[Peter Serio]

One thing I wanted to mention was in working on any car that is over 30 to 40 years old; no matter what the seat covers look like the cotton under wrap also that molded latex foam & the burlap will develop a bad smell. Kind like a musty, mold stink. If the seats are set out in the sunlight the smell will get even worse. That's the foam actually deteriorating.

In my experience once old car seats start to smell like that there is no way to get rid of the smell. The only cure is as above to remove ALL of the old covers, foam, cotton and burlap material and replace with brand new!

Awesome tutorial BTW.

[rambow]

Spring repairs...

I start by counting out the # of loops needed for repair/replacement parts- count them off my rolls of 9ga (lower cushion) and 11ga (upper cushion) springs and cut them with bolt cutters.

I then use a pair of CS osborne 2" bending paddles (FYI the 1" paddles are too small for GM sized Medium loop spring) to bend and flatten the springs. If you don't feel like buying paddles for a single job, 2 large lineman pliars work well instead- thats what I used for a year or two before finally buying the paddles.

Bending spring is fairly easy- just use the paddles (or pliars) to grab two opposing loops and then twist. To flatten the spring, it just takes a tiny bit on each loop.

Once flattened, I start forming up repair springs.

2 new side support springs
1 front corner spring (patch- clamps onto existing spring)
1 front spring (patch- clamps onto existing spring)

For these i use the remaining unbroken springs on this and the other seat for templates, checking back and forth that i have the bends at the right angles.

[rambow]

Now that the springs have been formed to shape- attaching them.

Couple pics showing spring clips.
The style I use are called "BW Clips" they have a solid sleeve with a wax paper liner that helps prevent metal to metal squeaking once clamped.

There is a $50 tool to close them, but i've always just used a regular pair of pliars.
I like to squeeze just a hair on the inside "leg" of the C before I put them on and close up, helps for a tight joint.

and Finally some pics of the completed lower cushion spring parts installed.

In cases where a spring is fairly short and complex- i will completely form up a new spring and remove the whole original one.

In other cases like the front corner springs- these springs have the compression bend in the front, and then continue flat all the way to the rear of the seat- the break was in the compression section- so I usually replicate the compression bend section and then clamp it onto remaining good springs rather than replace the whole thing.

When you are clamping one spring onto another, i like to have 3 "bars" overlap that i can clamp onto.

You don't WELD springs to repair them.
Spring steel gets brittle when you do that and it will snap in the future.

[72pontiac]

i need this piece (marked by green line) for my 65 gto drivers seat. is this something you can supply, sorry for posting here on your tutorial

[72pontiac]

pic of broken perimeter piece

[rambow]

Originally Posted by 72pontiac

i need this piece (marked by green line) for my 65 gto drivers seat. is this something you can supply, sorry for posting here on your tutorial

Yes, I can replicate pretty much any edgewire needed as long as i have an example in front of me... Luckily I haven't started covering these yet. I'll send you a PM.

[jamesq]

This an amazingly detailed and informative thread!

Mostly, I have learned that I have neither the patience or expertise to do my own seats....Some tasks are best left to the folks with experience, especially considering the cost of the covers!

James Q

[rambow]

Been busy the last week or so, but catching up on my seat stuff...

We left off i still had some spring repairs for the upper cushion to complete, so here we go...

[rambow]

Next moving onto the padding / decking layer.

I start with the jute spring insulation pieces that go in the lower cushions

[rambow]

next comes the decking/padding layer
This is a sheet of burlap, then strips of jute that lays over the top of the springs to protect the bottom of the foam bun.

The strips of jute are spaced so there is an inch or so open over the top of the spring side listing rods.

[rambow]

BUNS!!!!!

These are American Cushion Industries (ACI) buns... They are by far the best on the market today (there are actually 4-5 companies making reproduction buns today, and they are NOT all equal)

[rambow]

I usually start with the lower cushions...

Lay the bun on the seat and turn it so you are looking at the back.
fold the rear attaching cloth under the bun then center the rear of the bun between the metal frame and hogring it to the springs as shown.

Then turn the frame so you are looking at the front.
Tilt it up, the cushion should be positioned so the front corners of the spring assembly are poking into the front "pockets" in the bun.
Pull the front attaching cloth down in the center and hogring it to the frame.

Turn the frame to look at the side
fold/roll up the attaching clothes and pull the edges of the cushion down and around the sides- and hogring to the bottom of the spring assembly.

[rambow]

dang 5 attachment limit.... LOL

And the lower bun is installed!

[rambow]

Upper cushion....

Lay the bun face down on your bench...
You'll notice some indentations near the top and bottom, these are indicators of where you place the bun.

Lay the cushion face down on the bun using the indentations as a guide.
Carefully center it side to side.

[rambow]

Once the bun is centered- Fold the top up, the edge will tough the top of the metal frame.
Pull the attaching cloth back and hogring it to the holes on the rear top edge of the frame.

