatback and lay it down so it faces you. Roll up the cover to expose the bolster rods. Remove the hog rings at the bottom but not the ones on the sides. You can simply slide the rod back through these later.
Roll Up the seat cover farther....
Roll Up the seat cover farther. As you do this, you'll find the cross rods that are secured using hog rings. Provided you have the installation kit with new hog rings, you can just cut the old hog rings to free the rod.