Gerahead's 71 Dart

While I want to do the right thing on my project with respect to part replacement/refurbishment, at the same time, I want to be conscious of where and how I spend. In that light, I thought the cost of the upholstery installation kits were insanely expensive. So instead of spending almost $600 on the materials, between JoAnn fabrics and Amazon, I found everything I needed for under $100. I mail ordered all the foam in order to get the sizes I wanted. When delivered, the foam had been compressed as tightly as mechanically possible and wrapped in cellophane. The thicker foam was okay when released from its cocoon, but the 1" foam stayed compressed along the edges and some folds in the middle of the sheets, even after several weeks after unrolling. Being obsessed with stuff like this, I went looking for a way to "relieve" the areas that were crimped. Many video queries mentioned that steam would refurbish upholstery foam. A quick search on FB Marketplace identified several garment steamers nearby that were under $30. I picked one nearby advertised for $10 and figured I couldn't go wrong with that. It worked marvelously! In a period of about 15 minutes, I was able to remove all the deformation in the foam and returned it to like-new appearance. Being the eternal skeptic, I was thrilled with the outcome. Since we won't see the sun here in the tundra until about May, I also have a means to smooth out any wrinkles in the covers after I install them!