By definition the slang expression "seat of the pants" means based on, or using intuition and experience rather than instruments, technology, or a predetermined plan. When we apply the saying specifically to recovering a '67-72 Chevrolet C10 or GMC bench seat, a seat-of-the-pants approach translates into a formula for producing a sloppy ill-fitting job no one would want in their truck. Of course, our definition is not completely wrong because one does need a certain amount of intuition and experience to approach any improvement they might like to make to their truck.
After removing the seat from the cab by undoing two bolts at each corner of the seat tracks, the next step was to order a new seat cover kit from the folks at LMC Truck in Lenexa, Kansas. It should be noted that while looking things up on LMC Truck's website at www.lmctruck.com or using the catalog, it's important to make sure you selected the right part number for your application. If you don't you won't stand a chance of having the job go right or, in this case, getting the right seat cover. From the time the order was placed and shipped from LMC Truck's 350,000-square-foot warehouse it wasn't long before the seat cover kit showed up in California. The next move was to call my friend Pete Engel at Westminster Auto Upholstery in Placentia, California, and ask if he wouldn't mind revealing some tricks of the trade for CLASSIC TRUCKS' valued readers. Two main operations are involved in upholstering a seat after the original covering and foam has been stripped from the springs and seat frame. A new seat cover needs to be made, which involves picking out the right materials, making a pattern, and then sewing it all together. Needless to say for all of this to materialize one needs to be an accomplished journeyman upholsterer with acquired specialized skills. That's where LMC Truck's C10 upholstery kit comes into play. One doesn't have to be a skilled upholsterer to take the kit out of the box and move on to the second phase; all it takes is a predetermined plan and the perseverance to follow it out.
