My seats have been uncomfortable for a long while now and after reading the "Cherokee Seat Rebuild" post by Rick G, I was inspired to tackle my own. My seat covers are in really good shape so I had no plans to replace them. I wouldn't mind getting a new interior and maybe I will in the future but there's a part of me that digs the vintage look anyway.
I knew the padding was shot because I was constantly vacuuming small pieces off the carpet but when I took the covers off, WOW! I tossed all but one piece of the foam before I got a pic...this is the seat back "cushion" from the right seat. Disgusting. Someone had put a cheap piece of foam from a craft store in that sunken area but it was a joke. Every one of the so called cushions was in the same shape so when I saw this, I was even more inspired.
My seats had the old spring system. This is part of the reason why the seat was so uncomfortable because after you sat down, the springs would compress a LOT and your butt would be below the seat frame. I knew I had to get rid of this and I contemplated for hours before I actually cut them out. Once I made that first cut, there was no turning back!
First step was to make the seat sling. Rick G suggested using Ceconite which worked great. Since it's main use is to cover an airplane, it is super strong stuff and not that expensive either. I used this video as a guide to make my sling. . It's a great guide on drawing out the template.
I folded and glued the two angled portions on each side of the aft part of the seat. This provides a bit of reinforcement since that's where the majority of weight will be.
From there, I started with the aft portion of the seat, then the front, sides and corners. I decided to let each section dry completely before I pulled from the opposite end. You may be wondering what that safety wire is for...well, since my seat covers were originally anchored in to the springs, I thought this might work but in the end, it turns out it didn't help me at all. I left them there anyway for the next owner to scratch his/her head and wonder why someone would do that. lol
The final sling and it's very tight...things are looking up at this point!
Next was fitting the foam. I wanted to use Confor foam but it's a bit pricy on Aircraft Spruce. I found the same exact stuff from a company in North Carolina called Dynamic Systems Dynamic Systems: SunMate, Pudgee & FIPS Orthopedic Cushions so I used this. I decided to use 3" total for the seat so 1" of firm on the bottom, 1" of medium in the middle and 1" of soft on top. The downside to this stuff is it can be fairly hard when it's cold but it warms up quick and forms to your body well. The good thing is it has excellent impact ratings. I hope I never have to test that but it might save a back injury compared to standard foam.
Cut out the aft angled portions first...
I can only attach 15 pics to one post so to be continued....
I knew the padding was shot because I was constantly vacuuming small pieces off the carpet but when I took the covers off, WOW! I tossed all but one piece of the foam before I got a pic...this is the seat back "cushion" from the right seat. Disgusting. Someone had put a cheap piece of foam from a craft store in that sunken area but it was a joke. Every one of the so called cushions was in the same shape so when I saw this, I was even more inspired.
My seats had the old spring system. This is part of the reason why the seat was so uncomfortable because after you sat down, the springs would compress a LOT and your butt would be below the seat frame. I knew I had to get rid of this and I contemplated for hours before I actually cut them out. Once I made that first cut, there was no turning back!
First step was to make the seat sling. Rick G suggested using Ceconite which worked great. Since it's main use is to cover an airplane, it is super strong stuff and not that expensive either. I used this video as a guide to make my sling. . It's a great guide on drawing out the template.
I folded and glued the two angled portions on each side of the aft part of the seat. This provides a bit of reinforcement since that's where the majority of weight will be.
From there, I started with the aft portion of the seat, then the front, sides and corners. I decided to let each section dry completely before I pulled from the opposite end. You may be wondering what that safety wire is for...well, since my seat covers were originally anchored in to the springs, I thought this might work but in the end, it turns out it didn't help me at all. I left them there anyway for the next owner to scratch his/her head and wonder why someone would do that. lol
The final sling and it's very tight...things are looking up at this point!
Next was fitting the foam. I wanted to use Confor foam but it's a bit pricy on Aircraft Spruce. I found the same exact stuff from a company in North Carolina called Dynamic Systems Dynamic Systems: SunMate, Pudgee & FIPS Orthopedic Cushions so I used this. I decided to use 3" total for the seat so 1" of firm on the bottom, 1" of medium in the middle and 1" of soft on top. The downside to this stuff is it can be fairly hard when it's cold but it warms up quick and forms to your body well. The good thing is it has excellent impact ratings. I hope I never have to test that but it might save a back injury compared to standard foam.
Cut out the aft angled portions first...
I can only attach 15 pics to one post so to be continued....
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