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The factory seat fabric in modern vehicles is essentially a very tight slipcover. It covers the seat foam using attachment clips rather than stitching. The Dodge Ram is no exception. If you are looking to thoroughly clean your factory cloth or replace your seat fabric with leather, you will need to remove the factory cloth covers from your Dodge Ram. This tutorial applies to all models of the Dodge Ram; some models may have additional bolts or screws to remove, but the factory cloth is attached in the same manner.
Step 1
Locate and remove the four bolts mounting each seat to the floorboard. The seats are mounted by bolts and can be removed with a household socket wrench. On older vehicles, the bolts may be difficult to remove. Use a solvent, such as Liquid Wrench, around the edges of the bolts to make removal easier. Concentrate on one seat at a time to make it easier.
Step 2
Disconnect the electrical connection underneath the seat (some models). Remove the seat and its hardware from the Ram. Turn the seat upside down and remove the seat rails connected to the seat bottom.
Step 3
Lift the plastic tabs holding the seat fabric to the seat cushion. The fabric is held on tight, so you may need to use the pliers to help remove the tabs from the seat mount. Once the tabs are removed, the fabric will slip away from the bottom seat cushion. Use the socket wrench to remove the bolts connecting the seatback to the seat cushion. The seatback must be disconnected from the cushion to take the fabric off.
Pull the tabs from the lower portion of the seatback to begin slipping the fabric off. Once the tabs are removed, the fabric can be removed, but will require more effort than the seat cushion. Keep pulling until the fabric completely slips off the seatback. You may have to roll it up while pulling to keep your grip. You are now able to install new seat fabric. Seat installation is the reverse of removal.
Tip
- Keep all bolts and hardware separated to make re-installation easier. Have a friend help secure the seatback while you pull the fabric over it. Pulling the fabric off the seatback requires a lot of effort. If you do not plan on using the old fabric, carefully use fabric scissors to help you remove it, but be careful not to cut the seat foam.
Warning
- For vehicles equipped with the bench seat, you must remove the center console prior to removing the seat. The console blocks the middle bolts you need to access to remove the seats.
Items you will need
- Socket wrench set
- Screwdriver
- Pliers
- Fabric scissors (optional)
- Assistant (optional)
