Full-On 2004 GMC 2500 Diesel Truck Buildup, Part 1 - Build It!

It was time to improve the interior of our '04 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew Cab Duramax. The driver's seat always shows wear the fastest, and our truck was no different. The people at Road Wire know how to build an interior. Their kit is simple to install and will improve even the newest interior. If you could feel the difference between the stock leather and the new Road Wire kit, you would find that the feeling is a night-and-day difference. Road Wire will ship your order in 2-3 days. You can choose your color-solid or two-tone. There are several other options such as contrast stitching, animal prints, custom logos, and more.

Before we got started, we opened the box and set the new Road Wire interior in the sun. This slowly heated the interior and made it much easier to install.

Next, we removed the bolts that hold our stock seat rails to the floor. There are four bolts on each front captain's seat, and several on the rear bench.

We unplugged the harness that plugs into each front captain's seat.

Now it was time to remove any plastic trim pieces on the seats.

We carefully removed our seats. Make sure to control the seat so you don't scratch your paint when you remove it. The seats are heavier than they look. The rear bench seat will take 2 to 4 people to remove it. You will have to tilt the top of the seat forward to get the bench to clear the doors. Be careful!

To remove the power seat controls, we removed the screws. There were two wiring harnesses that needed to be unplugged.

Then we removed the two large bolts under the front of each seat (they are close to the corners). This allowed the seat cushion to pull forward.

We pulled on each black plastic strip on the stock seat leather. These plastic strips are what hold the leather to the seat frame. Sometimes they can be a pain, but once one end is loose, they are removed easily. You may need to mark the mounting point for the black plastic strips. The new Road Wire interior mounts to the same location.

We pulled up on the stock seat cover. You will feel some resistance in the middle of the cushion. The stock seat has hooks that help hold the leather to the stock foam. Pull with firm, even pressure to remove the stock leather.

It was time to remove the seatbelt plastic cover. We pressed in on the ends with a screwdriver and pulled it out.

Next, we removed the armrest. We used needle-nose pliers (you can also use a flathead screwdriver) to remove the retaining clip on the seat back cushion. We were careful to not lose the clip-we held tight and didn't let it slip away. There is also a small rubber band that is reused, and we were careful not to break it. Next step was to pull the armrest off the seatback.

We removed the headrest. You do not have to remove the plastic clips on the seatback. We used a small screwdriver to press in, but under, each plastic clip.

The headrest pulled straight out.

We were able to remove the stock leather the same way as the seat cushion leather. It is easier if you fold, or roll the leather up as you remove it. We do not suggest you try to pull straight up.

We are not saving our stock leather, so in some areas we used scissors to make relief cuts to remove the stock leather easier. If you do this, do not cut your foam.

You can just install your new Road Wire interior straight up, or steam your stock foam first.

We highly suggest you steam the foam first. This brings the stock foam back to "like new" condition. The foam will grow before your eyes. Yes, this makes it harder to install the new Road Wire interior, but it helps with wrinkles later.

We installed the new Road Wire interior seatback, and turned the new kit inside out and kept it folded. Slowly, and firmly, we pulled the new Road Wire interior over the foam.

We hit the seat with an open hand to get the stock hooks to grab the new interior.

Next, we pulled the new black plastic strips over the stock mounting locations that were marked earlier. You should feel the plastic strips click into place.

It may be necessary to hit the seat a few more times (because you're mad, or just for fun) to get the stitching to line up. If needed, pinch the stitching, pull on it, and move it around. Use steam to help remove remaining wrinkles. The steam will not hurt your new Road Wire interior.

We removed the stock leather on the headrest and installed the new Road Wire interior head piece. Attach the black strip and place the headrest back in the seatback.

To install the new Road Wire interior armrest, it is not necessary to remove the stock leather. Instead, we sprayed a lubricant on the stock leather and pulled the new Road Wire piece over the stock leather. It had to be muscled, but it worked.

Holes had to be cut for the seatbelt, the mounts for the armrest, the headrests, and the seat controls.

Here's a look at it with the holes cut.

It was easy-we used scissors (but you can also use a razor blade if you prefer). We were extra careful to be sure of our cuts before making them.

The steps are repeated on each seat. The directions are the same for the rear bench.

Installing an interior kit from Phoenix Imaging will upgrade any vehicle. Our '04 GMC Duramax can hang with any high-end vehicle's interior now that we've installed the kit. In order to jazz up your interior, you have to remove the pieces you want covered and send them to Phoenix Imaging in Texas. The normal turnaround time is 3-4 weeks, and so worth it! We removed a large portion of our project truck's interior. Each piece was wrapped and packaged, then mailed to Phoenix Imaging. Make sure you take a picture of what you sent. You also need to include an inventory of the items you send. Our suggestion would be to include your name, address, and phone number on the inventory list so you can be easily contacted by Phoenix Imaging.