The front seats are very similar to each other. The frames, padding and covers are identical, only the backrest adjustment knobs were fitted on opposite sides (facing out). On the Pallas there is an additional height/rake adjustment for the drivers seat, this can be compared to a standard frame courtesy of the 648 replacement parts catalogue shown below.
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| Standard front seat frame (left) and Pallas seat frame with height adjustment (right) |
Removal of the seat couldn't be easier. Wind up the backrest all the way (this will assist in removal through the door aperture later) Slide the seat nearly to the most forward position and remove the two M7 bolts at the rear of the seat runners then slide the seat back until you can access the two front bolts, these only need to be slackened off sufficiently as the frame is slotted here (the slots can be seen in the above 648 replacement parts catalogue) The seat can now be removed and placed on your best dining room table to be worked on.
I seem to remember in the 1970's fluffy tan sheepskin seat covers were all the rage, however, I knew these were hiding something more sinister as I'd already had a peek and it wasn't pretty.
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| Front drivers seat removed |
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| Lifted the front corner to have a peek |
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| Not pretty! |
On the back of the seat the lower half has a closing panel trimmed with light grey leatherette material and also houses the ashtray. The material was in quite good condition apart from a small scuff, fortunately a piece of this material comes with the new seat covers and is easily replaced.
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| Back of front seat showing the closing panel |
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| Under the front seat showing good framework and springs |
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So the first job is to remove the closing panel which is held in place by four pozidrive screws at the sides and hog rings underneath the seat frame, there is no need to remove the ashtray at this moment. There is a reinforcing clip on the closing panel which hooks under the back of the seat frame to stop the closing panel from distorting when you open the ashtray.
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| Screws securing side of closing panel |
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| Hog rings securing trim under seat frame |
Removal of the closing panel trim revealed more labels as shown in my previous
post, the markings on this label make it more apparent the trim is made for a Pallas (PA) trimmed vehicle.
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| Label identifying Pallas trim |
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| Another label under the seat frame (not sure what'202' or 'cav' signifies) |
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| The 1970's fluffy tan sheepskin seat covers kept the chrome in good condition |
With the closing panel removed you can see that the seats are not 'handed' and can be used on the left or right with cut-outs for the ashtray available on either side
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| Access for the ashtray (in this case on the right hand side) |
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| A hair clip and the back of an earring fell out of the seat frame - If these could talk! |
Continuing with the disassembly - remove the hog rings in the corner of the backrest, this will reveal two M7 bolts on either side of the frame. Remove these bolts and the seat frame will separate into two halves making re-trimming a much easier job.
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| Remove hog rings in corner of backrest |
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| Tensioning wire can be left secure until later |
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| Bolts securing the two halves |
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| Seat halves separated |
Removal of the seat covers are now quite straightforward, I started off with the cushion as it looked the easier option. As shown above there is a tensioning wire which runs around the circumference of the cover and secured in the corners. There are several hog rings along the sides and metal tangs in the front corners, remove these and the cover slips off. After a good clean of the seat foam I loosely fitted the seat cover. I used Bulldog clips before I permanently secured it with hog rings so I could check the finished look and make any adjustments. Happy with the fit I secured everything in place.
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| Bulldog clips in place to check the final look |
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| Hog rings permanently secure sides of seat cover |
The cushion is now complete ready to receive the backrest.
The backrest is the same procedure as the cushion. Removal of the cover is simply done by removing hog rings from the perimeter, glue is used down the front sides to keep the concave shape.
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| Removing hog rings from inside perimeter of seat cover |
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| Here you can see where the foam was originally glued |
With the cover removed you can now see where the front headrests locate. Headrests were an "accessoire" even on the Pallas spec. On models produced after December 1972 the size was reduced from the full width headrest to a narrower version as can be seen below.
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| Holes in top of seat foam to accept headrest guide tubes |
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| Guide tubes locate into top of seat frame |
I first had a trial fit of the seat cover before I started spraying any glue on it, when I was happy with the shape and fit I used a heavy duty spray adhesive on both the cover and foam and allowed it to go off for a few minutes. When it had gone tacky the cover was held in place and allowed to fully dry.
On the original seat cover there was a reinforcing seam on the edge where the hog rings went through, the new seat covers didn't have this, instead the edge of the material was rolled over on itself to form a tube. So the hog rings do not pull on the material directly I fed a length of electrical cable through the tube to give them something substantial to grip onto.
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| Original cover with reinforcing seam |
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| Feeding cable through tube at edge of cover |
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| Hog rings secured around cable inside cover |
The remainder of the seat cover can now be secured after the fit has been checked first with the use of Bulldog clips.
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| Checking the fit before finally securing with hog rings |
The back corners are left open to allow access for securing the two halves of the seat frame together, I used a little drop of Loctite on these M7 bolts.
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| Securing bolts left side |
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| Securing bolts right side |
After the seat halves have been secured together the final corner pieces can be held in place with hog rings.
The rear closing panel trim is a straightforward replacement using glue along the edges.
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| Inside of rear closing panel |
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| Outside of rear closing panel |
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| Close-up of ashtray aperture showing reinforcing clip |
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| Ashtray polished up brightly |
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| Closing panel secured under seat frame with hog rings |
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| Ashtray back in place |
Refitting the seat back into the car is, as they say, "is the reverse of removal" Leave the front two bolts in place loose as these slot into the runners. Tighten the back two bolts first then the front two.
And relax...
That seat looks great Colin. The use of electrical cable is a good idea. The results looks like the seat cover was factory fitted.
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