Installing brand new TMI Vinyl (yes vinyl) upholstery in my 98

Been at this for a good week now, life keeps interfering grumble... anyway going from 14 year old stock grey cloth to brand new TMI black vinyl. I got the vinyl because I don't want to have to worry about the leather drying out/cracking and because both cloth and leather are absorbent. Vinyl is not and it was the cheapest one to boot. I have to say that this is not some cheap wal mart vinyl material, this is thick, well constructed material that fits like a glove. Almost too tight to get on actually... I've already done TMI carpet in the car and converted completely from a grey interior to black so this is the final finishing touch. The car itself has 114k original miles, no rust, new suspension and the paint is in great shape as its been garage kept almost its entire life.

What I'm coming from:





So far I've got the passenger seat totally done, the back bottom done, making replacement black nylon pulls right now so I can finish the back fold downs and all that is really left is the driver's seat. Some of the install is a bitch and a half I will say... the headrest is completely evil to try to get over the stock foam even with a plastic liner but it does go somehow.

Progress pics:











Btw, sitting on that passenger's seat with the new foam is like heaven, I cannot WAIT to drive around in that comfortable of a seat, it REALLY puts the stock seats/foams to shame although I guess 14 years of people sitting on a seat will do that.

It did take a good 3 weeks for the upholstery to come in as it is made to order but completely worth it.

I keep trying to tell folks TMI vinyl is top notch and you really can't tell it's leather. FYI for you TMI leather is a lot softer than OE Leather. seat looks great though.

Oh it is very soft, I've told a few people that the TMI vinyl is actually much nicer than the OE leather and they don't believe me. Maybe when I actually am done and can start letting people see for themselves...

I cant wait to do mine!

Welp, done except for the rear seatbacks which I will do tomorrow or the next day... going to have to do some sewing tonight with the nylon straps... ugh... One thing I was not expecting... my head almost hits the roof of the car with me sitting in the new seats because the new foam is so substantial and firm. I'm 5'11 so I'm not short but not tall either. Taking the seatback one notch lower than I'm used to and pulling the seat like an inch forward solved it and I actually feel like I've got a better view out of the car this way but it'll take some getting used to. Also the foam is going to settle a bit I'm sure.

Only the driver's seat is in right now, going to leave the pass seat out until I put the back seat in for ease of install. I also have a boogered up seat bolt hole in the unibody that I need to get around to drilling and tapping out to the next size... Will post pics tomorrow of the driver's seat all Meguiar'd up. One piece of advice I do have for people doing this install... do not use a screwdriver to help with the J-clips. I ALMOST had a disaster when I slipped today. Poked a very small hole in the vinyl but luckily it is in a spot on the seatback that is completely covered by the seat bottom plus I got some super glue in there and you'd never notice it unless you were told about it and were 6 inches away even if you could see it.

Another thing... the TMI instructions are not the greatest in the world. There are a few things you have to figure out yourself like cutting the foam out in certain spots and also the wrestling with the headrest covers omfg... omf yoga balls g... They WILL tear ever so slightly along one or two seams in the corners but those places are covered up by the stock pressboard cover so you never see it after you re-install it... what else... basically this job is a complete bastard. I've been doing it all day and I feel like my body is about to fall apart wrestling with this damn upholstery. And I'm in the military and I always pass my PT tests so I'm not THAT out of shape lol.

SO jealous!!!!

Well for the price you'd pay for used black leather seats in good shape you can do it too. CJ Pony and LRS both have these with free shipping. Under $400 for ALL the covers, another $240 for the foam and $25 for the good hog ring pliers and rings from CJ Pony parts which are required anyway since the upholstery doesn't come with any. So $650ish for brand new seats is not bad really. You'd pay probably $400-$500 for used seats in good shape and the driver's seat would almost 100% have the messed up left bolster they all get after even a little while. Plus you are buying seats that someone else has been farting in for years but I guess that is the situation with any used car... If money isn't such an issue you can get custom inserts/logos/whatever on the seats too. I think the custom ones are $550ish for the vinyl...

I really see no point in getting the leather when this vinyl is so nice and half the price. Just don't let bare skin touch it after it has sat in the sun for even 5 minutes lol.

OMG lol farting in!!! LMAO good one... but yes i do agree 100%. I wanted to get the red and black 03 cobra seats but 2k is alot of money. Was it hard do this?

looks awesome! I need to do mine, or find some nice aftermarket seats. Havent decided yet

I read vinyl and I start thinking back to childhood and no AC and sticking to the seats in my parents 70's Chrysler Wagon... oh I am getting flashbacks.

Looks really good though!

The vinyl quality to that is probably similar to what I put in the yachts at work. Super nice, and hard to tell it's not leather, though typically stronger and more resistant to weather than the leather counterpart.

miss2slocoupe said:

OMG lol farting in!!! LMAO good one... but yes i do agree 100%. I wanted to get the red and black 03 cobra seats but 2k is alot of money. Was it hard do this?

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It is a complete and total pain in the dick. Lots of swearing involved and very sore hands especially after the rear seat bottom and I'm an aircraft mechanic so I don't have soft hands... It takes a long time to do having not done it ever before, figure an hour for each cushion so 4 hours for the fronts and probably another 2 hours alone for the back bottom and an hour for both rear seatbacks which are the easiest ones. The headrests are straight from the 9th circle of Hades as far as getting the upholstery to go over and I had to tear mine about an inch along a seam that would be hidden after I was done to make them fit over the foam... Cutting holes for the accessories and levers and headrests is nerve wracking and the instructions leave out a few details you have to figure out yourself.

Do I recommend it? Yes, totally worth it. I have brand new seats including foams in the front and out back the OEM foam was so new anyway since nobody ever sits in the back seats of a Mustang for any extended period of time. Like I said though, you sit at least an inch higher up in the car with these new foams... had to adjust my seat alot from where I am used to and the steering wheel is tilted a notch higher now when I drive it. This is a combination of my old foams being so worn and the TMI foam being physically taller. Like I said, will post pics tomorrow. Hopefully I can bust out my homemaker skills and get these nylon straps sewed up tomorrow and get the whole shebang done. I did have to do enough sewing in basic training to get halfway proficient at it so I think I'll be good lol.

Nice man...I'm planning on getting some beat Mach 1, Bullitt, or 03 cobra seats and getting custom TMI covers...black with cinnamon inserts.

holy crapola that looks great!

Looks good man. About how much would it be for only the front covers and foam? Just plain black.

looks great

JonBeast said:

Nice man...I'm planning on getting some beat Mach 1, Bullitt, or 03 cobra seats and getting custom TMI covers...black with cinnamon inserts.

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When you do the foams you have the seat down to the bare metal frame which is the same or almost the same for all years/models. Getting mach or 03 seats would be a huge waste of money, just get some beat v6 seats and strip them.

SoCal_Nick said:

Looks good man. About how much would it be for only the front covers and foam? Just plain black.

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No idea, id see if you can get a price from cj or lrs or just look on the TMI website. I will say that they do warn that if you just do the fronts they wont match the back seats even black vs black plus the vinyl will look different. Unless you are running a seat delete, then it doesn't matter.

I like the adjustable bolster and lumbar that my 94 has and will be getting them recovered. I wish they had something for that model year but....

Hmm.. maybe they can send me a sample to see if it matches? My back seats are kinda small (convt)

Id hate to change the rear, I doubt anyone has even ever sat in them.