KATZKIN Leather Seat Group Buy

dang ryan that looks really good.

 

subd

 

Looks good. A lot of people thought I over paid to have mine professionally installed. They were installed with arm rests and center console in less than 3 hours. That was money well spent after following your install. Nice work

 

I felt pretty much the same way when I finished mine It was definitely satisfying to do the install myself, and I'm very glad I did it just for the learning experience.......but next time I will definitely have a pro shop do the install.

 

I'm with this guy..

 

Thanks Ryan,
Awesome color combo!! I know you picked up 4 Heated seat kits as well for front/rear. Can you please let us know how those worked out for you and where you placed the switches for 4. Thanks for hanging in there on embroideries and shipping, then toughn out the install. Looks like its all paid off as soon as those wounds heal John

 

I know I'm in the minority but I ENJOYED the install.... I've done hundreds before & this one was for me!
On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd rate it an 8.
But I've got experience behind me... for someone that's never done it I can see it being a 10....
PICS!!!

 

Any chance another group buy could be in the works? Those seats look good

 

I think the GB is still going, but check in with John (jhuey8947) and he will help you out. He is very good at helping you find what you need.

 

Thanks again John. You're a great guy.

I havn't wired up the heaters yet. Not in any hurry, as it's +27C here these days. But I'm thinking of putting the switches for the rear heaters on the back face of the center consoles (as well as wiring up a 120V and a 12V outlets), and putting the front seat heater controls on the dashboard just above the lighter/12V sockets, but below the A/C controls. I think they will look decently stock in those locations.

 

I got my kit today! Took about 3 hours to do all 5 headrests and the back seats. I want to look into embroidery before I start the fronts. The front headrests are bit of a pain in the arse, tight squeeze to get all that foam thru the narrow base.

For the door arm rests I've seen people using 3M high strength 90, anybody had an issue with it?

 

I used 3M super77, I don't recommend it (fabric lifted). I couldn't find the 90 anywhere.
I am gonna take the arm rests off and re do them as I purchased real leather from redlinegoods along with shifter boot and console cover.
Let us know how the 90 works.

 

I thought about it after I placed my redline order but I should have asked them to do a swatch in two tone with the grey and charcoal and contrast stitch for the armrests. Then glue it in with the stitch down the tightest part of the armrest curve. That would have looked sharp. Ah well, I can try that down the road if I order up something for another vehicle.

 

I have found that the High Temp Spray Adhesives work best. For you guys in Canada you may be able to get away with the 3M 90 but in Arizona the armrests will make better floormats if that is used. The best results I've seen is by covering over the factory cloth and applying liberal amounts to both the cloth and the back of the vinyl/leather. If you guys dont mind using the following Redline link, I see a very small % of the sales. thanks a bunch.
John Huey
Affordable Leather
http://www.redlinegoods.com/cgi-bin/uam/x.cgi?a=r&id=1&aid=711

 

Another option is go to a local upholstery shop and buy some of thier liquid spray. You could paint it on and can probably pick it up fairly cheep and KNOW it works.

Either way, paint BOTH surfaces and let it dry to the point of being tacky to touch. Then apply the fabric and let it set. You should and can even glue the backside over the corners.


Additional installation tips;
(father has done automotive interrior for show cars for over 35yrs., have'nt done much myself for 10yrs but grew up helping in the home shop).

If you have sizing issues with the foam seats either trip the foam a little or use steam to help "swell" the foam so you get a tight look. Steam under the cloth and not over it (you can in some cases but under is better).

When you hog ring the back of the seat and back rest, only do it to the point of being snug so that the two marry up and look clean.

Any other upholstery tips or Q's please let me know. If I dont know, the answer is just a phone call away. This is def a future mod for me.

 

hey man what gives? No shifters for 1st gens on there? I didn't see any of the seats for 1st gens either, did I miss something?

 

You won't find the seats on the redline site, they just do shift boots, e-brake boots and console covers and stuff like that. The seats come from a different company (Katzkin) via John, PM him for more info. If you check out the redline site though you can help them prototype a product they don't have and get it for free.

I haven't received my redline stuff yet, I think our postal strike is holding it up, but the seat covers are really nice. Well worth it IMO and John is great to deal with, quick to reply to PMs and the time from order confirmation to arrival was really quick. When I get the embroidery done on the fronts and install them and then receive and install the redline console cover I'll post up some pics and a more detailed review of both products.

 

Hey Guys,
I've been in contact with Redline to acquire Wholesale pricing from them. Only catch is I have to buy huge amounts to obtain this pricing... Although I've shipped 30 kits or so in the last few months not 2 of them have matched so it makes it hard to create such an order. Any interest in this product shoot me a PM or talk it up on this thread and I'll see what I can do. This product comes from Poland so shipping is timely. I do have Redlines swatches available so I am able to color match up against the Katzkins so there are no surprises. Thanks again for all your interest, John

 

This is because material lots (fabric roll) typically change from one lot to another (especially true with "real" leather). Even when you have a vehicle that requires several yards, taking from two dif rolls, the upholstery shop has to be very careful about matching the shades.

 

Are these helpful in making the seats more comfortable? I am down in Tucson once every couple of weeks and may be interested in some 2-tone mesh just for the front seats in the charcoal and grey. I'm willing to wait for clearance stuff as needed.

Who would I contact to take a look when I'm back down in Tucson?