statikuz
Active Member
I know there's a number of these threads already but more information/pictures is always better!
Anyway, I got a Hydroturf seat cover for my RX and got around to installing it now that the weather is warming up a bit.
I didn't take any "during" photos but they probably wouldn't be very useful anyway. Any questions just ask!
I used the HF 68029 stapler with the Arrow T50 3/8 stainless staples like a lot of people recommended. You can get the staples at Home Depot for about $11. Incidentally, the box no longer says "not for marine applications." I set my little air compressor to about 80 psi and that worked fine. The stapler isn't the best (that's what you get for $20) - it would occasionally bend staples, and occasionally not shoot them at all, it just wouldn't fully cycle sometimes.
I pulled the old staples first - the cover is glued/bonded to the foam, which is not glued to the seat frame/pan (at least on my model). I left a few staples in just to keep the old cover in place. The old one was in fine shape so I didn't need to try to separate it from the foam, which seemed like a huge pain. The HT instructions tell you to put it on over the old cover anyway, probably just to save you that time/frustration. If your old cover was cracked/ripped, or the foam was damaged, you'd need to peel it off, because you'll see everything through the new cover if you get it stretched on there correctly.
I started in the front, there was a seam there to sort of line up with the nose of the seat. Tacked it in there and then stretched the cover out lengthwise and tacked the back, then stretched it crosswise and tacked it in the centers of the sides. It seemed at first like I wouldn't get the material in the center of the seat to sit all the way down to the surface of the seat itself but it turned out fine. In the back, just before the grey part, the new cover has maybe 1/4" of slop, and maybe 1/8" in the very front - these two spots are where the slope/concave-ness is the greatest. Worked towards the back, stretching as I went, and then back towards the front. The curves at the front were really the only hard part. I definitely needed some help stretching/stapling - you really don't have enough hands to do it yourself and get it real tight.
I also used the heat gun from HF - the $10 one - it worked great to warm up and stretch the material. I would say its a necessity unless you're doing this outside in the sun or something and can keep the cover pretty warm. Anyway, I can't think of any real hot tips - just take your time and get some help.
Here's how it turned out:
In the second picture you can see the indentation in the seat where the old strap was. I might get another strap made up to put on there but I haven't decided yet. Also, you can sort of see a line along the grey/red borders - Hydroturf glues a strip of rubber-ish material on the underside of the cover - presumably to seal these seams, but you can see the outline of it when you get the cover on tight. (another view, and another) This might not be a problem if you're putting the new cover over foam (rather than an old cover).
Anyway, I got a Hydroturf seat cover for my RX and got around to installing it now that the weather is warming up a bit.
I didn't take any "during" photos but they probably wouldn't be very useful anyway. Any questions just ask!
I used the HF 68029 stapler with the Arrow T50 3/8 stainless staples like a lot of people recommended. You can get the staples at Home Depot for about $11. Incidentally, the box no longer says "not for marine applications." I set my little air compressor to about 80 psi and that worked fine. The stapler isn't the best (that's what you get for $20) - it would occasionally bend staples, and occasionally not shoot them at all, it just wouldn't fully cycle sometimes.
I pulled the old staples first - the cover is glued/bonded to the foam, which is not glued to the seat frame/pan (at least on my model). I left a few staples in just to keep the old cover in place. The old one was in fine shape so I didn't need to try to separate it from the foam, which seemed like a huge pain. The HT instructions tell you to put it on over the old cover anyway, probably just to save you that time/frustration. If your old cover was cracked/ripped, or the foam was damaged, you'd need to peel it off, because you'll see everything through the new cover if you get it stretched on there correctly.
I started in the front, there was a seam there to sort of line up with the nose of the seat. Tacked it in there and then stretched the cover out lengthwise and tacked the back, then stretched it crosswise and tacked it in the centers of the sides. It seemed at first like I wouldn't get the material in the center of the seat to sit all the way down to the surface of the seat itself but it turned out fine. In the back, just before the grey part, the new cover has maybe 1/4" of slop, and maybe 1/8" in the very front - these two spots are where the slope/concave-ness is the greatest. Worked towards the back, stretching as I went, and then back towards the front. The curves at the front were really the only hard part. I definitely needed some help stretching/stapling - you really don't have enough hands to do it yourself and get it real tight.
I also used the heat gun from HF - the $10 one - it worked great to warm up and stretch the material. I would say its a necessity unless you're doing this outside in the sun or something and can keep the cover pretty warm. Anyway, I can't think of any real hot tips - just take your time and get some help.
Here's how it turned out:
In the second picture you can see the indentation in the seat where the old strap was. I might get another strap made up to put on there but I haven't decided yet. Also, you can sort of see a line along the grey/red borders - Hydroturf glues a strip of rubber-ish material on the underside of the cover - presumably to seal these seams, but you can see the outline of it when you get the cover on tight. (another view, and another) This might not be a problem if you're putting the new cover over foam (rather than an old cover).
