Mazda RX-7 Leather Seats Installation Guide

If you're reading this, it is safe to say that you have chosen to install your own interior. Or, perhaps you're curious as to the difficulty level of installing a leather interior. Either way, this comprehensive guide to leather installation will make your installation as easy as 1-2-3.

First, the tools you will need to install the interior. You will need the following:

The first step to install your new leather interior is to remove your seats from the vehicle. On the RX-7, each of the front seats are held in by five (5) bolts. These bolts are located at the ends of the seat rails, and one bolt is located at the end of the seat belt rod. Move the seat all the way back to reveal the front two bolts. They are covered by plastic trim pieces. Remove them using a flathead screwdriver or a trim removal tool. After the bolts are removed, move the seat all the way forward. You will see two more bolts covered plastic trim pieces. You will also see a bolt covered by a carpet that is attached with Velcro. After all five (5) bolts are removed, 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. Make sure to save all bolts, screws, and other parts for reassembly.

Plastic Trim Removal:

Before you can remove the factory covers, you will need to disassemble the seat. The first step is the remove the plastic trim pieces. They are located on the outside of each seat, and are held in by Phillips screws. Remove all of the screws, and then remove the plastic trim pieces (See Picture #1).

Seat Disassembly:

The next step is to separate the backrest and the cushion. There are five (5) bolts in total to remove the backrest from the cushion (See Pictures #2 and #3). After these bolts are removed, the backrest and the cushion should be separated. Make sure to keep track of where each bolt came from. Also, one bolt has a washer/bushing with it; make a note of the order in which this is removed.

Picture #1	Picture #2	Picture #3

Seat Cushion (Bottom):

Flip the seat cushion upside down, so the bottom of the seat cushion is facing you. There are four (4) bolts that hold the seat rails the to the fiberglass seat pan. Remove those bolts and remove the seat rails from the 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. There are also a few hog-rings and plastic push pins that hold the insert and the back of the cover to the fiberglass pan (See Picture #4). Remove these, and fold the factory cloth/leather up towards the center of the seat, revealing the insert seam lines. Be sure not to break the push pins; they are reused on the new covers. The inserts use hog-rings to attach the covers to the foam core (See Picture #5). Snip them and remove the cover.

The installation of the Leatherseats.com covers is the reverse of removal. The covers are side specific, so compare the Leatherseats.com cover to the factory cover and make sure that you install the correct cover on the correct seat (See Picture #6). Start with the cover inside-out and hog ring the inserts first. Then roll the cover over the edges, making sure that the seams on the Leatherseats.com cover line up with the seams on the foam core. After you have recovered the foam core and seat pan, set it aside and start on the backrest.

Picture #4	Picture #5	Picture #6

Backrest (top):

Start with the bottom the seatback facing you. You will see a line of hog-rings holding the front and back of the backrest covers together. After you snip these hog-rings, fold the insert (center section of the seat) up to reveal hog-rings holding the insert to the fiberglass frame. Remove these hog-rings, and continue to fold the insert up until you reach the top. At the top you will see plastic pushpins and hog-rings holding the top of the insert to the frame. Remove these, and remove the insert section from the seat. Pay special attention to how the top of the insert section is removed from the backrest.

Backrest Insert Sections:

On the back of the insert section you will see hog-rings holding the edges of the insert section to the foam. Remove these hog-rings and start folding the cover inside-out. On each of the seams, there will be hog-rings holding these seams to the foam (See Picture #7). Remove these and remove the cover from the foam. The installation of the Leatherseats.com cover is the opposite of removal. Start with the insert cover inside out, and hog-ring to all of the factory locations. The insert covers are not side specific, but take extra care to make sure that the cover is centered on the foam. After you have recovered the insert section, set it aside and move on to the backrest.

Picture #7	Picture #8

Backrest Bolster and Headrest Sections:

You will see a series of flaps covering the center of the backrest. Remove the hog-rings from these flaps to reveal the hog-rings along the edges of the bolsters. Remove the hog-rings from the bolsters, and move on to the headrest section. Unzip the zipper that closes the cover around the headrest, and remove the cover. The installation of the Leatherseats.com cover is the reverse of removal. The backrest covers are side specific, so compare the covers and make sure that you install the correct cover on the correct seat (See Picture #8). Start with the cover inside-out, and line-up the seams on the top of the cover with the top of the headrest. Roll the cover over the headrest and bolsters, and zip the zipper to close the headrest section. Massage the headrest section to remove most of the wrinkles before moving on to the bolsters. Roll the cover over the bolsters and then hog-ring the cover to the seat frame in the factory locations. While doing this, massage the covers repeatedly; make sure that the covers are as smooth as possible to prevent the cover from being installed to high on the seat. Reinstall the recovered insert section into the backrest, and then reassemble the seat pan to the backrest frame. Reattach your plastic hardware and your seat rails. You will need to cut holes for the Plastic trim pieces, as well as the bolts for the hinge assemblies. Cut small squares just big enough to reveal the holes with a razor blade or Exacto knife. The final step is to put everything back into the car. Make sure that you reattach all the wiring harnesses!

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.

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