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Cushion Comparison
After finding a '93 Grand Marquis power seat in the junkyard, I stripped the upholstery & cushions off the frame, washed them, and did the same to my original seat. This shows the differences in the styles of cushions.
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I was planning on adding the wiring for the power seat, but I found it tucked into the harness under the threshhold. The carpet was already cut. I should have steamed some of the previous owner's coffee out of the carpet, but I didn't have time, and it's windy at about 35°.
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I had planned to use the '93 cushions, but their wire reinforcements don't match my upholstery, so I reused my pads. I added some wire to reinforce the front retainers for the seat springs - they were broken on this seat, and my original.
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It looks almost like it did before.
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The difference is visible here: the original recline lever hole is there but not obvious, and I cut the switch hole a little too large. The seat covers are MUCH cleaner after having been thru the washing machine.
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The cover was red, but I washed it several times & then put several light coats of paint on it. It had text labels originally, but I think I can do without them.
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle. After working the blade tip into the gap as shown, rotate the screwdriver counterclockwise gently. On the other side, rotate clockwise to pull the tab out of the chrome frame & lift the cover away from the belt.
SEE THE NEXT 6 PICS...
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle.
When one tab is out, it's sometimes possible to push it up, and the other may come out. If not, repeat the process on the other tab.
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle. Note that the passenger buckle cover does NOT have the notch visible here for the warning switch, so this cover must return to this belt. Same for the black latch inside, and its spring.
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Slide the cover forward, keeping the button with it, then lift them off the buckle. Note that the cover, the button, the black latch, & its spring are specific to side; the driver's parts are all built to fit with the warning switch, so as similar as they look, nothing can be mixed side-to-side.
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle.
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle.
It's common for this spring to fatigue & break, which can lock the buckle. But it's common to all Fords with this shape of buckle, so it's easy to find one in a junkyard & swap it in. Just be sure to get the spring from the same side that you need since the driver's buckle parts are all specific to fit with the switch.
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Since I also wanted to wash the seat belts, I disassembled the buckle. It's now ready to go in the washing machine with the upholstery. Since the passenger & rear buckles have no switches, they can be washed without their covers.
SEE THE PREVIOUS 6 PICS...
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Buckle Restoration
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
For black buckles that are losing paint & showing rust, I've found that sandblasting and spraying with black Plasti-Dip restores them exactly like original - same texture, color, feel, & durability (so far). If you don't have a sandblaster, wash them thoroughly a few times (using Dawn & PurplePower, and a fingernail brush), dry them thoroughly (in the sun on a breezy day is best), and then spray while they're warm.
To stop the colored plastic sheath from splitting (and maybe pull it back together after a split has begun), install a short piece of 1.5" clear heat-shrink tubing over the buckle end of the sheath.
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Shoulder Reel Disassembly IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it. Before removing the belt from the reel, mark it so it can be reinstalled in the same direction (without twisting). Once the belt is off, it can be washed & dried, and the mechanism can be blown out with shop air if necessary. The hardest part was releasing the clips for the clear cover, but that's NOT necessary or advisable. Just hold the reel upright so the pendulum (the BB) allows it to unreel. During reassembly, the spring unwound on me, but it was fairly easy to retension it by winding the drum for a few minutes. As long as the spring doesn't fully wind in & stop when drawing the belt out after installation, it's not over-wound. See also:  .  . 
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Power Seats
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
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Seat Base occupancy sensor
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 PowerSeatCircuits.jpg | Hits: 2775 | Size: 46.49 KB | Posted on: 1/19/06 | Link to this image
Power Seat Circuits
IF THE IMAGE IS TOO SMALL, click it.
This shows that an old-style switch can be connected directly to a newer seat.
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Passenger Power Seat
I found this in a junkyard - even the leather in newer cars didn't look this good. But I only want the power chair out of it.
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Switch & Cut
This is the only cut on this seat cover, and it's on a vinyl panel - not on the leather.
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Switch Plate
It's not necessary to disconnect the wires or air line.
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 15HeadrestTool.JPG | Hits: 2171 | Size: 56.07 KB | Posted on: 1/18/06 | Link to this image
Headrest Tool
If your seat does NOT have a hard back panel, you'll need a thin piece of steel to release the headrest. If you have the removeable back, take it off & release the headrest manually.
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Headrest Removed
When the tool stops, lower & raise the headrest to allow the tool to go past the spring catch inside, then lift the headrest out.
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Tool Detail
This is how the tool needs to run inside the chair to release the catch.
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Headrest Sleeve
Just pull the sleeve straight up & out.
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Armrest Pivot Bolt
Use 13/16" socket
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Armrest Removed
If you need to remove the upholstery from the armrest, remove the plastic bushing & shield, and finish unzipping it.
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Seat Belt Nut
This 18mm nut holds the belt for this chair. The belt for the center occupant is retained by the 18mm nut that holds the chair to the floor. Remove the chair's belt first, then the center belt, both out the top.
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Push Pins
Wire cutter pliers are also good for removing push-pin fasteners.
