Seat Foams

[hophead]

Now getting to the needing to vacuum the car as the side bolsters of the seats are relocating to the floor, so are looking for recomendations on best suppliers / way to do this.

Questions are: what parts do I need, and any recommendations of suppliers.

I am assuming I am needing new side foams, but do I also need to replace the webbing too? Likewise, is this also worth getting the seat base/diaphram done?

Places I am currently aware of: RobSport, classiccar seats (ebay) and Aldridge Trimmings.

Thanks!

Al
Stag Mk2 TR V8

[StagnJag]

I got mine from Aldridge. Very happy with them. I did find it tricky to get the seat tipping lever to line up with the hole in the cover so I suspect that the Aldridge foams are a little on the bulky side. I hadn't tackled anything like this before and I was happy with the end result. If your bolsters have gone you will probably find that the head rests have gone as well, they are filled with the same chopped foam. (MKII anyway).

Rgds

Dave

[Paul Goldsmith]

Mine too came from Aldridge and also very happy with them, pretty straightforward to fit - definately worth the money IMO. By far the worst part was removing all the sticky old crumbs from the original seat covers (to avoid any lumps !)

I used & recommend the key tips of doing outside on a warm day to make the seat covers as pliable as possible (also no messy crumbs indoors) and using a thinnish plastic bag, split open, to act as 'lubricating' barrier between the covers and new foams. Both really helped the fettling of position and fit - remember to remove the bag when do though !

Although I had no issue with the seat tipping lever alignment or otherwise but it does seem that these foams are slightly bulkier than original or that the seat covers have shrunk over time.

I've only done the seat backs & headrests so far, but have got the other foams and will be doing the bases this weekend if the weather holds

[PhilG]

Al,
I also got mine from Aldridge and had the benefit of V Mad instructions from earlier thread. The foams do need slight trimming to recess into the seat frame otherwise the cover won't fit. Aldridge include the foam back with the bolsters so I replaced these even thought the old ones seemed OK. A couple of my straps were a bit tired but I just swapped them around.
Having fitted the backs, I felt the bases were a bit soft so am now replacing the foam in them.

Can't find the earlier thread but I saved the instructions which I include below (credit to V Mad though).

Phil

STRIPPING AND REMOVING OLD COVERS AND FOAMS
1. Remove the seat back from the seat base.
2. Remove the fittings (levers etc) and the rear panel four screws (two screws hidden inside pocket). Retain the two internal clips. Remove the headrest (note catch inside).
3. Remove all clips holding the cover to frame (note where they go; take pictures!) and remove cover. Remove covers from two anchor arms only if bad (refitting new ones is a bit tricky).
4. Clean old bad foam away. Central foams can remain if good.
5. Check frame and de-rust/repair as necessary.
FITTING THE NEW FOAMS
1. Fit/glue central foams. Feed tabs though to back.
2. Fit side bolster foams and note where two frame strips touch on the back. Trim the foam so it goes right over straps and into the frame recess. The side foams need trimming at the back where they fit over the two metal straps, otherwise they are larger profile than the old foams and will not fit an old cover. Lightly glue foams into place.
3. Fit and glue in the top centre foam.
4. After you put the foams on, do a quick dry run with your seat backs to see if they fit snugly in the recess and make sure you have access to the screw holes in the seat frame for fastening the seat backs on later.
FITTING THE COVER
1. The main cover is retained only by clips, not glue
2. Fit the two small covers to the anchor arms and glue into place.
3. Put cling film over the top and side foams and fit the new cover. Pull the top and sides back into position.
4. Put in a few clips at top and sides to hold in place. Pull the cover down and back until the cover fits neatly over the bottom of the frame at sides (trim foam as necessary). Pull centre section down and clip at the back.
5. Check shape of the cover and adjust tension to remove any creases. When shape is approx correct pull all tabs lightly and clip into place. Check shape and adjust again as necessary.
6. Mark position of headrest hole in cover; remove top clips and fold back cover; cut hole and fit bezel; replace cover, fit clips and then fit headrest. Make sure you have the seat cover fitting perfectly and fully re-tensioned before you even think about cutting a hole for the head restraints. Be careful cutting this hole; try to cut a small oblong hole rather than a straight cut as this could extend into a tear when under tension.
7. Mark position of side catch and cut small slit in cover. Fit escutcheon and knob.
8. Fit the back panel with clips and screws.
SEAT BASE
Sticking the foam to the frame is not essential but helps stop it slipping. There is a 50cm strip of material inside the cover along the seam which can be glued to the foam. This keeps the seam in the correct place on the edge of the foam.
First you put the foam onto the seat frame. Then you glue the centre section (the woven bit) of the cover to the matching centre section of foam. When tacky, fit the cover to the foam. Let this dry completely before you continue. Don’t yet glue any other parts of the cover to the foam. Make sure you use a lot of glue to secure the centre section onto the foam. If you don’t stick this down, the seat will flatten and look rather odd. Ignore the grey padding - that can just be wrapped around the back. The position of the cover is determined by aligning the centre woven section to the matching recess in the foam.
Then turn the cover inside out, so the seam strip on the inside is exposed; put some glue under the strip in a few places then tuck this over the edge of the foam all the way round, while it is still wet so you can reposition it if necessary. Push all the tabs through to the underside for clipping later.
Now fold the cover down and check for good shape at the top edges. Don’t worry yet about any creases.
Lightly tension the sides of the cover and clip in place underneath in just four places. Now tension the tabs evenly and clip all into place. Check the shape of the seat and change tensions where necessary to get all the creases out.
Finally place all clips and glue the rear corners down to give a tidy finish.

[StagnJag]

I did my drivers seat recently, I didn't use any glue anywhere, other than to stick the larger rectangular pieces to the webbing straps.

I didn't find cling film or plastic necessary. I read a tip somewhere that Silicon Lubricant can be used and that worked really well. (You can buy it in spray cans from Halfords) Looking at the mess that came out it looks as though the original bolster foams were attached to the frame using some sort of fabric based double sided sticky tape. I saw something similar in Home base the other day for sticking carpets down with, but as I say I didn't use anything and still got a good result.

Rgds

Dave

[hophead]

Sounds like Aldridge the winners with 3 of 3 replies And yes, the head rests are also getting a little 'saggy'. And thanks for the instructions (I had seen these before, but not with views on whose foam to use).

Only last question, is, is it worth changing the seat covers to leather as I am doing this, or leaving my original tan ones. (These are generally in good condition, apart from a rip in the base part of the drivers seat alas. So possible to just have this changed).

Thanks.

Al