1981 F150 "Old Blue" needs a new interior

[Gary Lewis]

Time for the new seat cover.

I've been using a saddle blanket type cover over the seat for years, so I haven't kept track of what was going on to the real seat.

You can see that things look pretty grim once the protective cover was removed. Though I was happy to see all the damage seems to be limited to the cover itself. The fact that it only slit in one direction probably saved the underlying pads. Also the fact that I weigh about 160 lbs doens't hurt.

So I bought a "vinyl bench seat kit - blue" and a "seat rebuilding kit" ($235 total) from LMC. Before starting (and actually before buying), I watched the video on their website about how to install it. The video describes a Chevy application, but it was essentially the same.

I took the back off the seat bottom, but the seat rails didn't seem like they would get in the way, so I left them attached.

Sorry I didn't take a photo of the seat pad before I put the topper on it. It was in good shape with no deterioration or cracking. I blew a ton of dust off it with the compressor before doing anything else. The rebuilding kit included a piece of 1-1/2" foam, some spare wire parts, and a chunk of light weight carpet. The carpet was designed to go on top of the springs if there was damage there, but I didn't use it. I stuck the topper on with duct tape so it wouldn't move around while I put the cover on it.Then I contoured the ends and corners to roughly match the original pad underneath. And I trimmed U-shaped holes in the back where the seat belts come up.

The seat pad cover came with holes for the metal seat-back stops at each end, so I started by stretching the back part of the cover over the two stops. Then it went over the rest of the pad pretty easy, just some pulling and grunting to get it started over the front corners.

Now the whole thing was flipped over on a piece of cardboard. The front lip of the cover had a plastic U-shaped piece that fits over the frame on the bottom of the seat (closer view in the next photo). However, with the added height of the topper, it was a very tight fit and I couldn't seem to get it started. So I put a 2x10 across the seat rails as shown above, and by kneeling on the board the seat cushion was compressed enough to wrestle the U-strip on the middle of the seat. One lifesaver was the yellow plastic tool shown just left of center on the board. This was part of the cheapie kit of panel tools I bought at Harbor Freight. The hook end allowed me to pull the U slightly open and roll it onto the seat frame. My finger strength wasn't quite enough.

There were U-strips on each end of the seat and they went on in a similar manner. However, at the corners, I discovered a design flaw. The original Ford cover had a segmented strip, so it bent around the corner, but this cover had a 6" long strip in one piece that would not make the curve. So I got out my handy vibrator saw tool and did a little shaping, cutting it part way through to make a series of 1-2" pieces, like the small ones shown here that were on the cover to go around the seat rail. I thought I took a photo of this, too, but I can't find it. Once the segments were small enough, the corners went on well.

At the back of the seat was a plastic rod sewn into the edge of the fabric. The video showed this being fastened to holes along the frame with hog rings. Guess what, the original Ford seat had U-shaped fasteners all the way around, so no hog-ring holes in the back edge. The spring holes were too far from the edge for the hog rings to span. So I ended up using the hog rings to fasten the back edge of the cover to the loops on the springs where they poked through the frame. Not ideal, but it looks like it works OK.

Before I flipped the bottom back over I lubed the seat tracks so they slid nicely.

Next was the cover for the seat back. This was a great improvement on the original, which left the back of the seat exposed. The new one is a pocket that slips over the seat, giving a finished back as well (shown in one of the finished photos below). The two edges get hog-ringed together at the bottom. The only catch was that the point they joined ended up directly under the heavy bar that connects the seat back release. This meant that the cover needed to be pulled past the bar to give clearance for hog-ringing. I solved this by putting my 2x10 on a couple of 2x4 blocks so it sat up off the floor a couple inches. Then I laid the seat back on this with the bottom edge hanging off the edge of the board a bit (the pad next to your back was up). By kneeling on the pad, I could compress the back just enough to get some slack to hog ring everything in place. Work from the center out to the edges. The edge doesn't look very fancy when it is finished, but it is hidden from view when in service.

NOTE on hog rings. The kit came with the world's cheapest hog ring pliers and hog rings. By the time I had put in about 30 or 40 of these suckers the palm of my hand was complaining. Next time, I'll buy a better set (Harbor Freight sells a nice looking pair with padded handles for $9).

Now the back is reinstalled and we're done!

Looks like new! I'm impressed with the looks of this fix - should have done it 20 years ago.

