cng_dan

Folks, new member cng_dan here! A week ago, I bought a CNG-powered '00 7700 and I love it! Being a former work truck, it's pretty stripped down and basic, but I have AC and added a Pioneer CD player with BlueTooth, so I think I'm set.

The only bugging me now is my seat. It has a vinyl bench with modeled headrests. Vinyl gets hot and I tend to be hot. And my bench has a noticeable tear on the driver's side (near the side seam).

Re upholstery seems more robust and locally, I've been given prices between $350 and 750 (3 different shops) to reupholster in cloth. If I go route, what is a fair price for reupholstering the modeled headrest benches?

Conversely, should I go with a seat cover? Why? Who makes a good cover and how much does it cost?

Thanks, all!

Connor97

I would just go with seat covers, they'll hide the rips in seats, (depending on what kind of cover you get) it won't get hot as easy, and it's going to be a lot cheaper than getting the seats completely redone! I have covers for my front seats and back bench and love them!

redknight1

if the truck isn't worth much, just go with seat covers.

jkenprice1

I'm a fan of reupholstery. But I've had good experiences. IMO, set covers are good to protect your seats, but they are not so good if you seat are ripped. If your seats are ripped, the foam can hang out and get damaged and the shape of the seat is compromised. Reupholstering tightens everything back up and protects the foam as well as maintains the integrity of the seat. No seat cover can do that. Ifyour foam is damaged, shops can replace it. If you have vinyl seats, you don't have much padding to begin with. I had that same seat in a '97. A shop can add more foam, even side bolsters. That really makes the ride a lot more comfortable. As for price, I think $350 is reasonable to kinda high. $600 ?? I've gotten junkyard seats too, but finding a good seat for a truck that old is not easy. BTW, I had a '97 7700#. Loved that truck. I always thought that it would make a great street machine. I had a 2wd. I thought about lowering it in the back and putting on some wide tires. I think it would have cornered like a Porche.

cng_dan

Yeah, I scheduled my reupholstery for Thursday am. I like the truck a lot, but I don't think lowering (unless you lower it a LOT) will make it handle anywhere near a Porsche!

jkenprice1

I know, Still that was the best cornering truck I've had.. What are they doing to your seat and how much?

2003XLT

I've also been greeted with such an endeavor. I have wicked OCD and i reupholstered my drivers chair myself I bought material from a reputable source and it took about 2 hours with a lot of stretching and swear words but it was about $80 for the material and $30 for new foam inserts

cng_dan

I'm getting to get standard auto cloth and a thin topper layer of foam for $350. It's a 1 day job, but thankfully they're about 1 mile from work so I can throw a bike in my truck bed, drop off the truck then pedal to work from there. Easy peasy!

Maybe if I lowered the truck AND redistributed weight, it could corner ;-)

jkenprice1

Thanks. Hope your seat come out well.

cng_dan

I'll try to post some pictures. I decided to get vinyl for the skirt and cloth on the other surfaces. I'll pick it up at the end of the day.