Keeping it cla$$y.....my 88' 323 GT build

[yarnkaps]

I wanted to update the interior a bit while I wait for the waves of parts to arrive so I ripped out the rear seats and painted them with an $8 can of fabric spraypaint. This stuff works well and doesn't rub off onto clothes, I know because I ripped the middle seats and rails out of a Vanagon, painted them black with this stuff, and installed them as jump seats in my 88' Toyota flatbed

I'm sure you all hate how the seats fade into a purple-blue color and have dark stripes where the rear belts laid dormant for years in the sun. I know it killed me to look at them every time I got in the car.

Removing the rear seats is easy-peasy and took about five minutes. The thing I learned the hard way is that you need a forked prybar to remove the upholstery clips without pulling the fabric right off the clip. I guess I will have to super glue them back on or something. Other than that it's four bolts and six screws to remove them.

I chose black paint because I was inspired by slowandrusty's corbeau gts seats and ordered a pair in black for the front. I honestly think using a really dark grey would have looked nicer and more subtle but these will match my new front seats nicely.

I masked the inner seat parts with all tape because I really wanted to be careful to not mess up those awesome three color portions. Then I sprayed the stuff on in four thin layers to make sure it was even.

It took one entire can to coat the back seats. I imagine you would need two to get the front and rear.

If anyone has questions feel free to hit me up and I look forward to updating this thread every time I do anything.

[Damkid]

At first when was reading it, I thought it was gunna be a face palm moment, but those look really sharp! I'm impressed

Let's hope the black doesn't fade or rub off though lol

[DeeAOne]

I hate to be that guy, but I used the exact same stuff on my carpet. Lasted all of 3 months before it was back to faded blue again.

[yarnkaps]

We shall see, like I said I used the same stuff for my jump seats and it hasn't worn off in over a year now and the thing is literally outside of the cab soaking in rain, sun, and passenger sweat all the time. That's why I was confident using it.



These things were light brown before the paint.

EDIT: on a side note in the Vanagon these are removable and slide on or off the rails that are bolted into the floor (4 13mm bolts) so when I need the whole bed I just take the rail off and slide them off the side of the truck. Pretty confident they are as safe as any factory seat except if it rolled.
Probably going to swap the van seats for the rear 4-runner seats soon so the passengers are a bit lower

[azgtx]

Carpet is different animal with that kind of paint....definitely doesn't last as long as seat fabric. I have used that stuff for years. You really need to brush it between coats though.

[LN323]

How does it feel? I mean, does it make the seats feel like fabric covered with a coat of paint? Or, does it feel "normal"?

[yarnkaps]

How does it feel? I mean, does it make the seats feel like fabric covered with a coat of paint? Or, does it feel "normal"?

Honestly the fabric I sprayed on the gt seats is different from the vw seats (they felt no different at all afterwords) and feels just a tiny little bit rougher than before.

Really not awful just a mild difference.
I also have to believe they will soften up a bit when they get used a few times.

I rarely have anyone in the back seat so I'm really not concerned about it anyhow. While spraying I went a bit heavy on the individual coats of paint which I think accounts for the difference. If you were careful to do many conservative coats on them I don't think they would feel different at all.

[LN323]

Cool. I will look into this as one of my potential mods (maintenance) projects. As for color, maybe the black you have been using holds up better than the dark blue that DeeAOne used? Then again, I live in Washington state where we don't see the sun that often so maybe I don't have much to worry about. LOL.

[Mr Rotary]

This looks official. Professional job well done!


'88 Mazda 323 GT
'88 Mazda 323 GTX
'85 5-Speed Toyota Cressida

[yarnkaps]

Scored an era correct (as far as I can tell anyway) Momo steering wheel from Japan. Looks fantastic, feels great, and is around an inch less in diameter than the stock one. Installation was easy once I got the proper puller to remove the old one. I really like mods that look proper for the era these cars were built.

Again this is hardly a "build" item but I'm still waiting for parts lol.

[yarnkaps]

This looks official. Professional job well done!


'88 Mazda 323 GT
'88 Mazda 323 GTX
'85 5-Speed Toyota Cressida

thanks!

[Crazypunkerguy]

That looks excellent, gives me some ideas on how to meld my GLC interior with my 323 GT interior when the swap happens!

[yarnkaps]

Here is the new wheel


Also happy to report that the paint on the seats has softened up a bit and not faded or worn off.

More in a few weeks