Next fold/roll the attaching cloth on the bottom edge of the bun, then fold/pull it up and around the rear side of the bottom of the springs and hogring in place.

[rambow]

the 64/65 upper cushions sides are kind of funny- they have a little flap that is separate from the part that gets attached to the bun...

fold/roll the side attaching cloths and hogring it to the underside of the spring assembly...

Boom... Buns are installed

[rambow]

Next, use a sharpie and make marks within the listing channel of the bun where you plan to attach the hogrings.

Note during teardown you maybe have noticed they put a TON of hogrings in here... thats because they were using a hydraulic hogring gun w/ a magazine- and half of them missed the rod under the springs.

Doing this by hand- you really only need 4, evenly spaced hogrings assumbing each one properly grabs the rod attached to the springs under the burlap.

Next, take a SHARP boxknife and cut a slice about an inch before and after each mark.
Put your other hand under the springs and push up carefully (don't cut yourself) to make a clean cut.
Note: i swap out my blades constantly when doing this- a fresh sharp blade cuts through these layers like butter- a dull blade trys to tear it and is frustrating as hell.

When done, use your fingers above and below to ensure you can see the spring side paper covered listing rod through the hole.

This is what you will be capturing with the covers listing sleeve/rod.

[rambow]

Next dig out your seat cover and take a look at the bottom.

In the first pic I'm pointing at the listing sleeves.
These will get a wire rod inserted into them, then get hog ringed down in the channels in the bun to the listing rod that is attached to the springs. This is what creates the "tuck" that creates the bolster definition.

The 2nd picture is of a reference cut in the cover. There are a whole bunch of these throughout the cover, they are used for lining up panels when they sew them together- they ALSO are used to mark the centerlines of some panels- in this case it shows where the center of that main panel is... locate that same centerline on the front edge of the seat and mark it with a sharpie. Knowing where the cover mark falls against your reference mark on the bun will help you keep it straight.

Next cut yourself a few wire rods (i use paper covered wire here, but you can use a coat hanger, or 18ga wire from a hw store... Lay them into the channels in the bun as a guide for how long they should be.

Lay the cover over the bun with it folded inside out...
Lay the rear flap over the big frame horn/kick up in the rear to center the back... use the notch in the front of the cover and your reference mark in the bun to center the front.

Now hold the cover in place with one hand so it doesn't move- fold the bolster vinyl up and TUCK the listing sleeve into the bun. Mark IT in the same places you marked the bun.
carefully and Without moving the cover do it again on the other side.

Now you have reference marks so you can wrestle with installing hog rings, and still know the cover should be centered as long as you line up those marks when you hog ring the cover down.

Pull the cover back off... install the wire rods in the listing sleeves, reinstall the "wave" wire for the rear sleeve of the cover... if you didn't or couldn't save the original- go ahead and cut a new one (use the seat frame as a guide for how long it should be, not the sleeve in the cover.

[rambow]

Lay the cover back over the cushion again- flip up the bolster vinyl on one side and tuck the listing sleeve (with rod) into the channel in the bun.
Line up your reference marks.
Use your hog ring pliers and catch the covers listing sleeve/rod and push it down and catch the listing rod UNDER the bun... sometimes i use my fingers under the bun to help maneuver the rod underneath so it can get captured by the hog ring.

Pull up to test to see if you caught the rod or not.
** If you miss the listing rod underneath cut the hog ring and redo it. Missing the listing rod with a hog ring can result in wave or poorly defined bolster once the cover is on.

I like to start with one of the two inner positions rather than the front or back

Repeat for the other hog ring positions… Flip to the other side of the seat and repeat.

When done take a look at the top of the bun along the seam where the listing rods are...
You may notice a ridge or a line of the bun showing through the cover at this point.
This is not always the case for all years and all covers...sometimes its not visible at all. However if it is, like is is here- you need to stuff the channel with cotton. (remember when we tore the seat down... this is what that cotton was for.)

[rambow]

Here is a roll of cotton felt that i normally use for back seats- but its the same stuff you use here.

I measure off a few 5-6" sections.

Lay it over the bun with 2" or so inward of the channel- then use your fingers to tuck that extra down into the channel, lay the rest over the top of the bun. trim it in the front so it doesn't hang down too far.

repeat on the other side.

This would also be an excellent time to get yourself some thin plastic sheet and lay it over the front corners of the bun. I have a bunch of rolls of ultra thin ML plastic painters drop cloths that i cut up to use. This will do 2 things. it will help the cover to slide over the foam easier, and it will also keep the cotton in place from bunching up if you have to get your fingers back in there to push/pull things.
In my pics i did not use one... but later on while i was working out some wrinkles on one side i wished i had... so yeah make your life easier.

The plastic is really only needed along the front corners and front edge. I would cut a piece as wide as the cushion and let it drape down the front to the leading edge of the bun and on each side an inch or two. Tuck it under the loose cover back to the leading edge of the listing rods. The plastic will stay in there once its all done, which is another reason not to let it hang down too far, otherwise you will have to trim it later.