Need help/guidance with a convertible rear seat restoration
 

This is for a 1970 A body.. I know the originals used a molded rear seat "bun", burlap, and cotton batting. For those that have restored a 1970 convertible seat, what did you use? Foam? Foam and batting? Foam, batting, and jute padding? This isn't a frame off, just want a comfortable rear seat.

If foam, 1", 1.5", or 2" high density? A mix of high density and batting?

I stripped and blasted my back seat frames now it's time to recover.

Thank you in advance!

I'm completing the rear upper seat right now ... I used burlap, then a felt/jute layer, then three layers of cotton batting, then covered the cotton batting in muslin cloth to hold it in place while putting the cover on.

Yet to start the bottom.

From what I'm seeing after some pretty extensive research is that appears to be a lot of ways to skin this cat. Only thing I can see that people agree on is burlap first :)

Looking forward to the responses ... hopefully a nice bottom up description of the layers.

Dataway- exactly! I recovered the front bench, as the cotton batting and foam looked good. I replaced the burlap. Came out OK.

The rear seat was completely blown out (Texas sun and rain). The frame was OK.. everything else disintegrated. So, my plan is burlap over the springs, then maybe? jute, then foam, the maybe a layer of batting, then the cover??

In my other convertible, the foam pad/ "bun" is disintegrating.. leaving yellow foam dust all over the black carpet. That one will be a concours job...

From what little I know, the upright back seat is Burlap, jute, 3 layers batting, (musline optional) then cover.

Seems like most of the bottoms are Burlap, foam (or 5 layers batting, or both), (muslin optional), then cover. Almost all the videos I've seen where they tear apart an OEM bottom it has foam from the factory ... so do we replace that foam with foam? Replace it with 5 layers of batting? Replace it with foam and 2 layers of batting?

Reminds of the Underwear Knomes business plan ..

1. Underwear
2. ???
3. Profit

I am no expert. But there is a guy on this forum who does this for a business and gladly shares all of his experience. I suggest you PM Rambow and ask him your questions. I believe his name is Ben. Good luck.

Yep, that's where I got my materials. He'll definitely have an answer for you.

The convertible back seats are unique that they have the molded foam, since none of the other a-body back seats got molded foam...
They were just burlap+jute+cotton... sometimes a layer of sheet foam over the top of that.

When i do back seats i just use the burlap/jute/cotton method. Its easy, inexpensive, and its the same as GM did in the majority of their backseats of the era.

I do on occasion offer to use a High Resistance (53lb) Automotive grade 2" foam sheet in the lower cushion (on top of burlap & jute laid directly over the springs)... This is a little harder to install the cover because you have to compress the foam and the springs while you are stretching on the cover- much more so than with cotton.
But when its done it gives a much improved firm feel.. but due to the difficulty I would not recommend it for your first seat cover install.

I don't like to use sheet foam in the upper rear cushion... you need to run a softer foam up there, and its even harder to get the cover on due to the relatively thin sections of vinyl on the top and sides... not as much material to stretch. I find it easier to use cotton and be able to man handle and re-stuff cotton into the top corners as needed to fill them out and fix wrinkles.


Anyway, thats my $.02

Yep, I just started on my 68 rear bottom seat ... just burlap, then some kind of weird burlap bonded to cotton (and thin plastic sheet?), then cotton batting from the factory.

I should have done the bottom first, it looks easier than the top.

Was the factoring using foam on the rear bottom by 70? I see a lot of videos showing 1970 models that have foam on the bottom from the factory. Maybe they were convertibles?

BTW ... rambow, I noticed on the bottom seat in back, under the springs, what looks like a layer of jute. What was that for? Insulation, sound damping? Appeared that it may have been glued to the bottom of the springs? The mice had done away with most of it, but appears it covered the whole bottom. Not talking about the small piece of foam that is on the center forward section.

Did AC cars get any extra "insulation" under the seats?

Rambow- What thickness of cotton batting are you laying down on the lower seat? Upper seat? I will make a run to JoAnne fabrics this weekend to pick up the burlap and batting. Will have to source out the jute. What thickness jute are you using??
Thanks again!

starting around 1969 the factory started putting an extra peice of sheet foam ontop of the cotton, directly under the cover- but to my knowledge other than convertibles, a-bodies did not get molded foam in the rear seat.

