[Spicewood1]

My drivers side upper foam is shot, so I'm planning to replace both seat uppers and lowers. Who makes the most correct reproduction foam?

[OG68]

ACI seems to be the favorite

https://www.amesperf.com/parts/19587/

[HWYSTR455]

Yes, ACI, or interestingly enough, Thortons. They state they have the original manufacturer of GM seat foams and use the original type/density foam, as well moldings.

https://www.thorntonmusclecars.com/interior

They have full slot, half slot, and no slot foams, with listings for all GM A bodies.

"Seat foams are made in the Greater Philadelphia area by the original company who supplied GM (Yes we tracked them down and they happen to be local to us!).

The proper fit and feel of the seats are of the utmost importance for the iconic A-bodies. The seat foam will set the final height of the seat (for those of you who have experienced your head touching the headliner) and can even push the driver closer to the steering wheel. They also dictate the overall pull and fit of the seat covers. The molds for these foams were replicated to have the same contour, density, and dimensions as the original seat foams.

Samples of these foams have been put through the ringer to ensure the best fit and feel before the final production was approved.

Seat foams are sold in a set per bucket seat (one upper and one lower).

Please send us your vehicle information to ensure we send you the proper foams."


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[rambow]

It would be interesting to hear first hand experience with the Thornton's buns from someone who has used ACI & PUI buns before.

The price makes it tempting to try them.

They don't appear to come with the cloth glued to them that is needed to install them.. That could be confusing for someone doing it for the first time.

I have a set of seats I'm going to be building to flip this spring, I might give their buns a shot. If I do I'll report back.

[propuckstopper]

Originally Posted by rambow

It would be interesting to hear first hand experience with the Thornton's buns from someone who has used ACI & PUI buns before.

The price makes it tempting to try them.

They don't appear to come with the cloth glued to them that is needed to install them.. That could be confusing for someone doing it for the first time.

I have a set of seats I'm going to be building to flip this spring, I might give their buns a shot. If I do I'll report back.

I would be very inetested to find out the result of the Thornton's buns myself...

[rambow]

After contemplating a few mins, I went ahead and dropped the hammer and ordered a pair from Thornton.

I've always been a fan of the ACI buns, but holy schnikes, they are ~$400 for a pair now from NPD!!! The Thornton ones are half that. $205 AFTER shipping.

It may be a few months before I actually recover these seats using them, but will definitely do a side by side comparison of the bare buns to some ACIs once they arrive.

-Ben

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by rambow

They don't appear to come with the cloth glued to them that is needed to install them.. That could be confusing for someone doing it for the first time.

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They have a tight nylon mesh on the bottoms, my upholstery guy said that the burlap & cotton stuff isn't used when it has that mesh.

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[rambow]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

They have a tight nylon mesh on the bottoms, my upholstery guy said that the burlap & cotton stuff isn't used when it has that mesh.

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I'm not referring to the decking material over the springs- I'm talking about the cloths that are glued to the bun that holds them in place while you install the covers.

Some installers would just glue buns like these w/o the install cloths directly to the decking (although you can't really do that if you don't have decking though) and that works too.

TMI embeds steel rods inside their a-body buns that you hogring down to the spring side listing rods to hold them in place, then your cover listings get attached to the rods.
Kind of a PITA to deal with IMO, I've had to open up the bun around the rod in order to catch it consistently, but it does work and it is an interesting idea to improve the overall process.

But the way they were originally installed was by hogringing a canvas cloth glued to the buns around to the back side of the springs holding it all in place. Quick and easy, and the ACI and PUI buns both come with it already glued on.


Not a big deal to do, especially if it turns out these buns are as soft as the ACI ones and at half the price!

[HWYSTR455]

Ok, I see now, here's a PUI vid showing PUI foams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZhVwNk3czY

This is a Legendary vid using ACI foams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoS-hdY6X9A

Just to say, the PUI foams are junk, they add like 4" of thickness, and that pushes you closer to the steering wheel, and closer to the roof.

I bought the pre-assembled PUI replacement buckets, and it's like sitting on a beach ball. Absolutely horrible. Pretty sure I posted info on that, can search it here.

I'm going to redo them, and will be using the Thorton or ACI foams. Pretty sure I'm going to get the Thorton foams, I trust their' opinion(s) on other things, and have a great reputation. And they mention other foams and seating positions.

Let me know how they look when you get them.

My '71 LeMans I bought with like 68k miles on it, and the interior was 100% factory. I replaced the covers once, and it had the burlap & cotton from the factory. (Comfortweave seats).

On that thread, someone chimed in and commented that the whole bottom replacement seat springs have extra wires in them, and those should be removed if you want a more factory feel, but I will look at it when I get to that project.

That guy has done many seats, people used to send them to him to refurb, but think he said he doesn't want to do that anymore. He uses ACI foams exclusively, and even made hit own burlap & cotton sets. He knew exactly what I was talking about when I mentioned 'overstuffed'.

Anyway, good luck with your project, and let me know how the Thorton ones look when you get them. I suggest creating a thread for your seat project and post here, sure others would appreciate that too.


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[HWYSTR455]

PFFT!! Found the thread, it was you rambow I was talking about! Heheh!

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...+bucket&page=2

Starts around post #49 or so.

I still haven't gotten around to doing the seats, obviously! Heheh! I'm knee-deep in my 'bird project after moving to a new house!


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