You can see the hog rings along the bottom of the back and bottom of the seat from behind, but since I have a standard cab, no one will ever see them. If I had a crew cab I would have needed to be a little more artful.

Here is installed. (I'll try to remember to get a photo of the interior with better lighting when I'm done with the project.) I had already cut holes in the floor mat where the seat bolts needed to go, but after putting the bolts in the front sections of the seat rails, I found the back holes were off about half the width of the hole. I shoved and pushed and huffed and puffed and finally forced the back holes into position so I could tighten everything down. It really puzzled me how I could have tweaked the frame along the way. Then I ran the seat forward and backward a couple times and there was a big POP and I realized that when I had lubed the seat rails they must have been off one notch between the two ends. This would make the seat crab down the road relative to the rails. NOTE - if you go through this process, be sure the rails are in the same point on both ends of the seat and you shouldn't have the misalignment problem I had.

So the seat is now complete.

Remaining items: seat belts (actually put in before the seat was installed), hood release, and a couple fasteners in the grill. I'll leave those for another post.

Beautifully done! You are really on a roll with that truck!

[JohnnyD]

Beautifully done! You are really on a roll with that truck!

Back again to wrap up a few final items. SEATBELTS for this one.

I actually replaced the seatbelts before reinstalling the seat (earlier post).

Here's what I was working with, frayed belts and retractors that no longer worked.

The retractor sides (outer belts) went flawlessly, with no problems. Only regret is that I didn't order a new plastic belt protector for the bottom segment - the old one was too brittle to reuse.

When I "finished" the job, here's what I was left with. The inner end of the belt was a bit short. It barely stuck out from under the seat. And this is with the seat all the way back (I have 38" inseams).

But if, heaven forbid, I tip the seat forward to look for my broom after emptying out a load of junk, the belts pulled back under the bar. My wife has arthritis in her fingers and I didn't think she'd enjoy digging in the seat crack to find half the belt.

Fortunately, I hadn't discarded the old belts yet, so I unearthed them and cleaned the inner ends. Notice that they are about 4" longer than the new set.

So the old inner ends (buckles) went back in. You can see that it is a much better fit.

Fortunately, this was a pretty simple fix and I didn't have to pull out a bunch of later-installed items.

[JohnnyD]

Back again to wrap up a few final items. SEATBELTS for this one.

I actually replaced the seatbelts before reinstalling the seat (earlier post).

Here's what I was working with, frayed belts and retractors that no longer worked.

The retractor sides (outer belts) went flawlessly, with no problems. Only regret is that I didn't order a new plastic belt protector for the bottom segment - the old one was too brittle to reuse.

When I "finished" the job, here's what I was left with. The inner end of the belt was a bit short. It barely stuck out from under the seat. And this is with the seat all the way back (I have 38" inseams).

But if, heaven forbid, I tip the seat forward to look for my broom after emptying out a load of junk, the belts pulled back under the bar. My wife has arthritis in her fingers and I didn't think she'd enjoy digging in the seat crack to find half the belt.

Fortunately, I hadn't discarded the old belts yet, so I unearthed them and cleaned the inner ends. Notice that they are about 4" longer than the new set.

So the old inner ends (buckles) went back in. You can see that it is a much better fit.

Fortunately, this was a pretty simple fix and I didn't have to pull out a bunch of later-installed items.

Next HOOD RELEASE CABLE

Several years ago the right side of the hood release mount died. You can peek at the white zip-tie on the right.

Pretty fancy fix from the bottom view, huh? Just goes to show that a temporary fix lasts much longer than originally anticipated. I don't know if I'd have bothered to fix this if I didn't already have a large order from LMC being assembled.

Here's the new one. This was a nice project near the end of all the interior work, because it went nearly flawlessly. The old cable unhooked from the latch merely by flipping a loop of cable off. Although several of the holding clips were hanging from the cable instead of holding it in place, all were present and accounted for. I dreaded trying to get the grommet loose that went through the firewall, but it slipped out with a little poke of a screwdriver. And the new one pulled through with just finger pressure. The whole thing was the right length, and I was a happy camper. The slowest part was digging through my bold box to find a second lag bolt to hold the new mount in place. I didn't even drop any fasteners in inaccessible places! Wish all part replacements were this easy.

[Gary Lewis]

Next HOOD RELEASE CABLE

Several years ago the right side of the hood release mount died. You can peek at the white zip-tie on the right.

