Seat Fabric removal????

[Ty Webb]

I have a 1996 Explorer with the low-end cloth seats. I really need some more lumbar support in them cus they are ruining my back on long trips. Question is...how do I take the fabric of the backrest part of the drivers seat? I would think it just slips right off the top...but I can't quite figure it out. Do I need to dissasemble the seat itself?

thanks

 

[MONMIX]

well it is not cake.
It is MUCH easier to remove the seat and unbolt the back rest from the rest of the seat.
You'll need a flashlight and two pair of LONG needle nose pliers.
The very bottom has a < and a > that hook together.
Pull those apart and start rolling the cove off, like a condom, for lack of better description.
Soon you'll get to a point where there are " Hog rings "
holding the cover to the seat. Usually in rows of three or four.
Go in there and separate the hog ring just enough to un hook it from the seat cover. Try to leave it attached to the seat it self.
keep rolling, pulling, what have you. There should be like about four rows of hog rings.
It really is a pain but it is doable.

 

[Deak]

Didn't ford do away with hog rings on later models?I thought from 97 or 98 and up its a plastic clip/spline and velcro jobbie. If anyone knows post it up.


TIA

Deak

 

[loboga]

Mines a 93 and dosn't have the hog rings. It has the plastic clamp. It is easier to remove the whole seat to do it, but it isn't all that easy to get the seat out. I've had mine out about three times, I found that I need to replace or add to the seat foam about every 75K miles to prevent the back pain thing. I also give the seat covers a good hand wash while they are off. So much dirt comes out of them, it will make you gag!

 

[Ty Webb]

I think the plastic clam is what i have....(long black plastic piec on the backside of the seat where it meets the bootom cushion??)

Anyways how do I undo that? I think once thats off...i should be able to slip the cover up and off.


Thanks for the responses

 

[MONMIX]

Well, yeah I could very well be wrong.
Every other seat I have done has had hog rings.
I just assumed Ford followed suit.
Sorry for misleading.

 

[Hartman]

Yeah mine has the white plastic clamps. Those aren't real easy to remove either.