1972 Cadillac Coupe DeVille – Reupholstery Tips

[Ragnar]

I'm getting ready to reupholster the seats in my '72 Coupe DeVille. I've already sourced new fabrics and will be reusing some of the original vinyl and leather. Since this is a family car, I'd like to keep a bit of the patina and wear from my father and grandfather rather than making everything look brand new.

I have a couple of questions for those who've done this before:
   •   What type/quality of thread is recommended for long-lasting seat stitching?
   •   How about the backing fabrics and the black foam that's glued to the seat covers – is there a preferred grade or supplier?
   •   Any other tips or things I should keep in mind before I start?

Appreciate any advice from those with experience on these big Cadillac seats!

[Ragnar]

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I have replaced the upholstery in my own '72 Eldorado, but I used a Leather kit from Lseat.com.

The hessian backing replacement is easy.   I used a piece of Hessian from an upholstery shop.   Marked where the wires had to go with a felt pen.   Then squeezing the piece up tight, in a pleated fashion, feed the wires through, then simply expanded it.

The hard part was being careful to remove the end piece from the wires, as these wires are spring steel, and will break easily.   Some broke, but I was able to re-bend the ends when required.

Notice that the factory did a really rough job of cutting the hessian.

You can get the Hog Rings from any Farmers supplier, as they use them for fencing.   I purchased a kit that came with a rapid feed adaptor, which I promptly removed as it got in the way.   Plus, I had to trim the tips of the jaws so I could get in really close.

Bruce.

[Clewisiii]

Use Serifil thread. Tex20

[Wilson09]

I don't have any advice but wish you luck on your project. It's great you car has a family history.

[Ragnar]

[Ragnar]

Use Serifil thread. Tex20


Thinking:
   •   Lockstitch Tex 70–90 poly → for the main seams, strongest hold.
   •   Chainstitch Tex 60–70 core-spun → for panel joins, bit more flex.
   •   Overlock Tex 40–60 poly → for edges/foam, just to stop fraying.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

When I was removing these clips, (The Eldorado has a twin point clip) I found it very difficult to get them off, so I created a removing tool.

The first two pictures show the damage I caused from initially trying to remove the first clip, and this made me create the tool.

The tool I used was made up of a Battery Clamp Remover, and a Ford Hood adjustable bumper. (To fill the gap caused by the short pressing thread)  I chose the Ford part as the rubber bumper held the end nicely up against the screw of the pushing thread as without the mandrel being held in place, it needed three hands to align everything together as one applied the screw pressure.  Plus, I drilled a locating hole in the end of the hood bumper screw to assist in locating the pin head.

The last picture shows the final iteration of the mandrel with it being ground to a point to get up close to the attaching bracket of the fitting.

If I was doing it again, I would have made the mandrel out of a piece of rod, with a sleeve over the blunt end to slide over the thread of the pressing screw. 

Bruce.

[Barry M Wheeler #2189]

When you get through with the project, get in touch with Jeff Shively at the Self Starter. With your pictures and prose, this would make a great article on "how to do it."