World Upholstery & Trim
1989-On

Seat Kit #135-1124 INSTALLATION
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The following information is supplied as a customer service guide only. World Upholstery and Trim recommends professional installation of all our products. No guarantee or warantee with reguard to results of installations made by this guide is made or implied

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These instructions are written for all Miatas from 1990 to 1999, with the exception of the '95 M edition. The photos are from a '99 Miata installation. The differences are minor. 

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Required Tools
14mm socket, 14mm box end wrench, 12mm socket, 8mm nut driver ('99+ only) Phillips screwdriver, Awl, Hog Ring Pliers, Cutting Dikes

Step 1:

Step 2: Disassemble the seat.

Disconnect any wires, such as the headrest speaker wires, which may   connect the seat back to the seat cushion. Often these wires are attached  to the metal pan under the seat with plastic clips and electrical tape.  It is usually easier to remove the electrical tape than the actual clips.

The back of the seat is held to the seat cushion on each side. Start by  removing the single Phillips head screw (the '99 has an 8mm nut) with large washer from the hinge  point on the side of the seat which does NOT have the seat tilt lever.  You can leave the rest of the plastic parts in place for now.

On the tilt lever side of the seat, remove the two visible Phillips head  screws from the plastic shroud which covers the tilt mechanism. On the seat back is a smaller plastic cover partially under the larger shroud. 
Rotate the shroud slightly to expose the Phillips head screw which holds  the small cover to the seat back. Remove the Phillips head screw and  slide the smaller plastic cover upwards and off the metal tilt arm attached to the seat back. You should now see the two large bolts which  hold the seat back to the metal arm of the tilt mechanism. Remove these two bolts with your 14mm socket.

Looking down from above the seat, rotate the side of the seat back you just unbolted either forward or backward so that the seat back moves free of the tilt mechanism metal arm. Now slide the seat back sideways out of  the hinge point on the other (non-tilt arm) side. The seat back should now be free and clear from the seat cushion. Set it down in a safe place.

On the non-tilt arm side of the seat cushion, push the round plastic fitting out of the hole where the seat was attached. Then slide the plastic cover up and off the short metal arm.

Back on the tilt-arm side of the seat, rotate the plastic shroud enough to access the two large bolts which hold the tilt arm mechanism to the seat  pan. You will need to pull/pry up on the plastic shroud as you rotate it around. Be gentle when you so this - do not force the shroud or it may break! You will need to do one bolt at a time. While you may be able to access these bolts with a 14mm socket wrench, the likelihood is that you will need to use a 14mm box-end wrench to get them off. Do NOT attempt to move the tilt arm or pull the tilt lever. Severe injury may result!

Once the two bolts are out, the tilt arm mechanism and its shroud should be free of the seat cushion. Set it aside.

Finally, remove the seat tracks from the metal pan of the seat cushion.  Turn the seat cushion over. Be careful not to scratch anything or damage the short seat's metal arm. Study the tracks and the metal wire which  connects the track sliding mechanism. Keep your fingers out of the  mechanism or risk injury! Each track is attached to the metal pan with  one bolt at the front, and one at the back. Slide the tracks all the way forward to expose the two bolts which hold the back of the tracks to the seat pan. Use a 12mm socket to remove the bolts. Now slide the tracks all the way back to expose the bolts at the front. Remove these bolts with  your 12mm socket. You can now lift the tracks off the seat pan. The seat is now disassembled.
 

Step 3: Remove the existing cloth seat covers from both the seat cushion  and back.

Now move to the seat back. (Ignore this step for the '99.) Unzip the headrest of the seat back and remove  the panel which covers the headrest speakers. Remove the headrest  speakers, if any, from the headrest and set them in a safe place. Be sure  you know how to reinstall them.

Turn the seat back upside down and start  at the bottom. You will notice that there are three pieces of the cover here - the center portion of the seat back and the two side bolsters.   These are clipped to the back of the seat back cover with the usual hog rings.