To be honest I don't know the purpose of the extra piece of jute under the rear seat. I know that its there on all back seats, not just ac cars... its also there on front bench seats... its NOT there on bucket seats.

It doesn't wrap around / inbetween any springs so its not a spring insulator.. So :confused:

Like i said they did it on all the back seats and bench seats so i'm sure it was for a reason.

hope that helps!
Ben

I use cotton "felt" batting, which comes in a big roll, each layer uncompressed is about 2" thick.

For back seats I typically use 4 layers for the lower rear cushion and 3 layers for the upper rear cushion. Uncompressed, this will look huge- but it compresses down easily, and this number of layers seems to fill out the covers nicely.
I also lay a thin plastic sheet over the top to help the cover slide over the cotton w/o bunching it up.

The jute padding i use & sell is pretty thin its about 1/8" thick... i've used a variety of materials for that layer- if you can't find the thin stuff, I've also used 1/4" thick fabric(not rubber) carpet pad material with a lot of success- unfortunately I find it cost prohibitive and it takes up too much room to ship economically(for my own kits and sales).

Here are a few pics of my original backseat bottom being dissected.

First one just shows what it looks like from the bottom before I go at it. Things of note on the OEM construction to clarify what you can and can't replicate. There is no single piece of burlap by itself covering the springs, it is incorporated into the first layer of sewn batting. So (and rambow correct in any instance I am wrong) we replace that with a sheet of burlap, covered by a sheet of felt. Also on this bottom seat, the batting stops right at the edge of the seat, the sides and front are just stretched vinyl seat cover like a tent. They seemed to neatly trap about 1" (compressed) of batting between the perimeter of the seat cover and the frame, not sure how they did that so neatly.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1611344753



Next we see a wire reinforced plastic sheet that lays directly over the springs but stops about 6-8" short of the ends ... why I have no idea. Saw this on both bottom and top seats.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1611344753



Next we see the combination burlap/sewn-batting which does extend all the way to the seat edges where it is hog ringed in place. Note the sewn seams running lengthwise through this layer.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1611344753



Next we see the top of the previous layer, rolled back you can see the top layer of batting that is directly under the seat cover.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1611344753



Here is an edge shot showing the layers and their relative thickness after 50 years of compression.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1611344753

I'm guessing the wire reinforced plastic sheet is kind of an additional spring layer ... the wires are spring steel and quite tough. Would assist in preventing the batting from pushing it's way through the springs after years of use.

Not sure what could be used to replicate this if desired. Perhaps some fiber reinforced plastic tarp material? Stainless screen? Or if it's even necessary if the springs are covered in the robust jute/felt product that rambow uses in his kits. The fact that it was plastic did protect the areas it covered from moisture as seen in the third photo. And the mice didn't seem as fond of it, choosing eat around it.

I have 3 convertible rear seats, 2 out of 1970's, 1 out of a 1972. The 70's have a formed seat bun. The one out of my GS has a molded seat bun which is disintegrating. That is the one that I will take out and "concours" restore.
The 72 rear seat bottom is burlap with 14 wire "strands" weaved through, then 1.5" foam with 1" foam "edges" glued around the perimeter, and the seat cover is placed over that. I am using this one in my summer "fun" convertible.

The front bench is out of a 1970 GS was burlap with wires, LOTS of cotton batting, wrapped in muslin.

Dataway- do you have more pictures of that seat WITH the cover still on it? I need to see where that black back "flap" hogrings too....

Maybe these two photos will help.

The yellow arrow points to how the BACK of the flap is hog-ringed. The red arrow points to where the INSIDE of the flap is hog-ringed.

The inside of the flap should have a listing wire in it that hog-ringed to the springs, then the flap is flipped over that ledge in the seat frame and hog-ringed to about the same place but on the outside back.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...8&d=1611531694


http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...9&d=1611531701

Here is another, again with the yellow arrows indicating where the rear of the flap was secured and the red showing where the inside with the listing wire is secured.
There was NO padding of any kind that I found inside or outside the flap, it was against the bare springs.

https://i.imgur.com/QIKdDyI.jpg