Introduction
Many
Classic Range Rovers are now getting to the age where the seats are looking
pretty worn and tatty. Some can even be ripped and torn. Conventional
replacement options are extremely expensive if you can even find them. Never
fear Mark
Pasieka
from Arizona comes to the rescue with a report that his wife makes
high quality
replacement vinyl seat membranes for the Classic Range Rover
seats. Details of the Pasieka's vinyl replacements, including how to
remove your old upholstery, appear below.
Why
Replace with Vinyl?
Mark reports that the first thing he wanted to do when he inherited is
father’s Rover
was replace the seats. After about 20 listings on eBay ending in seats
that would have cost
him $500
or more after shipping, Mark gave up looking for them.
One day when he
was trying
to find a valve tick in the engine (actually it turned out to be a
cracked exhaust
manifold) his wife suggested "Why don't you have me re-upholster your
seats while the engine is
disassembled
and the car is unusable?" At first Mark was skeptical but the finished
result was so good that the Pasiekas are now making their seat
upholstery replacements available to other Range Rover
Owners.
The
vinyl material is not only far less expensive than leather, it is good
looking and hard wearing, and is also easier to
keep clean. Replacing
the upholstery is not all that difficult, and shipping of just
the membrane sure beats the cost of shipping a whole seat!
And, as
Mark points out, these replacements are proudly MADE IN THE USA!!
Colors
and Materials
The Pasiekas take the vinyl you want them to buy (they buy from JoAnns
fabrics -- just go to
your local store and tell the Pasiekas which color and durability you
want them to use). Some have different patterns and textures --
matching
to your existing
color
needs a skilful eye! Then
from the patterns she created from their own old seats, Mark's wife
sews new seat
membranes that fit the Range Rover Classic seats. If your Rover has a
different pattern, let her know and you may be able to send your old
upholstery to her to make new patterns from.
Removing
the Old Upholstery
Mark reports that it took less than an hour to remover the old
membranes and 2 hours
(including time for the consumption of a few
beers!) to install the new ones. You can use
wire
cutters for
the pig nose staples when removing the old seat membrane, and a flat
screw
driver to pull back tabs holding the membrane on the lower part of the
seat. A
firm grip is needed for the head rest membrane, and maybe a flathead to
pry the
plastic
apart. A rubber mallet is helpful for knocking the plastic headrest
guides out, and a Philips
screwdriver for the 2 seat control screws and 5 screws of the back of
the seat
cover (2 are
hidden under the material).
The armrests (believe it or not) are just staple gunned
into a 5
layer piece of plywood... you can remove the staples with a flathead
screwdriver or needle nose pliers. If all
you need is just to replace an armrest that's EASY TO
DO... and cheap!
If you order a new set of upholstery from the Pasiekas they will send
you
more detailed instructions to walk you through the removal and
replacement procedure.
Ordering
Information
The
Pasiekas have only
recently begun making this service available to other owners, so
currently the cost is
on a
case by case basis, depending on the materials you prefer and how fast
you need it. "Select an easy to sew
material and give us as much time as we need, and the cost will be
less!." If you are interested in finding out more, email
the Pasieks for quotes and more detailed information.
