FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => Member Projects => Topic started by: AlanCasida on June 14, 2017, 08:25:35 PM
-
I got the seat upholstery stuff for my '65 Mustang tonight so I thought I'd take a seat apart to see what I am in for. Geez what a mess! I am already thinking this might be a good WINTER project. I have new foam for the seats but I was wondering if I need to put in new burlap also. The foam looks like it has some woven mat molded into the back sides so having never done this I am thinking not. But an experienced reply would help a bunch. ;) The rear I am not too worried about since no one will ever sit in it(roll cage!).
-
I did the seats on my Shelby years ago and am in the middle of doing the seats on my Cougar. I was thinking of doing a project post here, but unfortunately haven't had the time yet. Hang in there, it's do-able, and I'm no expert. The seats I'm doing for my Cougar were in really bad shape. I did use new burlap on mine, I sourced the burlap from a local JoAnn fabric store, it's cheap. I saw an old post on another forum where I think our own member Royce P. used a different, more modern material on some seats of his. There is also a jute/horsehair stuff that is used to reinforce edges, I pitched that and used a polyester batting I also got at the fabric store. I also had to go to the hobby store for piano wire to replace some of the listing wires used in the seat covers and the reinforcing wire in the burlap. On my Shelby no one made new foam kits years ago, but my foam wasn't too bad, I was able to reuse it, but had to build up some worn/compressed areas with some new foam I attached with spray adhesive. On my Cougar seats I'm doing now, no one makes exact Cougar foam, it's modified Mustang foam kits. One issue I've found is the shape of my new upholstery covers are not exactly the same shape as the Mustang foam, so I have also had to build up some areas by adding a little foam with spray adhesive. Just be aware that may be something you will need to do also, seems like none of this stuff ever goes easy. And you are right, there is a reinforcing material molded into the foam, that gives the hog rings something to grab. I'm lucky also to have a good foam/upholstery shop near me ( Minnesota Foam & Upholstery ) where I have bought my small foam pieces, just an FYI I think he said there is a specific automotive spec foam ( maybe fire retardant? ) although it looks the same to me. Years ago I had the seats on my '68 Torino GT repaired by a local auto upholstery shop, boy was that a lot easier lol.
-
I will add, the burlap ( or some other material ) is there to give the foam some protection and support from wearing against the springs, my foam kits and my original Ford foam only has some thread like material molded into the foam, not really enough to protect the foam, but maybe your foam kits have something else more substantial?
-
I re did the seats in both my 67 and 68.We hunted around for new burlap but didn't really find what we were looking for.Then one day Mary came home with some.She found it at a store.It was coffee bean sacks..Brand new,no logo's and a whopping $1.00 ea...
I had some one else do the assembly on the 68 seats..Much easier..
-
A couple more thoughts that have come back to me - if your upholstery has a stitching pattern that lines up on both the bottom cushion and back cushion, check how well they match before you start hog ringing everything in place, you may find they are not exactly the same since they are sown by hand and one pair may match better than another. Also when doing the final hog rings holding the outside edges of the upholstery to the frames check for seam pattern alignment too, there is a little adjustability there too one way or the other to make the top & bottom match ( by tugging to a particular side ). That was something I didn't think of when I did my Shelby seats and the one is off a bit. These are things a good upholstery pro just does automatically, but us amateurs don't always think of.
-
Thanks for the info, guys. When I get all my stuff ( I am still waiting for the new bolster wires) I will assess everything. I am not sure I have the patience for this. I think I used most all mine up doing the body/paint work! So I may call around to see what it might cost for an upholstery shop to finish them up. If they will even do such a thing.