The vinyls seat covers in my 70 442 are in excellent condition but the the seat buns and support system sorely needs replacing. I do not have the skills or tools to do it myself. Can the original seat covers be removed, and reinstalled over new support parts? Would like to know if others have done this and what the pros vs cons are.

 

Take it to a good upholstery shop. They will have the answer you need.

 

I would think a trim shop would be hesitant, primarily because of the age of the vinyl. If they try to pull it over new buns it may break. But it's worth asking. Also, if this is a bench seat I'm not sure repro buns are available, but I could be wrong.
I share your question as I'm contemplating doing something similar - swapping the covers from one seat to another. In my case I'm going the DIY route.

 

I was looking at Marks Upholstery in St Paul. Any recommendations?

 

I would think a good auto upholstery shop would be the most adept at material condition and risks of ripping old coverings. Have a couple shops tell you what they think.

 

A shop will happily take your money, with the statement that the covers are 55 years old and they can't guarantee they won't rip with use in the future....

New buns and new springs will put stress on those old covers, and it's highly likely they will rip with use.

You are much better off to order new legendary covers, wait for them, the. Have the seats redone once with new covers and guts.

My $.02

 

I had Sean at Top Stitch do my Vista Cruiser. He had to create everything--virtually nothing is made for wagon interiors except perhaps for the front seat and front carpet. And on mine, I had modified the transmission, so stock carpet wouldn't fit. And I put in buckets--never available in a wagon and I wanted the same upholstery pattern as the rear seats.

Look at my albums to see what a great job he did.

I'm recommending you talk to him; he'll give you great advice. He's at 721 Industrial Blvd A8 A10, Watertown MN 612.716.7204.

Tell him hello from Gary Hauck.

 

Right on I took it to an upholstery shop and he makes his own rear bench seat foam.

 

Good morning.

Let me tell you what I did: I removed the rear seats because I am in the process of rebuilding the interior of the car. I’m already at the final stages, and hopefully, I can finish soon. The thing is, I noticed that the fabric connecting the chassis to the vinyl—the one behind the seats—was in bad shape, torn and worn out, while the chassis and vinyl were in perfect condition. I decided to take it to a local upholsterer, whom I would call more of an artisan than just an upholsterer. He removed the vinyl, took off the fabric, and replaced it with black leather, which is much more durable.

Unfortunately, I lost the photos of the process that the upholsterer sent me, but I’m attaching a picture so you can see the work he did. As other users have mentioned, find a good upholsterer, and they will look as good as new.

Regards.