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So I’m not too happy about the way this is coming out. I removed the old crappy layer of clothy crap off the seat back which was probably a little less than 1” thick and added 1” upholstery foam.
I retained the old lower seat foam but added a 1/2” layer of upholstery foam over it.
Both seats have the same issue where the smooth fabric meets the pleated fabric. I’ve tried pulling the sides tighter but it literally does nothing. It can’t really be pulled tighter anyway because the side piping will roll behind the sides of the seat. I’ve tried pushing from the back and it doesn’t flatten out at all. It seems like the smooth material is sewn bunched at the piping line
and yes, it’s Lengenday not PUI….
Last edited by allyolds68; December 10th, 2023 at 03:56 PM.
You really, really have to crunch (pull, tighten) that fabric - sometimes over a couple of days. I "think" I see the issue - evaluate for yourself, but the pleats do not match in width. I can see where the pleats/fabric end at the point where the fabric makes its turn around the edge; but, again, the pleats are not of the same width - some are narrower than others.
It appears (to my eyes) the pleats are not of uniform size. Some are wider than others - measure/evaluate for yourself. The center appears not to have been pulled tight enough because it appears the center portion is concave e.g. the two flat panels in the center. I've struggled with this stuff before (I am not an upholsterer). Which direction did you tighten, stretch the fabric first? It makes a big difference. I don't know which direction you should pull/stretch on yours, but I would suggest you have to pull/stretch/lengthen/tighten in the long direction before you do the same in the shorter direction. Sorry, about the best I can offer. It usually takes me several anguishing attempts (using Legendary) but in the end it came out really really nice. Again, you really need to pull tight on this fabric before you clamp those hog rings. Good Luck!
There shouldn’t be any pleats there. It’s supposed to be flat. You can’t pull it the long way without the side piping rolling over to the back of the seat. It doesn’t make any sense that some of the area remains flat while the rest of bunched up. As I said. Pulling the side (hard) does nothing to flatten it out.
Note the line where the red arrow points. That raised fabric separator between the pleats and the smooth fabric is tight on one area where the pleats are wide and that same raised fabric (separator) line is "bunched" (not tight) in the areas where the pleats are narrower. To address the notion "It seems like the smooth material is sewn bunched at the piping line" I have to disagree. That raised relief fabric line is "bunched" as well, IOW, that raised relief fabric separation piece is not as tight as it can be. Additionally, it appears the center portion is concave (sunken). It needs to be tightened, IMO and how you do that I guess you'll have to decide on your own. The fabric(s) you employed may be suspect and the thickness of the fabrics my need to be made thicker? I don't know, but that's my take.
I agree with Vintage chiefs take... It looks like overall the panel needs more padding on each end properly stretch out the overall cover- that is causing those inner "pleat" panels to look concave...
However... There is nothing you could do installation wise to fix those bunches under the seating panel areas. No amount of steam or heat or added padding will fix those.
The flat material on the lower panel "pulled or bunched up" when it was being sewn to the upper pleated panel causing those ripples. Stretching the cover no amount will pull those out because its a sewing/manufacturing mistake.
Its unfortunate and should have been caught by their QA, but regardless it does happen- they should fix it and replace it.
Call legendary (or actually, you have to contact whoever you ordered it from, and THEY will contact legendary), and provide the pics. I'm legendary will make it right.
Last edited by RAMBOW; December 11th, 2023 at 03:45 PM.
Hell Mike take a drive over yonder and plop the partially finished seats on their counter and see what they say. Hope you didn't wait 12months for them.
I'm considering its time to redo my interior. Pearl or Black??? Either way I'm taking them to Carls. I'm not messing with them. You are braver than I.
We (Carls) just did the interior in the Vette. Seats came out very nice. Carls says they never use the pre-made aftermarket foam and underlay. They always make their own as they can better control the finished look, Give Sam or Chris a call and at least pick their brains.
I agree with Vintage chiefs take... It looks like overall the panel needs more padding on each end properly stretch out the overall cover- that is causing those inner "pleat" panels to look concave...
However... There is nothing you could do installation wise to fix those bunches under the seating panel areas. No amount of steam or heat or added padding will fix those.
The flat material on the lower panel "pulled or bunched up" when it was being sewn to the upper pleated panel causing those ripples. Stretching the cover no amount will pull those out because its a sewing/manufacturing mistake.
Its unfortunate and should have been caught by their QA, but regardless it does happen- they should fix it and replace it.
Call legendary (or actually, you have to contact whoever you ordered it from, and THEY will contact legendary), and provide the pics. I'm legendary will make it right.
Thank you. I was hoping you'd reply. The "bunched up" areas along the piping lines between the pleated and flat are what I was concerned about. I know I can get the pleats and the flat areas at the center to fill out with thicker foam.
Originally Posted by droldsmorland
Hell Mike take a drive over yonder and plop the partially finished seats on their counter and see what they say. Hope you didn't wait 12months for them.
