There are certain tasks involved with auto restoration that tend to intimidate even experienced enthusiasts—things that are often felt to be best left to the professionals. But while some projects do require the expertise of a specialist, upholstery work doesn’t necessarily have to fall into that category. Today, we’re fortunate that brand-new reproductions of the factory seat covers used in many popular classic cars are readily available, enabling restorers to skip the step of having replacement covers custom made, which would certainly require an expert upholsterer. However, installing a new seat cover on a bucket seat doesn’t always require nearly as much specialized skill.
In the case of the 1972 Corvette coupe that we recently overhauled here at Hemmings in preparation for the 2025 running of The Great Race, the seats were in decent condition. The main issue was that the covers had split along the seams in the seat bottom, but the foam cores beneath did not appear to have been damaged, as can sometimes happen when torn seats remain in service for years. We ordered a seat cover kit from Corvette Central, which closely replicated the Dark Saddle Comfortweave upholstery found in our ’72, and after surveying what would be required to get them installed, we decided to attempt the job ourselves.
The work was performed by Hemmings Shop Manager, David “Junior” Nevison, who has tackled similar projects previously, but who is also quick to point out that he is not an upholstery expert. As you’ll see in the accompanying photos and captions, Junior was able to successfully install the new covers and did so within a single workday with little more than basic hand tools and a pair of hog-ring pliers. One issue we did encounter was that our seats used a set of somewhat specialized fastening hooks, which were not reusable and which we had not ordered. Junior was able to improvise, but we’d recommend ordering the seat installation kit, which Corvette Central offers; the kit includes the hooks and even a special tool to make installing them easier.
Check out the overview outlined in the captions to see what is involved in a project like this. After going through the process, we feel confident that anyone familiar with basic tools, who can exercise a bit of patience and finesse, can achieve similar results.


























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