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Upholstery Edge Retainers
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 27ReclineBolts.JPG | Hits: 1751 | Size: 65.58 KB | Posted on: 1/18/06 | Link to this image
Recline Bolts
13mm
On manual-recline chairs, remove the E-ring from the manual lever mechanism, slip the cable off, & replace the E-ring before removing these bolts.
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Separate
Pull the seatback to slide the pin out from the other side and the back will come away from the base.
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Seat Pad Removed
If all the hog rings around the edges are removed, the upholstery will now come off with the pad. Lift the back edge first & roll the pad forward out of the spring assembly (base).
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Spring Tabs
On all 4 chairs that I've opened, these tabs have lifted - some have even folded back or torn, allowing the springs to sag.
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Seat Base Hog Rings
To separate the seat cover from its pad, remove the internal hog rings.
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Seatback Hog Rings
All the hog rings must be removed before the cover can be removed. The pad can not be left attached to the cover, like the base was.
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After removing any vertical rods from the seatback cover, carefully work the cover over the armrest support and slide it off the frame & pad.
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Seatback Pad Clips
On each side of the pad, a wire loop is clipped into a slot in the frame. Squeeze the loop to extract it. This is one reason the pad can't be left attached to the cover.
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Seatback Retainer Rod
This is the other reason the pad can't be left attached to the cover - the top ends of the U slip under the lip of the seatback frame, so this must be removed before the pad.
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Loose Upholstery
These are all the color-specific parts, with the pads inside the leather. All this is FOR SALE.
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I use fence hog rings from a hardware store because they're cheap, easy to find, & effective.
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I found these in a fire department car at a U-Pull-It and snagged them. They aren't torn; they have very little wear; the foam isn't collapsed; and the stains don't look bad.
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I found these in a fire department car at a U-Pull-It and snagged them. They aren't torn; they have very little wear; the foam isn't collapsed; and the stains don't look bad.
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 03Buckets99P72.JPG | Hits: 1035 | Size: 67.17 KB | Posted on: 8/17/11 | Link to this image
I found these in a fire department car at a U-Pull-It and snagged them. They aren't torn; they have very little wear; the foam isn't collapsed; and the stains don't look bad.
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I found these in a fire department car at a U-Pull-It and snagged them. They aren't torn; they have very little wear; the foam isn't collapsed; and the stains don't look bad.
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The first step is to get the headrests off. The bezels unscrew to make accessing the clips easier.
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The clips can't be seen with the upholstery in place, but this what has to be done: the clips need to come out of their slots so the headrest can come out.
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The clips can't be seen with the upholstery in place, but this what has to be done: the clips need to come out of their slots so the headrest can come out.
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The clips open toward each other, so they have to be pulled apart to release the headrest.
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Pull the seams apart and unwrap the foam with the upholstery from the headrest frame.
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This is a PITA. I used the same hose hook to push the back edge down out of the slot. Putting it back in after cleaning was at least as hard.
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You put your weed in there.
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Split the backrest seam at the bottom, pull the stitching off the VelCro, and then pull the upholstery straight up off the foam. Be more careful than I was so the foam isn't torn. It's not critical since the upholstery will hold it together.
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This clip is just like a window crank - pull or push to release it, then slide the handle straight up off the splines.
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Note that the lever is keyed so it can only be installed one way.
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After unbolting the backrest, the base can be disassembled. There are 2 pushpins at the back. The bolts are 13mm. I hosed off the bases, put the foam in the sun, and threw all the upholstery in the washing machine.
These bases aren't powered, so I'll start looking for power bases that I can swap under these chairs.
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This is the quickest & best way to clean upholstery, provided it fits. The bases are going thru a 2nd time with some PurplePower in addition to the regular detergent to get out some of the deeper stains. After the cycle finishes, everything goes out in the sun to dry on my lawn furniture for a few hours.  .  Covers that are too big just get hosed down on the fence, PurplePowered, and sun-dried. Belts get soaked in the sink: 
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 17Buckets99P72.JPG | Hits: 1402 | Size: 85.16 KB | Posted on: 8/17/11 | Link to this image
They almost look new, and they certainly smell better. I sprayed each foam & upholstery piece with Lysol before assembly.
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 18Buckets99P72.JPG | Hits: 1321 | Size: 54.64 KB | Posted on: 8/17/11 | Link to this image
They almost look new, and they certainly smell better. I sprayed each foam & upholstery piece with Lysol before assembly.
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They almost look new, and they certainly smell better. I sprayed each foam & upholstery piece with Lysol before assembly.
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They almost look new, and they certainly smell better. I sprayed each foam & upholstery piece with Lysol before assembly.
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This is a '97 E-serieschair that's going in my Bronco. This one has manual slides, but I'm looking for another 4-way powered base for it.
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These are '97 E-series 4-way powered chairs that are going in my Bronco. The headrest area of the one on the L is solid, and its base is slightly different, so I'll only use its powered base with the other parts from an unpowered chair to match the one on the R.
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Seats & Belts
