That looks great, how as the installation? Any issues or suggestions? I bet with a good cleaning of the uppers that will be a great color match.
2024 Leather Options
- Thread starter jeetS
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Installation was pretty easy. I marked the wire clamp locations on the seat bottom with a paint marker and took a picture so re-assembly was a breeze. The new covers came with a layer of 1/4" foam sewn-in so between that and the foam steaming it came out fitting pretty tight. The passenger seat had extra 1/4" of foam added by previous owner on the bolsters which definitely required extra effort to get the new cover stretched on. I had my wife stand on the seat pan to compress the foam while I got the front plastic u strip snapped on along the front seat bottom. The extra foam on the PS seat definitely anchors you in the seat more. Gonna roll with it for a while but I may end up adding some foam to the driver seat bottom bolsters. I'll see how they are after a break in period.
My main advice is get a quality set of hog ring pliers. Having used a cheap hog plier in the past, the extra cost for angled, longer pliers is totally worth it. Oh and wear some leather gloves. That stamped seat pan will not hesitate to slice you up. You're looking at maybe 2 hours a seat between removal from the truck and actual cover install. I HATED doing the seats in my old mustang with cheap hog ring pliers and was not looking forward to doing these. But good tools make the difference and I actually enjoyed doing these covers.
Is that a 200 series armrest? Any modification required? Really wish we could get the cup holder variant haha
My seats are getting close - about to transition from patina to ratty. My thinking is the whole front row - driver and passenger, seats and backs, armrests and center console pad. That'll be around $1,300 in materials. But... I don't want to do this myself. That raises a few questions:
1. Anyone know if upholstery shops will install 3rd party covers - like LeatherSeats.com?
2. If so, any guesses on what I should expect to pay to have a "prefab" leather kit installed?
3. Thoughts on how a prefab kit would compare to having a good upholstery shop just make and install new leather?
1. Anyone know if upholstery shops will install 3rd party covers - like LeatherSeats.com?
2. If so, any guesses on what I should expect to pay to have a "prefab" leather kit installed?
3. Thoughts on how a prefab kit would compare to having a good upholstery shop just make and install new leather?
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I used Ed at hotrod upholstery and would definitely recommend him. His online store front is not an accurate representation of what he can do. I got front seat bottoms, arm rests, and center console cover. Just send him an email with what you are looking for. You will be surprised at what he can do and typically will throw in small extras at no cost. Super good guy.
This is what I did with Land Cruiser Heaven
>Install and review of Land Cruiser Heaven seat cover replacement - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/install-and-review-of-land-cruiser-heaven-seat-cover-replacement.1280599/page-2#post-15400038
If I could do it all again I would have just put some Escape Gear covers on and moved on. Now I'm all paranoid about ruining my nice leather and don't want my dog jumping around. I regret fixing the seats but it will just depend on your end use
Here's the budget friendly option I deployed on my new GX470 with cracking seats......Kind of makes you wonder why anyone would ever spend more to have a nice piece of leather under there ass
I even went with color matching
>Install and review of Land Cruiser Heaven seat cover replacement - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/install-and-review-of-land-cruiser-heaven-seat-cover-replacement.1280599/page-2#post-15400038
If I could do it all again I would have just put some Escape Gear covers on and moved on. Now I'm all paranoid about ruining my nice leather and don't want my dog jumping around. I regret fixing the seats but it will just depend on your end use
Here's the budget friendly option I deployed on my new GX470 with cracking seats......Kind of makes you wonder why anyone would ever spend more to have a nice piece of leather under there ass
I even went with color matching
You can do it!!! Buy some good hog ring pliers and get after it. A second set of hands will help at some points but it's doable.
Having just finished completing both seats, I would say the "2 hours" per seat estimate above is highly optimistic, especially if you've never done it before. Even on my 2nd seat I bet I was at least 4 hours in on just removing the old covers and getting new ones on, but I did make frequent pauses to get pics to document on my modifications thread. Even so, I wholly second MikeNXP's sentiment:
Couldn't agree more. I may need to get the rest of the bits to do the arms and back in a year or two. I'm waiting to hear back from him on if he could do fabric seat covers since he has all the patterns.
Got any pics of the end results?
Nice work - appreciate you documenting the process on your build thread. the 2 hour estimate was for the seat bottoms only, at least that's what it took me.
Let us know how the Lseats covers hold up over time!
Do any folks offer a fabric replacement options? I can't help but notice all of my 10+ year old leather seats have cracked but my 30 year old corolla with fabric seats are comfy and new feeling still.
For now, throwing a towel over the seat is my best fix lol
For now, throwing a towel over the seat is my best fix lol
Ah, yeah, the 2 hours makes a lot more sense then, but even so, I found the seat bottoms way more difficult than the top section, if only because of how the long plastic clip that wraps around the entire front edge goes on. For some reason I really struggled with getting that on in a way I was satisfied with.
