wls559

I have PUI seat covers and foam. What type of heat source are you guys using to stretch the covers? I watched the install video they have; I do not have a steamer like the woman in the video! Heat gun, blow drier? The back side is killing me on the bun (the part by the seat tracks is fubar in all directions) and the seat back (needs to stretch about three more inches). Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks, Bill

Fun71

I did my buckets and rear bench back in the 90s and didn't have to heat them or stretch them to fit. It was in south Texas during the summer so they were likely warm, though.

I read a tip about placing a sheet of plastic (dry cleaning bag, single layer of trash bag,etc) over the foam so the covers slide easily. I did that and just left the plastic in afterwards.

allyolds68

I used the plastic bag and it definitely helped

vette442

I did willow gold '68 buckets with PUI covers about 10 years ago - it was my second seat recovering project. I did them outside in the sun, and I also sat on the cushions at some point if I recall correctly, which compressed the foam and let me pull on the covers more easily. It took off a lot of the tension when I installed the hog rings too. It was awkward but it worked for me. I think the '68s use the "pullthroughs" on the bottoms too to get the contours right. Good luck.

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Terry

69442murph

the seat buns are too fat...they need to be trimmed using a electric knife....the corners and the area at the top of the seat are usually way to thick for the cover to be pulled correctly over the top, especially on the back area at the top of the seat right above the plastic seat back...
if you use a electric knife, use extreme caution and only take off a little at a time, otherwise the foams will be junk...
you can use a hair dryer to warm them up, just as the others have suggested. it may take a few minutes longer to heat up the covers, but it doesn't provide enough heat to melt the covers the way a heat gun will...take your time...
and as the others have suggested, using plastic to help with covers works well also...
post pics of the areas you are having trouble with and I am sure these good people here will offer the best advice, because this site is loaded with great people....
good luck...
tim

wls559

Well, with the tips I was able to get one done today. The back still needs some cleaning up and I found a reason to buy an electric knife! The wife helped and put a little bit too much heat with the blowdrier in a the stretched area below the seat back. Gonna have to do some repairs along that seam or not fold the seat down when any important people are looking too closely. Thanks for the tips fellas; tomorrow, I start on the driver's seat, hopefully it goes only 4-5 hours not 10.

Fun71

You're right, I remember now reading about folks saying the seat foams from one of the companies (assuming PUI) were too large so the covers wouldn't fit properly without some trimming. The "other" company that I can't recall now had correct size foams that didn't require trimming.

RAMBOW

American cushion industries (ACI) are the buns you want.

NPD sells them. You can buy the buns listed for chevelles, they are the same.

wls559

Well only three hours start to finish on the driver's seat. Luckly the driver's foam back was still good, just had the change the bun. Lesson learned, I will never use PUI seat foam again. Huge difference in the sizes! Well, my minute of amature hour whining is over. Again thanks for all the tips fellas.

Bill

Fun71

I suspect I used larger-than-original ones when I did my seats back in the 90s as I sit way higher than the original '71s (which possibly were sagging) or what I remember from my '70, which was only 7 years old so likely at the original height when I started driving it. Kinda irks me as even now my view of the top of the speedo is blocked by the steering wheel, which is very different from what I became accustomed to during the first ~20 years I drove the car.