Reattaching rear pocket/backing on the drivers seat :(

IM REALLY mad because my rear pocket of my drivers seat fell off..... the big plastic hanger part TOTALLY snapped in half somehow.... IDK how it must have been moved when it wass REALLY COLD out..... but anyways... im gonna ATTEMPT to ghetto rig it.... but DANG its ugly im really .......... does anyone know if the dealer would carry this rear pocket?????? and would it be close to a le sabre with grey leather or even a century??? god i REALLY would appreciate any help on Ghetto riggin it or if the dealer carries it (i couldnt find it)

thanks 's

You have any pictures of it? i'm pretty good at ghetto rigging things.

TonySmooth89 wrote:

You have any pictures of it? i'm pretty good at ghetto rigging things.

no pics sorry man...... ill be able to ghetto rig it its' just it made me mad cus its broke and UGLY and when my cars ugly IM MAD............... and plus im not one to take pics of ugly stufff.......... but ill take a before and after

Just remember JB weld fixes just about anything. good luck with it.

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Just remember JB weld fixes just about anything. good luck with it.

i thought about gorilla glue but idk if it will hold leather to leather/foam BUT i could tape it there whille the gorilla glue dries

you have a hot glue gun? that might work too.

TonySmooth89 wrote:

you have a hot glue gun? that might work too.

yah but i dont want it to slowly peel off lol......... us americans and our GLUE........

ill figure it out and tell you guys how to fix it

Yup...Glue , WD-40 and duct tape...all you need to fix anything in this county.

Gorilla Glue will *definitely* hold but (1) be sure to follow label direcctions (2) it's best for parts that do not have to flex once repaired (3) the glue itself is not suitable for repairing gaps in materials. It will bond one material to another but I would not use it to, say, fill a gap. For instance, if some pieces flew away and were lost when that big plastic hanger broke, bridging the gap with Gorilla Glue is probably a losing proposition. (4) if the foam is deteriorating, gluing something to it won't help.

Good luck.

Albertj

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Yup...Glue , WD-40 and duct tape...all you need to fix anything in this county.

correction anything but a fuel pump

palermocorey90 wrote:

TonySmooth89 wrote:

Yup...Glue , WD-40 and duct tape...all you need to fix anything in this county.

correction anything but a fuel pump

hire mcguiver to fix your car corey... he could do it with a paperclip and some duct tape i bet.

UPDATE on the seat..... Its currently being glued on "the clip at least" if all goes to worse ill have to hit up the local bone yard and find some car with a rear cover like the rivs and see if it has a SIMILAR hanger...... but im happy cus i snowboarded today........ first time in two weeks...... and i was on the everyday plan for two months pretty much so im stoked

Hi all....new member.....great site...I've been lurking for a few months and finally joined. I have a '96 riv s/c that i just brought back to life...man, i love that car...anyway, i had the same problem.The back panel on the passenger seat fell off. Actually, the plastic clip on the back of the panel pulled right through the staples. First I tried hot glue....nope, fell right off. Then I tried the infamous Gorilla Glue.....nope....damn dirty ape! Peeled right off.....then I tried a very hard setting 2 part expoxy.....nope!!! FELL RIGHT OFF!! Then I got pissed and went to Ace Hardware, bought 4 little flush mounting aluminum screws that have, what looks like rivets for nuts. I removed the staples on the back of the panel that hold the material in place. Pulled it down until I had access to where the clip was placed. Contact cemented the clip into position. Drilled 4 holes through the clip and the panel (used a phone book so I wouldnt drill through the material. Dabbed a little contact cement on the nuts so they wouldn't spin when tightened, inserted them into the holes. Dab of contact cement on the screws, so they wouldn't vibrate loose, inserted those through the clip and into the nuts. Tightened and IT WORKED. THen I used contact cement around they edge of the panel to hold the material back in place...Installed it after a hour drying time and I'm happy to say its still holding!

That was a nice repair Montaniera.

Again, Gorilla Glue is not good for parts that flex. Also surfaces have to be *clean* and you have to allow all the setting time the instructions ask for.

Albertj

Somehow mine came off. I see how it goes back on. I tried using a staple gun but they are not strong enough to hold it while trying to slide it over the bar that holds it. I'm not sure what kind of staples were used from the factory. Never seen anything like them before.

