2011 F-150 XLT Screw Katzkin Leather Install DIY
 

Hey Gang,

Thanks to the advice in this forum I dropped the $ on full leather Katzkins for my truck. Black with Lapis color double stitching. After much forum research I opted to install them myself.

In this first photo you can see I've already started the head rests... (while I waited for my hog ring pliers to come in the mail)

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/beforekatzkin1.jpg

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/headrestafter.jpg

The headrests weren't as tough as I thought they'd be... Heck I even put them on without the so called "vacuum trick" or even using any spray silicone. Just compress the foam with your hand, and pull with your fingers. I had all of them done in less than an hour. They came out great.

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/frontseatside.jpg

This is one area where you've got to cut through your leather... I stressed a little, but just took a scalpal and gently carved around the plastic mounting tab. You've only got about 1/4" of room so keep the cut very tight or after the trim is on you'll see the cut.

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/frontseatside2.jpg

Here it is from another angle, I highlighted where to cut with Yellow.

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/backseatafter.jpg

I've got to get a better picture... It's really a nice jet black color but my camera makes it look dull.

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/frontdriver.jpg

Very happy with the way the front seats came out too... The weather was really hot like 30 C so I just rolled up the windows and let the leather bake, and it really smoothed it out and made it conform to the foam.

http://bchuntingblog.com/images/frontdriver2.jpg

I really like the solid color with the contrast stitching...

These seats are VERY comfortable... Way better than factory leather.

- Install Notes

- The F-150 Katzkin install video was helpful but much of it did not apply to a 2011 truck. There were a few differences.

- The Grocery bag holders on the underside of the backseat bottoms will not survive. All of the clips broke while prying mine out, so I turfed them.

- The handles on the underside of of my backseats work fine (you'll have to carefully trim around them) but when in the "sitting" position my seats no longer lock down... Did they ever lock down? I can't remember lol... maybe some of you can help me there!!! :party:

- The front/rear seats are held on with 18mm bolts NOT T-50 torx bits. You will need a T-30, T-27 and T-50 Torx bit for other items though.

- Your fingers are going to hurt like friggen hell for a few days... The hardest part was probably the plastic clasps that hold the skins together... they were tough to get locked.

- I used Hog rings instead of Zipties as I saw recommended by many other forums... I think the Zipties would honestly have taken longer! The "Hog Ringing" was one of the easiest steps! Very simple, you just need to pinch the foam down with one hand, and press the hog ring pliers down into the foam and close. Done.

That is about all I can think of right now... I am quite happy with the finished product.

Carl

how much did you pay if you dont mind??

A lot... It seems the cheapest price I could find in Canada was about $1300 installed and that was for the factory quality katzkin (partial leather).

I opted to go for the premium leather and installed myself for about $1400 including tax (12% in my province).

It is very nice quality leather.

Carl

Well it is a lot of money but not a bad price for the quality leather they sell im thinking of doing a custom one i want a black with red inserts full leather interior and fx4 stictching on all 4 headrests.

When I got my truck any of the trucks with leather were platinums or lariat limiteds and the price difference was like $12,000. This was a bargain and the XLT is still a sweet truck.

If I had the money I would have went for the seat heaters too, but instead of factory quality leather and seat heaters I went for the 100% leather katzkin.

I spread the install out over several days because my hands hurt from pulling and stretching leather.

Carl

Nice install, looks great. Good thing about Katzin is that they will customize your seat covers for your needs. I have a friend from the Mustang club I belong to that had beautiful work done from them.

I really like those. Bravo.

Thank you. Yep... But it seems every other vehicle manufacturer has a licensing agreement with Katzkin EXCEPT Ford so getting F-150 or Ford embroidered on my seats was a no-go.

Carl

Those are nice man. I looked at their site and got a quote for $2995 for mine. Still cheaper than the dealer option, but way more than what you payed for them.

I saw that too when I first started looking and I don't know why they do that... That is only suggested retail price.

EVERY shop I called here in my province of BC wanted about $900+ tax for just the factory quality leather kit... $1300+ tax installed.

I got the 100% leather kit for $1200 +tax and just installed myself... Phone around to different interior shops and find out what kind of deal you can swing.

Carl

Looks great Carl. I will say you are much braver than me. I opted to let the folks that know how do mine.

Thanks! I think it was your thread that inspired me. There were a few points where I thought I was in over my head... The guy from the interior shop said he'd offer any pointers if I needed help or anything but I was able to get it done.

But seriously not kidding about the sore hands... They still hurt.

Carl

Looks really great! You're a brave soul to tackle that. I was going to go leather, but decided to hold off--I put a set of nice sheepskins on the front and the comfort factor is very, very high. Eventually I may summon the courage to do the leather myself :jester:

haha im def going with that, the thing is i dont know if i can install it myself, i have to admit im not really handy when it comes to modding the interior.

If you have the time you can totally install it yourself... On a scale of 1-10 I would rate the difficulty around a 4 or 5. It's pretty basic stuff but getting the leather to stretch when you have to get the plastic clasps hooked is a biotch and what makes your hands sore.

The kit comes with no instructions but is pretty straight forward. The F-150 katzkin install video from Motorz helped but some things were a little different.

Letting my leather cook inside the vehicle in the hot sun really helped to make it more pliable.

My wife was very impressed with my skillz... So much so she didn't even bitch about the cost hahaha.

Carl

I have mine and love em. Better than factory imho.Leather is fantastic

Just for your piece of mind the seats dont lock down. You can always pick them up. They do lock in the up position, which is why they have the handles to unlock them and drop them down. Nice install!!

Thanks Murph. That brings up another fear.... I thought it should have locked so when I did the 40/ seat in the rear, I sat on it... Hmmm... Not locking... Maybe it needs a bit of force, so I bounced, about 5 or 6 times... think I heard something crack.. and that seat now appears to sit about 1/4" lower then the 60 seat... lol... ooops.

I am too lazy to pull it all apart again, although it's really not that bad. Maybe popped a spot weld on the seat frame or something

Carl

Damn, that sounds like something I would do. It ain't funny, but :lol:

Nice writeup! The leather looks great. It's probably just the lighting, but how does the leather match the interior? Some of the pics look a little more brown than black.

Texas, I'm sure it's just the lighting. Mine matched perfectly with the black and gray.

lol... I am that guy... When in doubt apply throttle or force, usually it works! :)

Yes it's definitely the lighting, the leather is Jet Black and the stitching is called "Lapis" which is the closest you'll get to the darker greys in the 2011 F-150's.

I'll see if I can take some better pictures... What was there for wrinkles are almost all gone now, it's really tightened up the last few days.

Oh yeah and I have a full set of factory grey cloth upholstery (no stains, no damage)... I'll post in the buy/sell. $150 + shipping.

Carl

Great diy job!! Dont ever get in a pinching contest with a trimmer- you will loose big time!

Hey guys.
I just ordered a set of katzkins for my 2013 XLT and I'm hummin and hawin about installing them myself. Did anybody have any issues with their seat airbags? People are saying that there is a specific way to disable them and one wrong move and poof!! I feel like I'm disarming a bomb!
Thanks

Looks great, nice job man!

great thread! just got a set of OEM black leather for my '13 FX4, dont want to pay the dealer 600.00 to install, prefer to do it myself. got a link to that katzkin install video?