Pretty fancy fix from the bottom view, huh? Just goes to show that a temporary fix lasts much longer than originally anticipated. I don't know if I'd have bothered to fix this if I didn't already have a large order from LMC being assembled.

Here's the new one. This was a nice project near the end of all the interior work, because it went nearly flawlessly. The old cable unhooked from the latch merely by flipping a loop of cable off. Although several of the holding clips were hanging from the cable instead of holding it in place, all were present and accounted for. I dreaded trying to get the grommet loose that went through the firewall, but it slipped out with a little poke of a screwdriver. And the new one pulled through with just finger pressure. The whole thing was the right length, and I was a happy camper. The slowest part was digging through my bold box to find a second lag bolt to hold the new mount in place. I didn't even drop any fasteners in inaccessible places! Wish all part replacements were this easy.

Well done! But what brand were the seat belts? I want to steer clear of them.

On the other hand, the hood release was perfect.

Isn't it amazing how much better the truck is starting to feel? What's next? You're gonna mow it down.

[JohnnyD]

Well done! But what brand were the seat belts? I want to steer clear of them.

Belts were LMC 48-2352-BL, $200 for a set. Of all the stuff I bought from them, this is the only item that I was disappointed with. The other thing about these was that the L-shaped mounting tab for the floor on the outside mounts was bent the wrong way. In my truck, the bolt hole is against the door pillar, so the tab where the belt mounts is toward the center of the truck. When they were mounted this way, there is a half-twist in the belt. It is not noticeable in use, but it doesn't match the original in that manner.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Well done! But what brand were the seat belts? I want to steer clear of them.

Belts were LMC 48-2352-BL, $200 for a set. Of all the stuff I bought from them, this is the only item that I was disappointed with. The other thing about these was that the L-shaped mounting tab for the floor on the outside mounts was bent the wrong way. In my truck, the bolt hole is against the door pillar, so the tab where the belt mounts is toward the center of the truck. When they were mounted this way, there is a half-twist in the belt. It is not noticeable in use, but it doesn't match the original in that manner.

That is certainly disappointing. Thanks for telling us.

[JohnnyD]

Well done! But what brand were the seat belts? I want to steer clear of them.

Belts were LMC 48-2352-BL, $200 for a set. Of all the stuff I bought from them, this is the only item that I was disappointed with. The other thing about these was that the L-shaped mounting tab for the floor on the outside mounts was bent the wrong way. In my truck, the bolt hole is against the door pillar, so the tab where the belt mounts is toward the center of the truck. When they were mounted this way, there is a half-twist in the belt. It is not noticeable in use, but it doesn't match the original in that manner.

GLOVE BOX

This is what a glove box looks like after the duct tape patches wear out...

Here's quiz. Quick, without thinking a lot, can you tell which one is the new one?

Ta Dah! This is another one of those items like the dash cover that should have been done 15 years ago. And a bargain to boot - $15! Considering time and labor, it is probably cheaper to put a new one in than duct tape the old one again. All the holes were in the proper place and with a little larger diameter than necessary so the screws were easy to get started. I'm not sure if the box had a slightly wider front lip or what, but I did have to adjust the latch a little so the door closes smoothly. But the total time on this one from start to finish couldn't have been more than 20-30 min. Most of it was just the pain in the neck of working with a stubby screwdriver in a place that isn't conducive to trifocals.

I highly recommend this upgrade.

There was a second box in the LMC catalog that was aluminum, but listed only for A/C equipped vehicles. I assume it is a bit different shape to accommodate a blower or something. This one was just folded heavy duty cardboard held together with staples. If you have access to a sheet metal brake, you could make one of steel or aluminum and pop rivets and it would outlast your truck.

[Gary Lewis]

GLOVE BOX

This is what a glove box looks like after the duct tape patches wear out...

Here's quiz. Quick, without thinking a lot, can you tell which one is the new one?

Ta Dah! This is another one of those items like the dash cover that should have been done 15 years ago. And a bargain to boot - $15! Considering time and labor, it is probably cheaper to put a new one in than duct tape the old one again. All the holes were in the proper place and with a little larger diameter than necessary so the screws were easy to get started. I'm not sure if the box had a slightly wider front lip or what, but I did have to adjust the latch a little so the door closes smoothly. But the total time on this one from start to finish couldn't have been more than 20-30 min. Most of it was just the pain in the neck of working with a stubby screwdriver in a place that isn't conducive to trifocals.

