Leather Seats Installation
From Nissan 350Z & 370Z Wiki
Read through this guide to decide if you should attempt your own leather seat cover installation.
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Tools and Supplies
First, the tools you will need to install the interior. You will need the following:
- 14mm socket
- 12mm socket
- 3/8 socket
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Hog-Rings
- Hog Ring Pliers
Seat Removal
The first step to install your new leather interior is to remove your seats from the vehicle.
On the 350Z, each of the front seats are held in by four (4) bolts. These bolts are located at the ends of the seat rails. Move the seat all the way back to reveal the front two bolts. They are covered by small black caps. Then, move the seat all the way forward. You will see two more bolts covered by little black plastic caps. Simply remove the bolts, and tip the seat backwards to check for electrical connections. Almost every seat will have some wiring harnesses on the bottom connecting to the floor of the vehicle. Unplug the connectors, and then remove the seat from the vehicle. (If your vehicle is equipped with Side Impact Air Bags, unbolt both seats first, then move them to the center of the seat rails, then disconnect the battery before you unplug the harnesses under the seat.) Make sure to save all bolts, screws, and other parts for reassembly.
Seat Cushion (bottom)
(Refer to the pictures below this paragraph)
Flip the seat upside down, so the bottom of the cushion is facing you. There are four (4) bolts that hold the seat cushion pan to the seat frame. There are also yellow plastic brackets that hold the wiring to the bottom of the seat cushion pan. Remove those bolts and the plastic brackets and remove the seat cushion pan from the seat. If your 350Z has heated seats, make sure to disconnect the wiring before you remove the seat cushion. There are hog-rings around the perimeter of the seat cushion pan that hold the edge of the factory cloth/leather to the seat cushion pan. Remove these, and fold the factory cloth/leather up towards the center of the seat, revealing the insert seam lines. The inserts use either hog-rings to attach the covers to the foam core. Snip them and remove the cover. If your 350Z has heated seats, you will need to cut out the heater pad from the factory cushion. Be careful not to cut the wire that runs inside the pad, or the pad will not work. After you have removed the pad, put it in place on the foam before you start installing your new seat covers. The installation of the Leatherseats.com covers is the reverse of removal. Start with the inserts, and then move to the edges. After you have recovered the foam core and seat pan, set it aside and start on the backrest.
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Backrest (top)
First, remove the headrest and set it aside. On the 350Z, the headrest can be removed by holding down the release button, and pulling the headrest out. After the headrest is removed, flip the seat upside down again.
You will see J-hooks and two zippers holding the covers together. Undo the J-hooks and the unzip the zippers and you will reveal the back of the seat. Remove the plastic headrest guides by holding the two ends of them together and wiggling the guide up. The bottom of the plastic guides are visible through the thin plastic sheet inside the top of the seat. Roll the factory cover forward, revealing the insert seam lines. There will be hog-rings holding the insert seam lines to the foam. Remove the hog-rings starting with the edges and then remove the hog-rings on the top seam line. If your 350Z has heated seats, you will need to repeat the procedure for the heater pad in the cushion. To get the heater pad to stay on the seat back, hog ring the top of the pad straight to the foam at the top of the pad. The installation of the Leatherseats.com covers is the reverse of removal. Start with the top horizontal seam line, then do the edges. After you reach the bottom, close the zippers, then attach the j-hook. Reinstall the recovered seat cushion and pan assembly (from above) and reattach your plastic hardware. You will need to cut holes for the headrest posts as well as any levers/switches that are now covered by the new leather. Cut small slits big enough to put the plastic headrest guides back into the seat, they just simply slide down into the seat frame.
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Headrest
The headrests are easy! This is your “break time†in the installation. The bottoms of the headrests are connected with J-hooks. Simply unhook these and roll the headrest cover back to reveal the foam. If you have factory leather, you will need to cut the factory leather off of the headrest. The sides and back of the leather is glued to the foam, so first you will need to take an exacto knife or razor blade and cut the seams along the seam lines. You will leave the bottom leather (the leather around the headrest posts), so you don’t need to remove that leather. Be careful not to remove too much of the foam, the less foam the better. If you do remove too much foam, you can glue the foam back together before you install the new headrest covers. To install the Leatherseats.com leather, start with it inside out, and line up the seams to the edges of the foam. Then roll the cover down, and connect the J-hooks. If you have difficulty rolling the covers over the foam, you can wrap the foam in a plastic bag, and using a “shop vac†compress the foam to make it easier to cover the headrest. Slide the headrest into the re-upholstered seat, and you’re finished with the front seat! Repeat this process for the other front bucket and you’re finished!
Install Seats
The final step is to put everything back into the car. Be careful when installing the seats that you don’t scrape any plastic or the door panels with the bottom of the seat, as the seat rails are sharp and will damage any plastic or vinyl they come in contact with. After the seats are re-installed, it is a good idea to condition the leather and massage any wrinkles that are in the leather. After sitting in the sun for a few weeks, the leather will begin to shrink and will actually form itself to the foam, creating a wrinkle free install.