Hi, I just bought a brand new, 1973 Maverick Grabber. Overall it's in great condition. The interior is nearly perfect, except for a couple of cracks in the seams on the drive's seat, and a small tear in the front of the seat back. The color is a medium brown vinyl. The seats look great, and only need small patching. Is there a product, or recommendation on what to use to seal the cracks in the seat? How can I patch the small tear? It's about 3" x 2". Roz
Roz, was this car a driver? if not, i found out that the thread in the stitch it "dry rotten". it will continue to "tear". if it has been driven reg.,... i don't have an answer to your question...sorry...frank...
A rip smaller than a quarter may be able to repaired by an upholstery place using a vinyl patch kit. Anything larger needs to be replaced. Split seams means old, dry or rotted vinyl and will need to be replaced. Only and upholstery shop will be able to tell for sure ..
I have some brown Mystic tape, which is a close match, but tape looks so gross. When it starts to peel up it leaves gummy stuff. I'll see if an upholstry shop can repair it. Otherwise I'll try clear sealant on the cracks and let you know how it works. I've never seen Maverick bucket seats in this color before. It's kind of honey brown, very nice. The rest of the interior is perfect except for a crack in the dash cover. I might try clear sealant on that too. Roz
You'll have to excuse myself and Dennis; we tend to be a little . Tape is only a short term fix until you get to a permanent solution. Tape could keep the vinyl from tearing more and still be usable. I would recommend taping the areas, while you still use the seats, until you are ready to get them fixed.
Check out this "how-to" thread I did on vinyl repair. I like a product called VLP for tears in seats. If the vinyl is old and hard, there is not a lot you can do but replace it. As stated, dry rotted stiching will need to be redone. Eric J http://www.mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=14179&highlight=vinyl+repair
Thanks for the article on VLP. I'll have to look for it. The guy at the hardware store recommened something called Goop. I bought a tube and will give it a try on the torn seams. I'm about twice the weight of the previous owner, and more seams are splitting the more I drive it. I also ordered a Vinyl repair kit from eBay for $9.95 plus shipping. I'll let you know if that works. I may be able to patch the tear in the seat back with the vinyl repair kit or VLP. But the seat bottom might have to be reupholstered. Roz
Ros; as for the dash, you can get a dash cap. It just snaps over the original, and you can't tell it is there. I use one, and I really like it. The are available at J.C. Whitney. They cost less than replacing the pad, and look good. Hope this helps.
I found a dash cover on J. C. Whitney for $40, made out of carpet. They offer a fairly close color. It's one horizontal crack, but not too noticable from the Driver's seat. I'll still try fixing it. If that doesn't work, I'll try a cover or cap. Thanks for the suggestion. Roz
