North American Turbocoupe Organization



tired of faded seats?
AllAboutCars101 Offline
Senior Member
#1
Hey guys, I own a 88 Turbo Coupe, has the black/gray seats. like alot of TCs, the seats have faded to pretty much a blue. I have painted trim panels before, i did my whole interior in my 85 mustang about 4 years ago. I like the cheap DIY write ups but have never made one, so here is my thank you to everyone who ever has, with a write up of my own. so here it goes.

First i removed both front seats, there are (4)10mm bolts, one on each corner holding the seats to the rails. My power seats didnt work so removing them was a pain! After removing the seats, i used an air compressor and blower to blow the seats off very well to get rid of all dirt/dust possible, you can use a vacuum for the same results.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111937.jpg
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...937a-1.jpg
after you have ur seats clean and free of dirt, mask off the center section you do not want painted. I used fat masking tape, you can use whatever masking tape u have or from ur local hardware store, it sticks pretty well. then just tape paper over the area, i had some left over masking paper but newspaper does just as good.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111945.jpg
we will be using DupliColor Vinyl and Fabric paint, i chose the black paint to match my interior. I believe they sell flat and gloss, i have the flat.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...1946-1.jpg
Shake the can very well, note that the red square on the tip can be rotated to adjust the pattern for up and down swipes or side to side. I hold my can about 4inches away when spraying this, not to waste any overspray and the fabric soaks up the paint so no worry about runs Smile
I have taped off a small area on the side of a seat to show the difference, this was one coat at approx 4" away
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111948.jpg
WHAT A BIG DIFFERENCE!
this is one seat compared to the other with one coat at 4" away
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111950.jpg
after i got both seats covered with one coat, i went back to the first seat i did and put a second coat on, same 4" distance when spraying, and repeated on the other seat. after 2 coats my seats were fully covered, if i had any area i felt wernt, i sprayed a little more over the area.
and now here are the pictures after the final coats and untaped!
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111958.jpg
and this picture is to compare to the previous picture i posted.
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...111959.jpg

Now this was my first time ever doing seats, i have done trim like i stated earlier. I think they came out very nice, i used about 1 and a half cans. I cant comment on wait time until touching/sitting. I have a paint booth to bake mine in which only took 15mins.

After i installed the seats, they still have that fresh paint feel, but after rubbing a spot a few times, it felt the fabric loosened up better.

I will post in a week or so an update on how they are.

I hope you enjoyed this write up, i believe the results were amazing! And for the price of a couple cans of paint at ur local auto parts store, you cant beat it! the rear seats will be done next!

-JT
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1987 Turbo Coupe-sold to 85UglyBird
1988 Turbo Coupe-Daily Driver
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...1312-1.jpg
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TommyT Offline
Member
#2
Awesome write up. Anxiously awaiting the follow up.
New TC coming soon!!!!
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kunar Offline
Member
#3
they look amazing, but i can say from personal experience that it will eventually wear back off. i even went as far as removing the upholstery from the seats and washing them in a washing machine to make sure the "paint" had the best chance at sticking, but unfortunately it just doesn't stick like you would hope, and wore off over time. i wish you luck though, at least they will look good for a while! (btw, this was in my escort, my daily driver for the past 3 years)
1987 Turbo Coupe
1987 Ranger 4.0, 4x4
1991 Escort GT
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zbird Offline
Posting Freak
#4
Great write up!! Let us know how the feel of the seat fabric is after drying and a little rubbing.
Dom Z
88 T/C med grey. 140 MPH Speedo, Kirban FPR, Gillis valve,Tripminder, K&N.
87 T/C Silver, Auto (project Daily driver)
99 F150 4x4
14 Ford Escape 2.0L Turbo
IF YOU DRIVE A FORD YOU DON'T NEED A GOODWRENCH!!
88 T/C http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZihO_D1FLCE
87 Silver http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dVU5axnb...ature=plcp
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AllAboutCars101 Offline
Senior Member
#5
I have read on many other posts, that it can last about 2years and it starts to look faded again. But then you can spend 30min and $20 and do it again. i wouldnt mind doing it every 2 years, heck, even every year, to have some good looking seats!
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1987 Turbo Coupe-sold to 85UglyBird
1988 Turbo Coupe-Daily Driver
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...1312-1.jpg
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T-BirdX3 Offline
Senior Member
#6
Quote:Originally posted by kunar:
they look amazing, but i can say from personal experience that it will eventually wear back off
How long did yours last?

Allaboutcars great write up! The results looks great!
'88 T-Coupe 5 speed/'88 T-Coupe Auto
'87 T-Coupe 5 speed/'87 T-coupe 5 speed(76k orig mile)
..... and there was light!
http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee36...tled-2.jpg
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AllAboutCars101 Offline
Senior Member
#7
thanks guys, hope someone people on here can use the info Smile
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
1987 Turbo Coupe-sold to 85UglyBird
1988 Turbo Coupe-Daily Driver
http://i428.photobucket.com/albums/qq10/...1312-1.jpg
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kunar Offline
Member
#8
Quote:Originally posted by T-BirdX3:
Quote:Originally posted by kunar:
[b] they look amazing, but i can say from personal experience that it will eventually wear back off
How long did yours last?

Allaboutcars great write up! The results looks great! [/b]
I don't remember exactly. It's been 2-3 years since I did mine. They looked good for a while then slowly started losing color in the wear spots. If they don't get much wear they seem to hold up okay though. Worst case, spray them again when they need it.
1987 Turbo Coupe
1987 Ranger 4.0, 4x4
1991 Escort GT
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BJL Offline
Moderator
#9
i do mine every year or so. love the stuff. makes the interior look almost new!
Brian Larkin
88TC 330,000 miles
Slightly Modified
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RC Martin Offline
Posting Freak
#10
Brilliant. I'll be giving that a try one of these days
Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, Bright Canyon Red TuTone, Desert Tan Interior; 1 of 7 in this combo in 1984 according to Marti.  1 of 13,361 TCs in 84.
   Rebuilt, 3-Angle Valve Job, SYB37 "OE/Small" Slider Cam
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