DIY Custom Seat Covers

We thought about getting racing seats for the CJ, but we really don’t have the extra money right now and the seats we have are in relatively good condition. I am somewhat handy with the sewing machine so I decided to make custom seat covers to match the new look of the jeep. I started by searching for true olive drab fabric. I tried Joann fabric and had my heart set on a certain stretch twill, but every Joann in my area was out of stock.

I searched ebay for military olive drab fabric. When I stumbled across this roll of surplus military fabric used for duffel bag straps, I came up with a creative idea. I paid a total of $19.95, including shipping. The fabric is 2’’ wide and 100 yards long. I turned this roll of fabric into custom seat covers.

This project obviously would have been a lot easier if I had bought regular yards of fabric, but I really liked the texture and durability of the roll of fabric. If you are making custom seats with regular fabric (not sewing skinny straps of fabric to form panels, you can still follow these instructions. Just skip down to where I begin tracing the shape of the seat onto the fabric.

Here is how I did it:

I measured the seats and determined where I wanted the seams. I then cut the following pieces for each seat:

Qty 25, 18’’ long strips. This will be for the back of the seat.

Qty 24, 26’’ long strips. This will be for the front of the seat. Please note the front pieces were cut wider to allow them to wrap around the sides of the seat. This way, there will only be visible seams along the back edge of the seat. I also only needed 24 strips rather than 25, because the front of the seat is 2’’ shorter than the back due to the cushion rising up.

Qty 16, 28’’ long strips. This will be for seat cushion.

I also decided I wanted a cargo pocket on the back of each seat. For each pocket I cut:
Qty 8, 16’’ long strips. If you don not want a pocket on the back of your seat, this step is not necessary.

Please note that the pieces listed above make ONE seat cover.

The straps cut out and ready for sewing to form fabric panels.

I started by creating the cargo pocket. I sewed a total of seven, 16 inch straps together using my sewing machine and heavy duty thread.
I folded the eighth strap in half and sewed it like this:
Then I sewed the folded in half strap to the top of the cargo pocket panel. I hemmed the raw edges of the other two sides of the fabric panel. When cargo pocket is complete, it should look like this: Set the cargo pocket aside for later.

Next, I sewed the twenty-five, 18 inch long strips to form a panel of fabric. This will be the back of the seat cover. It should look like this:
Next, I sewed the twenty-four, 26 inch long strips to form a panel of fabric. This will be the front of the seat cover. It should look like this:
Next I sewed the sixteen, 28 inch long strips to form a panel of fabric. This will be the seat cushion cover. It should look like this:
Next I pinned the back panel of fabric to the back of the seat and laid the seat down flat.
I traced the shape of the seat with a fabric pencil.

Make sure your trace on the side of the fabric that will be the inside of the seat cover, allowing an extra quarter inch for the seam.
The same procedure is repeated for the for the front of the seat cover. Pin the fabric to the front of the seat. This time I pulled the fabric around the sides to the back of the seat, where I wanted my seam. I traced the shape of the seat (onto what will be the inside of the cover)with a fabric pencil, allowing an extra quarter inch for the seam. When this step is complete, remove the pins from the fabric and the seat. You should have the shapes traced onto the panels like this:

Back Panel

Front Panel

Next, cut the fabric along the lines that you just traced. The panels should now look like this:

Back Panel

Front Panel

Because I wanted a cargo pocket on the back of the seat, I followed these steps in RED text. If you do not want a pocket on the back of the seat, proceed to the next step in BLACK text. If you do want the cargo pocket, you must do it now because it will be next to impossible to sew it on with a machine once the front and back of the seat cover have been sewn together. You could do it by hand, but it is time consuming and the results do not look as nice. So if you want the pocket, now is the time. Get the panel of fabric you previously sewed for the pocket . Determine where you want the pocket placed on the back of the seat. Pin it to the seat. It should look like this:

Next, take the pins out of the sides only, leaving the bottom pinned. Flip the fabric downward so the bottom seam will not be visible on the outside. Sew the bottom of the pocket onto the back panel. Flip the pocket back up (pin if needed). Sew the sides of the pocket, following the thread line where you previously sewed the raw edges. Obviously don’t sew the top of the pocket shut or it wont be a pocket. Remove any remaining pins. When the pocket is sewn on it should look like this:
Next, pin both the front and back panels INSIDE OUT onto the seat. Pin the seams together to prepare for sewing. It should look something like this:
Carefully remove the seat cover, as not to disturb the seams you just pinned. The seat cover should look like this, relatively resembling the seat covers final shape:

Sew all the seams with heavy duty cotton thread. Make sure your seat cover is inside out when you sew it, this way the raw seam edges will be on the inside of the cover. When you have sewn all the edges, remove any remaining pins, turn the seat cover right side out and try it on for size. Ideally, it should have a snug fit.

