upholstering seats

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406 V6
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upholstering seats

Post by 406 V6 »

Hi!
Fellas, do you find upholstering normal seats with springs instead of foam is doable?
i removed the driver's seat on the C5 to find out where a bit of play was coming from and it struck me (the idea, no the seat [:D]).
Thanks!
Stuart McB
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Post by Stuart McB »

Do you mean the whole seat? or just the bit you sit on or the back rest. Years back I used to re-pad using foam the drivers seat in my Austin Maxi 1750 HL (twin carbs).
406 V6
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Post by 406 V6 »

just where i sit on. dunno if it's a good idea or not, just trying to make it softer and more comfy. or using latex?
bxbodger
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Post by bxbodger »

It would be very difficult, but not impossible!!
I have also been there with the old BL comfy armchairs, and they were a totally different construction to todays moulded plastic base and lump of foam!! You would need a square steel perimeter frame to hold the springs, and thicker foam- basically a whole new custom built seat. Why don't you try one of those orthopaedic car seat cushions that strap on?
I do think though, that the old BL sprung seats were part of the reason the cars were so comfortable to drive- they went very well with the hydragas, a bit sticky when it was hot, though!!
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Many BMC cars had a rubber diaphragm construction for the front seats which was fine till the clips holding it in position pulled out. Ford used zig zag springs like your domestic armchair in their Mk111 Cortinas and again they broke easily. The Mk 4 eas supposed to be better, tested by large policemen for 40,000 miles (shows how long Ford expected the car to last!)
For the mk11 jaguar used a multicoil setup - the front seat is made of loads of interlocked coil springs - I haven't a clue how you mend this unless someone still makes them - I suppose you could bend them round a former yourself with patience!
If you're a fan of the zig zag type of springs they are available from furniture repairers and could be fitted fairly easily of the frame is good enough.
My Renault 21 had a construction that was new to me, a sheet steel pan simply filled with shaped foam blocks to achieve the contour and then covered. Fine and didn't sag but the bolts pulled out of the bottom and I had to strip it and weld it.
Jeremy
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