As for the LSeat covers,
I just called and spoke with Ed at hot rod. Ed said he'd be able to do it but he wants to find a suitable fabric (color and quality wise) before he offers it. He's going to look into it and get back to me in the next week or two. I'll update once I have more information but it sounds promising. I explained there is a demand for the fabric covers and he sounded interested in stepping up, presuming he can find the right fabric.
I know next to nothing about fabrics and leathers so if anyone familiar with seat fabrics has good material suggestions, please let me know and I can pass it along.
I know next to nothing about fabrics and leathers so if anyone familiar with seat fabrics has good material suggestions, please let me know and I can pass it along.
I really don't know how it would hold up long-term, but I've got a couple of older pairs of Duluth fire hose pants... I've always thought that material (or something like the Carhart canvas) would make cool seat covers, but I'm sure it's still much lighter-duty material than is typical for automotive upholstery.
Those are certainly available!
Carhartt Precision Fit Custom Seat Covers
<p>The ultimate <a href="https://www.covercraft.com/c/carhartt-seat-covers">Carhartt® Seat Covers</a> that combine the rugged protection and style you expect from <a href="https://www.covercraft.com/c/carhartt">Carhartt®</a> with an ultra-comfortable foam-backing to make any drive better. When...
For me it was worth the time/effort to DIY recover the front seats with real leather. $700 for the covers, plus $125 for a DS lower cushion, and a few more dollars for extra foam and some spray glue. Then a couple of crummy weather days in the dining room during winter break to recover them. A local shop wanted $600 with me pulling the seats to install the aftermarket covers. I personally enjoyed the job so it was worth it to DIY it. My OEM covers lasted ~15 years before they got nasty and the LeatherSeats.com covers are nicer than OEM. I sit in the new covers all the time when I'm dirty from hiking, DIY home improvement projects, cycling, swimming, etc, and just clean them regularly.
Note that the one mistake I made was not adding some new foam to the side bolsters on the DS seat. The foam has compressed there and the replacement covers are a bit "loose". I'm guessing the foam compressed at a similar rate as the OEM leather shrank during the 16 years they were in the rig, and the new cover is non-shrunk. I may pull the cover back off and add some foam strips in this area as it does bug me a bit. A real shop probably would have noticed that and added some foam, but it wasn't apparent to me as a DIYer.
I'm not a seat cover kind of guy, but I have seen Carhartt seat covers on Ford trucks, and they look very stout. I don't think they are made for Toyotas/Lexus.
But, there's a generic:
But, there's a generic:
CoverCraft does have them as a custom-fit for the LX/LC 100's, right now about $500 for the front set.
I was surprised too when I saw they made them for such a low-volume vehicle the LX/LC. They must have patterns for everything and just churn out a new style with with automated cutting/sewing from giant rolls of fabric.
TBH, I'm not a fan of Carhartt stuff in general. It's hard, wears unevenly, has limited flexibility, and is expensive. I've been unhappy with every Carhartt work garment I've purchased and would not want Carhartt seat covers. Maybe I'd be interested if they had Ariat DuraStretch covers available. Or Prana Zion stretch fabric
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Where'd ya find a lower cushion for $120? That's a deal!Those are certainly available!
Carhartt Precision Fit Custom Seat Covers
<p>The ultimate <a href="https://www.covercraft.com/c/carhartt-seat-covers">Carhartt® Seat Covers</a> that combine the rugged protection and style you expect from <a href="https://www.covercraft.com/c/carhartt">Carhartt®</a> with an ultra-comfortable foam-backing to make any drive better. When...www.covercraft.com
For me it was worth the time/effort to DIY recover the front seats with real leather. $700 for the covers, plus $125 for a DS lower cushion, and a few more dollars for extra foam and some spray glue. Then a couple of crummy weather days in the dining room during winter break to recover them. A local shop wanted $600 with me pulling the seats to install the aftermarket covers. I personally enjoyed the job so it was worth it to DIY it. My OEM covers lasted ~15 years before they got nasty and the LeatherSeats.com covers are nicer than OEM. I sit in the new covers all the time when I'm dirty from hiking, DIY home improvement projects, cycling, swimming, etc, and just clean them regularly.
Note that the one mistake I made was not adding some new foam to the side bolsters on the DS seat. The foam has compressed there and the replacement covers are a bit "loose". I'm guessing the foam compressed at a similar rate as the OEM leather shrank during the 16 years they were in the rig, and the new cover is non-shrunk. I may pull the cover back off and add some foam strips in this area as it does bug me a bit. A real shop probably would have noticed that and added some foam, but it wasn't apparent to me as a DIYer.
Do you have any recommendation for grade/stiffness of foam to add to the bolsters?
