Mk3 supra seat question

[MkIII FTW]

Hey guys, I've been through the ringer with my supra, but with time things have finally come together. With that being said, I'm now at the point where I am ready to get my seats re-covered. My question isn't what I would think is typical, but how many yards of material would it take to re-cover the front and rear seats? Through a little research I've gathered that I would need 3.5 to 4 yards per seat for the front . I am not sure about the rear seat however. I'm trying to get an idea of the total yardage required. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Unless you're an upholstery expert I'd let a pro handle the actual covers. Leatherseats.com and such do great kits. I can't imagine a homemade skin looking decent enough to justify the labor required to do one from scratch. I'm a huge DIY guy, but I draw the line at some point. Engine rebuild? Sure. Paint prep? sure. Reupholstering? No.

 

[MkIII FTW]

I'm not covering it myself. There is a specific material that I am wanting my upholster to use. So I am just trying to get an idea of how many yards you guys think it would take.

 

[bandit1730]

I think that's a question you should personally ask your upholster and then post the answer here.
I completely agree with suprarx7nut's comment

Unless you're an upholstery expert I'd let a pro handle the actual covers

(and that goes for measurements and material selection as well. Just discuss it with your upholster pinpointing exactly what you want/expect. If you don't trust or are skeptical about your upholster recommendations and abilities, I suggest you find someone else. Ask fellow forum members for workmanship recommendations. I'm pretty sure that more than one has re-done theirs beloved seats).

 

[super51fan]

I was talking about leather seats the other day with a interior guy the other day. For leather he said you need two hides to do front and rear seats, door inserts, parking brake cover and center console lid

 

[MkIII FTW]

It's not about a lack of trust with the upholster at all. I just like knowing what goes into my vehicle is all. I'm not questioning if a professional should do it or not. This is simply for documentation purposes. With that being said, I did find some interesting information just visiting the upholstry forums. For bucket seats you can expect 4 yards of material per seat. For rear bench style seating typically 5 years is needed. So for an interior re-upholstry a safe number to go with is between seems to be 14 and 15 yard of total material.

 

[bandit1730]

Sometime down the road, I will be re-doing my seats as well (once all mechanical/tech updates are done) and I have been researching about it. If you've seen Westcoast Customs and/or Overhauling shows, sometimes they will buy the kit from a company called "Roadwire". They custom make your seats for a fixed price ($1,119.00 two tone for the MK3) and you will have to use your upholster to install it. They also sell the raw material.
http://roadwire.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.321136/.f

Another place for raw material would be Keystone.
http://www.keystonbros.com/subcategory-listing-page?cat_id=243704&grand_id=9292

Both of these will send you a sample upon request. What do you have in mind as far as design goes?

 

[T3rril79]

I believe this is a valid question. It's not so much diy as it is about finding competitive material pricing and following your dollar. I know that in terms of leather it will take 1 hide to cover 1 seat. Depending on the animal the hide came from a hide can be 50-60 sq.ft (http://www.keleenleathers.com/pages/hide_diagram/50.php). In terms of yards, this is approximately 3 yards of 54" fabric (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/infoandservices/leatherguide/leatherguide.aspx). Off of this data, 9 yards is the minimum I would say. I believe a safe amount would be 12 - 15 yards or 54" (54" is a pretty standard length in the fabric world).

 

[MkIII FTW]

Well the car is beige leather originally. So I want to go with the same light "camel colored beige. The material will have a Carrara patern. In the center of the seats I have opted to go with slightly darker suede. The suede complements the anthracite metallic I just had my car painted in. And will add a little depth. I'm not going to add so much suede where the car looks gaugty however. I will post picks of material choices.

 

[Grandavi]

I believe I could recover front and back seats with approximately 5-7 yards depending on the material and if it has a nap (direction of fiber). The last seats I recovered were in a 69 Mustang (looking time ago) and I did it with 7 yards (full back, short buckets) if I recall correctly. My 80 Celica only took 5 yards, in Draylon.
9 yards did the complete interior (headliner as well).

All this on a very old brain... Lol.
The mustang killed my sewing machine. It's never stitched properly since then which is why it was my last one.