Turn the seat back over and fold up the center flap. It is held to the foam insert with hog rings, so cut them in the usual fashion and remove the insert. Each side bolster cover is attached to the seat likewise with several hog rings, and there are several rings up at the top of the  center seat area. Finally, from inside the headrest, cut the three or  four hog rings below the headrest speaker recesses. The seat back cover  can now be pulled up and off the seat back. The cloth covers should now be off the seats.
 

Step 4: Install the new seat covers on both the seat cushion and  back.

Start by comparing each new  piece with the corresponding original cloth piece. Start with the seat cushion. Each cushion is manufactured with a slit in the seat  where the short metal arm of the seat pan will protrude. If the foam  backing is not also split under the seat cover, then use a sharp blade to slit the foam so that the arm can later be slid through. Also notice that  there are many holes and slits in the original cloth. These are not  replicated in replacement seats. However, later you will need to make a few holes to accommodate attachment bolts. You do not need to do that now.

Start by placing the seat cushion cover loosely over the foam cushion.  Straighten the cover on the foam. Leave the bolsters folded up for the moment. Press the seams on the butt of the seat into those parts of the cushion. Check the sides and the front and back of the center of the seat cushion area. Be sure everything is fit and straight. (Also be sure you  have the correct cover for the seat you are working on!)

Once the cover is in place, you can start attaching the hog rings. Start on top at the back of the center portion of the seat. Install a similar number of hog rings as those you removed, generally 3-5 rings.

After doing the rear, do each of the sides on top of the center seat cushion. Then fold over the bolsters covers onto the foam bolsters. Work each bolster at a time, being sure the foam is pushed all the way up into the cover. The tendency for the cover will be to not fit smoothly on the  bolster, which will be scrunched up inside it. Pull the cover over so that the bolster is all the way inside the seams of the cover. Work the foam to be sure it is not bunched up. Then work out any kinks in the  bolster cover so that it is smooth over the foam underneath.

Now place the foam insert back in the metal seat pan. You may need to  work the cover over the metal arm. You will need to press down firmly  because the slit in the new material is cut just a little bit smaller than  the arm itself. Be sure the edges of the metal pan are pressed into the  slits on the bottom of the foam cushion. Be sure the fit is good. Once  firmly placed on the pan, you can fold over all the edges of the cover  including the front, rear, and sides. Turn the seat cushion over so you  can work on the metal pan. Before you start attaching the new cover to  the bottom of the pan, locate all the bolt holes you will later need to  access when putting the seats back together. There are two bolt holes on  the side of the pan (opposite side from the short metal arm) where the  tilt mechanism will later be attached. There are also the four bolt holes on the bottom of the pan where the sliding tracks will be bolted. Some of  these will be covered by the new material. Don't poke holes in the material now, because it will move as you attach it, but be sure you can find  these bolt holes later without seeing them!

On the bottom of the seat, pull the sides tight and place the welting  near the hog ring attach points.  Start fastening the seats to the pan with hog rings at the side attach  points. Do both sides and be sure the seat is still straight and firm.  Check your progress as you go. After doing the sides, do the rear.  Finishing up the corners is the trickiest part. It is kind of like  wrapping a  present. The same is true here. You may want to  experiment, with one piece of material over another, or perhaps even  folding them under and butting them together. You may even want to attach  one piece of material directly to another without attaching them to the  pan. Do not be too concerned if some of the padding or welting ultimately shows - remember this is under the seat on the floor! Fold over the front  and rear of the seat cushion, making your package look as pretty as possible, and attaching at the various hog ring points.

Your seat cushion should now be covered in new material! The seat back is covered in a similar fashion, but it is extremely critical that you make  sure the cover is straight. Check your progress all along the way! If you  are off by even a fraction of an inch, the seats will look very obviously  crooked because of the horizontal stripes across the back, which will now  be sloping.

