Fizzy Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 after finishing putting my new carpet in yesterday - thanks to some help from forum members - the next job is the seats. for the drivers seats ive got new foams and cover, for the passenger seat just a cover as the foam is in good nick it seems.i got the stuff from park lane, and the quality is immense, very pleased. got a load of instructions with the order, which is great, but was wondering if anybody else had some inside tips on making this easy.i realise now i probably made it harder for myself re-using one of the foam sets, but theres no way i could justify 70 quid replacing something that didnt need replacing and doesnt get used much. im just hoping the foam wont fall apart when i take the old cover off. im thinking of cutting the old cover off rather than pulling it off to put as little stress on the foam as possible. obviously the drivers set will just get binned.from what i can tell from the instructions, the most important thing is just taking my time to make sure everything fits as well as possible.any tips ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilnaz Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Fizzy I think you have most of it. I did mine and was very satisfied with the end result. One tip is to use cable ties instead of hog-rings for the seat bases. They allow you to tighten the seat base up to get even tension and are so much easier to use. You probably need a pack of 50. Another tip is to add a little extra foam behind the lumbar region of the new foams as this will increase the comfort factor (or at least it did for me). Do not try and re-use the existing rubber straps unless they are very tight as this will make a huge difference to the comfort of your seats.Take it very easy and be careful when using the spray on foam (for the seat backs) as it gets all over your hands even if you are very careful then it transfers to things you touch. It just makes the job more time consuming.I ended up with good looking seats that are very comfortable.best of luck,neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzman Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 post some photos fizzy. I am thinking about doing the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 neil - yeah park lane suggested cable ties and supply them to buy with the seats, so thats sorted. i also got new cardboard bits that go under the base.jazzman - i will be sure to get some pics as im doing the job, though im not sure when i will get started. if i can do a decent job, any monkey could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dicky Blighter Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 To make it easier to slide the new covers over the foam cover the foam in cling film first - covers slide on easy then. You can then reach upand pull the cling film out (or just leave it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 yeah, in the instructions from park lane they suggest using carrier bags - though cling film sounds better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieB Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 neilnaz wrote: Another tip is to add a little extra foam behind the lumbar region of the new foams as this will increase the comfort factor (or at least it did for me).Wish I'd read this before I did mine, I'm going to add more foam when I get round to it.Quote:Do not try and re-use the existing rubber straps unless they are very tight as this will make a huge difference to the comfort of your seats.I agree but the kits from the usual suppliers are a bit of a rip off. Just buy some "Pirelli Seat Webbing" from eg. http://www.classiccar-trim.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowdown Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 When you're fixing the cover to the seat frame, make sure you pull the material up to the frame before tightening the cable tie. If you pull the cover with the tie, you will certainly tear the vinyl.And get something to soothe sore fingers - it'e hard work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieB Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 This may be useful:http://www.bmcno.org/tech%20tips/Spitfire_Seats.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 11, 2009 Author Share Posted July 11, 2009 so the drivers seat is done. i did have a little confusion with which sided cushions should go where and which covers they go with and which side of the car they go on, but in the end i think i got it right. the seat takes up more room in the car now, with the left side of the drivers seat rubbing on the gearbox tunnel cover thing slightly. also the hood frame rubs very slightly very briefly when moving the roof. considering the seats i have are mk4 in a mk3 spit, i would expect them not to be a perfect fit. i am also sitting noticabley higher than i used to be, though im guessing once the seats have settled, the benefits of the new cushions will be massive. its certainly more comfy round the sides of my torso and on my ass. overall though, well chuffed, well worth the money.however, i planned to re-use the foams in the passenger seat, A because im tight and B because they werent depositing themselves all over my new carpet and felt good. problem is when i took the old cover off, the side bolsters fell away in a million pieces from the seat back. the bottom cushion was for the most part reusable, which is good, and the seat back foam is also reusable, as long as i can replace the side bolsters bits.so ive been hunting round for foam and can't find anything suitable. has anybody else managed to find suitable foam in suitbale sizes? i just need a bit for each side of the seat back.or will i just be better off buying another new seat back, which i was trying to avoid because of the cost and because i dont sit in the passenger seat, and most of the seat back is in usable condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Most Saturday markets have a upholstery type stall that sell block foam. Or try an old-fashioned re-upholsterers shop. Look in Yellow Pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 i have been to a few places round where i live, but they either dont have recon foam in the size i need, unless i stick sheets together, or they dont sell anything as dense as recon foam. saying that, the new seatback i brought from park lane didnt have recon foam bolsters. i was looking at one of those memory foam pillows yesterday, they're the perfect size for what i want, but they're obviously quite soft. but then im guessing they wont lose their shape as they're memory foam. or i could get the most dense normal type foam i can find, and hope it lasts seen as its in the passenger seat.whichever, im enjoying the extra load space not having a passenger seat gives you ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Take your time and you should be alright! Which covers have you got?I got some nice leather ones from another supplier, I did look a Parklane their product looked good but I got the leather ones for the same price.Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 i just got boggo standard vinyl ones. non recline, no headrest type as thats what ive got. i was well chuffed with them. they had a sale on when i brought them, so they were a bit cheaper than they should have been. i sold my Fizzy and got new carpets, new seat covers, new foam and a couple of smaller trim pieces from the money, plus paid off a debt i owed, so well worth the loss of my bike.i got a suitable piece of foam yesterday, just gotta cut it up and shape it, shouldnt be difficult. its pretty good stuff, and i could have had it for free, but i insisted on paying, so the guy asked for a quid for a cuppa. i gave him 3 and said get a beer instead buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffG Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Fizzy,Should be receiving some foams for my GT6 drivers seat shortly so was wondering if you could give a rough idea how many hours it took you to do your seat?Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 i dont knwo if its supposed to be a one man job, but 2 people will give you a much better finish, and obviously be quicker from what i can tell. at one point, having somebody to compress the newly covered cushion down for when you tighten the tie wraps up is very handy. other than that, its not difficult, even for a trimming first timeer like me. a good job coems from taking your time and being precise.my first seat took a bit longer as it was the first one, but i would expect, with a second pair of hands, to get the second one done in half an hour, possibly a bit more. theres not much too the job, just stick the foam to the seat frame, pull the covers down over the seat and foam properly, then secure it all with glue/tie wraps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fizzy Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 finally got the second seat in. now has new carpets, new seat covers and new foams on the drivers side. i used the old foams for the passenger side because they wern't too bad, though the side bolsters fell apart. so it took me a while to find some suitbale foam to rebuild them from, but eventually got some good stuff for free from a local trim shop.cutting the new foam with an electric bread knife, we kept chopping bits off till it looked about right. also added an extra strip to each side of the base cushion to beef it up a bit, and added a thin slab in the middle of the base where pulling the old cover off ripped some foam off under the fluted bitit wasn't pretty to look at, but with the cover on it looks fine. all in all, i saved my self 70 quid by re-using the foams and rebuilding the crumbly bits, and was well worth doing, and doesnt look too bad. i'll get some pics soon, looks a lot better than it used too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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