It should look something like this:

Notice the seat cover was a bit loose fitting in the picture above. I had to take it off, flip it inside out and take it in about a 1/2 inch on each side. You will see the final, snugger fit in the final pictures.

Next, I laid the last panel of fabric onto the cushion. I pulled it around the cushion tight and pinned it to the cushion, making sure to tuck the front corners neatly so the top would appear even and smooth. First, I attempted to use a staple gun to staple it to the bottom of the seat. Unfortunately, the staples were not holding, so I was forced to hand sew it to the bottom of the seat. I was aggravated at this point, and failed to take pictures of this process.

When complete, the seat covers look something like this:

Before

After

Back of seat cover
We installed the seat and we were happy to see the new seat covers were a perfect match to the olive drab paint.

View from behind.

Close up of the cargo pocket.

Herculiner

The next step was to apply liner to the entire tub. After hearing many good things abut it, we decided on Herculiner. A kit can be purchased for around $99. It comes with a gallon of Herculiner, 2 rollers, a handle for the rollers, a scuffing pad, a 2 inch paint brush and instructions.

The Tub Before it was cleaned up.

We cleaned out the entire interior then vacuumed thoroughly using a shop vac. I then washed the tub down with hot water and dish soap. Next, I mixed ½ cup of TSP heavy duty cleaner in 2 gallons of water and washed the tub again. Once it was dry, I wiped it down with fresh water.
We then scuffed the tub using the scuffing pad provided in the Herculiner Kit.

Once the tub was sufficiently scuffed, Mark wiped down the interior with MEK to prepare the tub for the Herculiner. We put masking tape in the drain holes and in the holes for the bolts for the seats. We also taped off one area that we didn’t want lined (the gear selector plate).

Tub Cleaned & Scuffed

Taped off ger selector plate.

We stirred the Herculiner for about 15 minutes to ensure even distribution of the texture. You definitely want to wear a respirator mask when working with this stuff. We were working outside with masks and I was still getting dizzy at times. This stuff smells potent!! You also want to wear some heavy duty rubber gloves. The only way to get this off your skin is by using Xylene, MEK or Acetone. Better off wearing gloves than rubbing chemicals on your skin!
We used paint brushes to dab the Herculiner onto the seams, and any spot the roller would not easily cover. Once the seams were covered, Mark used the roller provided in the kit to roll the sides and the floor.

Mark rolling the tub.

We had more than enough product left for a second coat so Mark rolled Herculiner in the rear wheel wells on the exterior of the Jeep.

A second coat needs to be applied within 24 hours.The next day, we followed the same procedure, painting the seams, then rolling the sides and floors for the second coat. Herculiner cannot be beat as far as affordability and ease of application. The instructions were easy to follow and the product was easy to use. The results were amazing for a DIY liner. I highly recommend this product.

The Results:

The day after the second coat dried, I removed the gear selector plate. I wetsanded it and painted it olive drab. I also sewed a shift boot cover from military fabric. I forgot to take instructional pics when sewing the shift boot cover, but if anyone wants step by step instructions, I am sure I can put something together.

We also ordered a grenade shift knob off ebay.

Paint Job

We decided to paint the CJ with an olive drab color. First we removed all exterior hardware, headlights etc.

There were a few cracks on the back of the jeep and in the passenger side door frame, so Mark filled those with bondo. Heres a pic of the back. I never got around to taking pics of the door frame.We then wet sanded with 240 grit sand paper. To wet sand, simply fill a bucket with water and a squirt of dish soap. Dip the sand paper in the soap and water and sand until the glossy finish is gone.

All wet sanded and ready for paint.

Close up after wet sanding.

Once the entire exterior and dash were wet sanded, we washed the Jeep down with hot soapy water. Once it was dry, we taped off the windshield, the gauges on the dash and any other area we did not want painted. Mark then sprayed the entire exterior of the jeep and interior dashboard with olive drab paint.

Mark going to town with the paint.

We purchased the paint from armyjeepparts.com.

The color we used was AJP WWII semi gloss in the rattle can. We paid around $130 including shipping for 18 cans. It took about 12 cans to do 2 coats on the exterior and the dash. We are extremely pleased with the result. It sprayed on smooth and dried with a nice satin finish. The paint is military grade and is extremely durable.

Good Stuff!!

The paint was allowed to dry over night. We sanded any runs with 600 grit sand paper before applying the second coat. There was a lot of pollen in the air so we washed the jeep with hot soapy water again and allowed it to dry. Once dry, Mark sprayed a second coat of paint. After the paint dried for about 2 hours, we removed the tape. We are really happy with the results. The paint is not only durable but definitely does not look like it was a DIY paint job from a can.

Before After
All taped up and ready for paint.
After
Close up before.

Close up after.