Now for the seat back. Start by unzipping the headrest of the new cover, and sliding the cover  over the seat.(Again, skip this for the '99, since there are no zippers or headrest speakers.)  If there are headrest speaker wires in the seat, be sure  they are properly in place. Be sure you have the correct cover - the  passenger seat is the one with the map pocket. After sliding the cover  most of the way onto the seat, make a first pass at getting it straight.  Turn the seat over and look at the way the back of the cover fits onto  the seat back. Be sure all the seams at the edges line up with the actual  edge of the back of the seat back. Then turn the seat back to the front.  Look at the stitched seams on the edge bolsters and be sure they are even on both sides. Press the foam bolsters of the seat into the cover and  pull the cover tight. Again, press and push until everything is straight  and smooth. Continually check to make sure the cover is straight on the back. If you want, lay the foam insert back in the seat back and check  the fit of the center panels - be sure the lines look straight. Also, before you start stapling hog rings, you might want to familiarize  yourself with the location of the two bolt holes on the tilt arm side of  the seat back, and the metal pivot rod on the other side. You will need to later make holes in the material at these three locations.

After making your first pass at placing and positioning the cover, start stapling hog rings. Work in reverse order from when you removed the originals. Start with the rings up in the headrest. After they are done, double check the entire cover and pull it down again tight on the seat.   Inside the center seat back area, place the rings in the top of the  recess. Then work the side bolsters one at a time. Finally, place the  center foam insert firmly back into the recess in the seat back, and tuck  the material in over it. Then, while keeping the foam from sliding on the  cover, fold it up so you can attach the cover to the foam insert with hog rings on each side.

Turn the seat back over, and pull the back down tight while pulling the center and bolsters up from the front. Look up under the flap at the bottom of the back, and locate the attachment welting/listing. The front  and back will be stapled to each other without actually being attached to  the seat itself. And again, as you did on the cushion, decide how to make  your package look prettiest. Generally it is wisest to start with the center, but not complete its edges until you are ready to do the bolsters. When stapling the back, you may find it easiest to poke the hog  ring through the listing on the back side of the cover (which is hidden under the flap) and then bring the front around to meet it, or do the opposite, putting the staple through the welting from the front and then reaching in to grab the back. Do what works best for you.

After the center is started you can move to the bolsters and finish up the job. The cover is now attached to the seat back. Make sure it is straight! Replace the headrest speakers, if any, and replace their cover.  Be sure the cover is placed firmly under the seam in the cover so that it  does not stick out. Find the best fit and zip the headrest cover closed.  Your seat cushion and back are now both finished being covered.
 

Step 5: Reassemble the seat

The '99 track also has two 14m bolts on the side where the seat belt receiver attaches. Again, carefully locate the bolt holes, open them up with an awl and scissors, and tighten the track on the side.

Find the bolt holes on the tilt-arm side of the seat cushion and open them up. Carefully lifting the plastic cover to expose the 14mm bolts, re-attach the tilt-arm to the side of the seat cushion. A box-end wrench works best here. Tighten the bolts.

On the non tilt-arm side, push the round plastic grommet back into the metal arm.

You're now ready to attach the seat back to the cushion. On the non-tilt arm side of the seat back, there is a metal protrusion which will slide into the grommet. Cut the material to allow the metal piece to come through. Once the metal part is free, slide it into the grommet and secure it with the Phillips head screw (or 8mm bolt if its a '99.) Don't tighten it all the way yet.
Line up the seat back with the tilt-arm mechanism. Get a rough idea of where the holes should be. Then feel around for the two 14mm bolt holes in the seat back side. The best way is to place the seat back into position and use an awl to punch through the holes. Again, open up the holes a bit with a blade or scissors and re-attach the seat back to the tilt-arm. Tighten the two bolts, then go back to the non tilt-arm side and tighten the screw.

Slide the plastic cover back over the tilt-arm with the two 14mm bolts. Carefully rotate the larger plastic cover to expose the hole at the bottom of the smaller plastic cover Secure it at the bottom with the Phillips head screw. Then secure the larger cover with the two Phillips head screws removed way back when you started.

Step 6: Reinstall the seats