I'm considering its time to redo my interior. Pearl or Black??? Either way I'm taking them to Carls. I'm not messing with them. You are braver than I.
We (Carls) just did the interior in the Vette. Seats came out very nice. Carls says they never use the pre-made aftermarket foam and underlay. They always make their own as they can better control the finished look, Give Sam or Chris a call and at least pick their brains.
The rear seat is pretty easy. I did my front buckets about 15 years ago and it was a lot more of a challenge. The rear seat doesn't have any tuck areas like the front does. I would go with black but I'm obviously partial
To both Rambow and Steve....This is Legendary's reply to me:
Originally Posted by Lucy at Legendary
After talking to our warranty guy, if you can drop it off, we can look at it and see what needs to be done to correct this issue
Yes, I'm fortunate that I bought straight from Legendary and they are less than a half hour from where I work. I contacted them and sent pics. They would like me to bring the seats over so they can take a look at them. Considering I ordered the seats in September of 2021, received them in April of 2022, and just now got around to installing the covers, I'm grateful that they are even considering taking a look at them for me
Last edited by allyolds68; December 12th, 2023 at 10:43 AM.
Yes, I'm fortunate that I bought straight from Legendary and they are less than a half hour from where I work. I contacted them and sent pics. They would like me to bring the seats over so they can take a look at them. Considering I ordered the seats in September of 2021, received them in April of 2022, and just now got around to installing the covers, I'm grateful that they are even considering taking a look at them for me
I've purchased numerous materials from Legendary & IMO they have exceptional customer service.
I dropped the seats off at Legendary yesterday. They told me that it was definitely a production error and they shouldn’t have gone out like that and they will fix them.
Nice. Makes me want to put off 2024 home improvements to funnel some towards seats n door cards.
Funny the interior in my car is older then the OEM interior I replaced in 85!
Im on the fence to put the OEM pearl in or black like my sister car has.The headliner is still nice sooo prob go black again.
Legendary is apparently having their xmas sale. Ill let ya know what the sticker shock is, Carls will get the labor.
I dropped the seats off at Legendary yesterday. They told me that it was definitely a production error and they shouldn’t have gone out like that and they will fix them.
I’m no expert, but would it be possible to shim the backside of the vinyl with a thin foam layer (like 1/16” or 1/8” to fill out the gaps?
If it’s sewn wrong, that sounds like warranty or replacement claim to me, but a little extra foam, applied consistently behind the vinyl just might help.
If I’m off base, upholstery experts, please school me up on why that’s a bad idea. Interested in learning more.
I’m no expert, but would it be possible to shim the backside of the vinyl with a thin foam layer (like 1/16” or 1/8” to fill out the gaps?
If it’s sewn wrong, that sounds like warranty or replacement claim to me, but a little extra foam, applied consistently behind the vinyl just might help.
If I’m off base, upholstery experts, please school me up on why that’s a bad idea. Interested in learning more.
So I got a rather disappointing call from Legendary today. They said they can fix them if they install $200+ worth of new seat foam and another $200 to install it and then they feel if they steam it they can get the creases out....
I don't mind buying the foam but don't tell me to get it right you have to steam them and charge me for an install, that's bull.
I'm not really sure where to go from here. I was completely prepared to pay for the foam but not be strong armed into an install....
Last edited by allyolds68; December 27th, 2023 at 12:23 PM.
So I got a rather disappointing call from Legendary today. They said they can fix them if they install $200+ worth of new seat foam and another $200 to install it and then they feel if they steam it they can get the creases out....
I don't mind buying the foam but don't tell me to get it right you have to steam them and charge me for an install, that's bull.
I'm not really sure where to go from here. I was completely prepared to pay for the foam but not be strong armed into an install....
Call them back and tell them that you bought them new and they were defective. They had not been used them, they were being installed when you found the defective workmanship. You bought them once and never used, why should you pay to fix their substandard workmanship. Be firm and don't give an inch.
....Just my two cents worth.
After Legendary called me and told me they were going to charge me $400+ to fix them, I went back, unannounced, and told them I wanted everything back and wasn’t paying them to do anything. They took me through the sales office to the upholstery shop where my seats were laying on what I would describe as a stretching table. They explained to me that they had worked on the covers by steaming and stretching them. To my surprise they looked pretty good. My plan prior to picking them up was to take them to a local shop that droldsmorland had recommended and pay them to install the upholstery. They had quoted $350 over the phone. After seeing how much better the covers looked I decided to do it myself. I finally got around to it today. They came out pretty good. All the major “bunching” is gone. I removed the original “stuffing” type backing from the upper seat cushion and added 1” more of upholstery foam. You can still see a minor amount of “bunching” on the upper seat cushion but I think that will fade over time. I also added 1” of upholstery foam on top of the original lower seat foam. There really isn’t any “bunching” noticeable on this cushion at all anymore.
I’m happy with the final result.
At the end of the day Legendary made it right without me threatening them or getting into a pissing contest. They didn’t know I was coming yet they still had completed the repairs.
December 10th, 2023, 03:53 PM