Thinking about some tiny screws but was looking for insight from someone who has had to do this.

Do you mean the fold that is on the back that you can put stuff in it? I just used larger diameter screws on mine to bite into the corkboard that the leather surrounds. Oddly designed piece and I hear they come off all the time.

Thats the piece in question. Guess screws it is! Thanks.

manofmany wrote:

Somehow mine came off. I see how it goes back on. I tried using a staple gun but they are not strong enough to hold it while trying to slide it over the bar that holds it. I'm not sure what kind of staples were used from the factory. Never seen anything like them before.

Thinking about some tiny screws but was looking for insight from someone who has had to do this.

The factory (Lear) does staple theseon however it's not a household/handheld stapler. I had a Volvo seat repaired at a smaller upholstery shop that a used car dealer referred me to (it was not busy, I was waiting for someone after a meal and wandered onto his lot to look around... and we got to talking). At the time I had a Volvo with a seat that was dissembling itself...

anyway...

what I learned when I took the car for repairing the seat: shops that work on auto upbolstery commonly have these gadgets. The one I saw is a handheld, air-operated stapler. It uses 22-gauge wire staples. Those suckers will shove a staple well through several layers of fabric and vinyl and well into a thick sheet of plywood or timber. Put "air upholstery stapler" into Google Shopping and you'll see them. They are $50 and up (Pro ones typically $150 and up; for my money I'd get a Duo-Fast, they are to air staplers what IR is to air wrenches) and take 60+ PSI to run. A good working pressure would be a consistent 80-90 PSI I was told at the time.

People have used glues, screws, and other means to reattach the seat backs - I am not sure that glues really work. Screws work (people have posted about that) but I am not sure you can hide them. For my money I'd take the thing to an upholstery shop. If you take the seat out yourself they probably won't charge very much for the repair -- I mean, I really don't know but I am thinking $10 to $20 if you bring them all the pieces and have them staple it back together. Maybe a little more if for instance a piece of plastic board or Masonite is needed to replace a cracked or broken reinforcement or backing--because auto upholstery shops tend to have stuff like that around it's another reason to take it to one. In my experience such repairs typically are sounder than the factory build.

You will have to discern, however, the difference between someone who installs upholstery kits versus someone who actually cuts, sews, fills and staples by looking around the shop when you are looking for a repairer.

Albertj

Thanks for the insight, Albert. As far as hiding the screw, that won't be a problem. The piece that attaches to the seat and holds it on will be covered. It can be reattached and then "hung" or pressed down onto the rail that holds it in place.

Only way I can see the screws showing or poking out is if the length is too long.

EDIT: Interesting tidbit on Lear. I live right by one... well, I believe it recently changed from Lear to IAC.

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/interior-f20/write-up-repairing-broken-seat-back-on-a-95-99-riviera-t6146.htm#87114

Bert

What I did when the dealer ripped off the black hook off my backseat cover, was I used two thin pieces of aluminum, with two corresponding holes drilled through each of them and the black hook, then I used four metal washers and passed a pop-rivet through each hole, the thing was solid.

ibmoses wrote:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/interior-f20/write-up-repairing-broken-seat-back-on-a-95-99-riviera-t6146.htm#87114

Bert

Interesting... lol

I've got some screws on hand I think will work to keep the stock look. Not that many people get in the backseat, just don't care for the seat piercing Doesn't look bad at all though.

sounds like a plan!

manofmany wrote:

ibmoses wrote:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/interior-f20/write-up-repairing-broken-seat-back-on-a-95-99-riviera-t6146.htm#87114

Bert

Interesting... lol

I've got some screws on hand I think will work to keep the stock look. Not that many people get in the backseat, just don't care for the seat piercing Doesn't look bad at all though.

I didn't pierce the seat though Bert, I removed the vinyl covering, removing one staple at a time, then did the repair. Once complete, I re-stapled the vinyl with a construction grade staple gun and short staples, so as not to reach though to the other side of the fiber board.

ibmoses wrote:

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/interior-f20/write-up-repairing-broken-seat-back-on-a-95-99-riviera-t6146.htm#87114

Bert

That's the one!!!! lol



My post above worked great for this job.