I highly recommend this upgrade.

There was a second box in the LMC catalog that was aluminum, but listed only for A/C equipped vehicles. I assume it is a bit different shape to accommodate a blower or something. This one was just folded heavy duty cardboard held together with staples. If you have access to a sheet metal brake, you could make one of steel or aluminum and pop rivets and it would outlast your truck.

Ford went to plastic in '85 if I remember correctly, so you could probably get one from a salvage. I have. But, there are heater-only ones, Hi-Lo Vent/Air Conditioning ones, and High Output ones. I think.

Anyway, well done!

Trifocals? Must be time for cataract surgery. I sure like the results from mine.

[JohnnyD]

GLOVE BOX

This is what a glove box looks like after the duct tape patches wear out...

Here's quiz. Quick, without thinking a lot, can you tell which one is the new one?

Ta Dah! This is another one of those items like the dash cover that should have been done 15 years ago. And a bargain to boot - $15! Considering time and labor, it is probably cheaper to put a new one in than duct tape the old one again. All the holes were in the proper place and with a little larger diameter than necessary so the screws were easy to get started. I'm not sure if the box had a slightly wider front lip or what, but I did have to adjust the latch a little so the door closes smoothly. But the total time on this one from start to finish couldn't have been more than 20-30 min. Most of it was just the pain in the neck of working with a stubby screwdriver in a place that isn't conducive to trifocals.

I highly recommend this upgrade.

There was a second box in the LMC catalog that was aluminum, but listed only for A/C equipped vehicles. I assume it is a bit different shape to accommodate a blower or something. This one was just folded heavy duty cardboard held together with staples. If you have access to a sheet metal brake, you could make one of steel or aluminum and pop rivets and it would outlast your truck.

And a little GRILL repair:

Here's what I was working with. The plastic pieces on the top trim into which the grill screws at the red arrows have been missing for years. Every once in awhile I push the tabs back under the trim, but they pop out again. This was all I had noticed, so I just ordered new plastic mounts with my big order. After I got down to it, I realized that the mounting tabs at the upper left and lower right corners had broken off, as had the one in the middle of the top (green arrows). Further spelunking revealed that the screw mount inside the grill itself (blue arrow) was cracked, but looked like a longer screw and appropriate flat washers would solve the problem (which they did). By the time I got the grill out of the truck I wish I had ordered a new one, but remember, this is a "better is the enemy of good enough" project, so I decided to do the best with what I have, and if it doesn't work, I'll order a new grill.

When I pulled the grill I could see the broken mounts better (green arrows; the bottom of the photo is the top of the grill). Also I found that the grill was cracked through along one of the edges (orange arrow) and had bounced around long enough that super glue wasn't going to do the job.

Isn't it amazing what a rattle can of paint can do to a tired plastic part?! When I was done I found that I had just enough mounting places left that the grill doesn't bounce around. Also with the top two screws in place, the top piece of trim doesn't droop any more.

I think this looks pretty snazzy, considering the context. You'll notice that when I had the truck painted I had the guy putty up all the emblem holes, so no F-O-R-D along the edge of the hood. Actually, you can see that little dent just above the left edge of the grill - that's where the "F" went, and broke the tab on it that kept it from twisting, so it hadn't been straight for years.

[FoxFord33]

GLOVE BOX

This is what a glove box looks like after the duct tape patches wear out...

Here's quiz. Quick, without thinking a lot, can you tell which one is the new one?

Ta Dah! This is another one of those items like the dash cover that should have been done 15 years ago. And a bargain to boot - $15! Considering time and labor, it is probably cheaper to put a new one in than duct tape the old one again. All the holes were in the proper place and with a little larger diameter than necessary so the screws were easy to get started. I'm not sure if the box had a slightly wider front lip or what, but I did have to adjust the latch a little so the door closes smoothly. But the total time on this one from start to finish couldn't have been more than 20-30 min. Most of it was just the pain in the neck of working with a stubby screwdriver in a place that isn't conducive to trifocals.

I highly recommend this upgrade.

There was a second box in the LMC catalog that was aluminum, but listed only for A/C equipped vehicles. I assume it is a bit different shape to accommodate a blower or something. This one was just folded heavy duty cardboard held together with staples. If you have access to a sheet metal brake, you could make one of steel or aluminum and pop rivets and it would outlast your truck.

What a good read! Love the pictures.