Colin Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 Team! Looking at the Club and other suppliers, I am mightily confused about the elements I need and the difficulty/easiness scale there would be to remove 50 yr old seat innards (the rubber diaphragm looks as good as new) and replace those bits that have deteriorated and then rebuild. Given the driving seat has never been apart, all I can see is that the wrap of the old foam and the old foam itself, is not as good as it was. Strange . . . But . . . are the replacement parts (I'm sure the covers are excellent) foam, wraps etc), of a quality that is better than giving the job over to an auto upholsterer?? Any advice gratefully received. Best, Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 Basic advice is DIY. When I did my Spitfire seats I got all the parts with the exception of the seat webbing (fleabay, by the metre) from Park Lane spares. A highly regarded supplier of seat covers, gubbins etc but only for Spitfires >6s. However, if you get all the stuff for yours, its a great winter project and doing it yourself (which should be fairly straight foward) will save you a packet. You will be amazed at the increased comfort factor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HUB Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 had a couple of things from Park Lane, great quality and decent instructions. Seat covers look good on his site!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 Yes, the old foam disintegrates and looks like, well, cat sick under the seat. 🤮 However it is an easy job, I got new foams from Park Lane, sadly he only does Spitfire and GT6. However, having done it it seems to me a simple enough job to cut the upholstery foam to fit. it all gets squashed down so it's not a precision job. I can see how you would cut it, try the cover and cut again until you got it acceptable. Also I put my original covers, one at a time, through the washing machine, I didn't expect them to survive, but they came out pristine, a bit disappointing as I was contemplating leather replacements. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 I got the foams and the leather (sorry Doug) covers. Gorgeous. Want to do the rest in leather but having trouble getting Owen to respond. His work is great, comms, not quite so good. Not to worry... plenty of time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 Owen at Park Lane has great quality and is very helpful but the range of cars he covers (pun intended) is limited. Not sure he does Herald/Vitesse for example. The club shop supplies Newton Commercial covers which are also of excellent quality, Newton are the biggest producer of classic seat covers and carpets. I've refurbished Spitfire seats, so as said above, no webbing involved. It was a doable DIY project. I found cracks in the seat frames and had to get the welder out to repair these before fitting the new foam and covers. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Thanks All. In my calculations, I looked at Strimmer Bros site and the seat foam looks really thin, which in itself is a worry. Obviously the big up-front cost is the covers which come as a pair. The foams, wrap, clips (if needed) all seem to be individually available. As per Badwolf, I'm inclined to temporarily plug up the deteriorating foam wrap (when the new carpet goes in), talk to Park Lane to assess my exact element needs and build techniques, and tackle it when unlikely to be beetling around later in the year. Cheers chaps! Colin W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Colin, also have a look at Newton Commercial who do Herald specific foams and covers Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 That's a useful suggestion, Doug. Thanks! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Flinn Posted July 30, 2020 Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 4 hours ago, dougbgt6 said: Colin, also have a look at Newton Commercial who do Herald specific foams and covers Doug You will get a better price buying the Newton Commercial stuff via one of the Specialists, try Canley Classics or James Paddocks? Regards Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted July 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2020 Cheers Gary. I now have several sources of info and good quality parts purchases by the looks of it!! Best to All. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanky Posted July 31, 2020 Report Share Posted July 31, 2020 Hi Colin, I bought everything to refurb my Spit seats from the club except for the webbing and clips. I had mine refurbed by Wayne Springer (Springers) in Cardiff. He charged me £200.00 for the job and the result was amazing. He's got a waiting list, generally of Bentley drivers wanting personalised seats........but he's worth a call as he loves classics and may let you jump the queue.... best Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the tram Posted August 3, 2020 Report Share Posted August 3, 2020 Just done my GT6 drivers seat and very pleased with the foams, webbing, fittings and guidance from Park Lane. Having said that, I did the passenger seat some years ago with Rimmers foam and that was fine also, nice and comfy, supportive. But having said that it rarely gets sat on as my wife hates everything about the car that I love! Didn’t do the drivers seat back then because I couldn’t get the last bolt out to remove the seat. Foolishly, back then I didn’t realise that you can take the seat squab off first to get at the bolts better. Doh! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 On 29/07/2020 at 19:00, Badwolf said: Basic advice is DIY. When I did my Spitfire seats I got all the parts with the exception of the seat webbing (fleabay, by the metre) from Park Lane spares. A highly regarded supplier of seat covers, gubbins etc but only for Spitfires >6s. However, if you get all the stuff for yours, its a great winter project and doing it yourself (which should be fairly straight foward) will save you a packet. You will be amazed at the increased comfort factor Hi Badwolf I want to do the webbing myself as much cheaper. A couple of questions if you don’t mind? 1 - Can you recall where you got the webbing from? 2 - How did you gauge what length to make each one allowing for stretch etc? Thanks Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Hi Barry - I got the webbing after a search on fleabay. You are looking for Pirelli rubber upholstery webbing. I think it was about 1.5" wide, available by the yard/metre/roll. This is the sort of stuff.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172263178737?hash=item281baf81f1:g:VbIAAOSwXoJfu4LV As for length of each strap, I used my old ones as a guide. I think that I still have them somewhere, I will have a look. Remember that your old ones have stretched. Hopefully, you still have the hooked clip things that the webbing goes through to be stretched across the frame in good condition. I think that I pass the straps through the clips and then used the original staples to tension, having removed them very carefully. You will notice a huge difference when you have done it. Along with new foams you will wonder why you sat with your ar*e on the floor for so long. Any other questions please ask. Lots of us have done this very satisfying and worthwhile job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 47 minutes ago, Badwolf said: Hi Barry - I got the webbing after a search on fleabay. You are looking for Pirelli rubber upholstery webbing. I think it was about 1.5" wide, available by the yard/metre/roll. This is the sort of stuff.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172263178737?hash=item281baf81f1:g:VbIAAOSwXoJfu4LV As for length of each strap, I used my old ones as a guide. I think that I still have them somewhere, I will have a look. Remember that your old ones have stretched. Hopefully, you still have the hooked clip things that the webbing goes through to be stretched across the frame in good condition. I think that I pass the straps through the clips and then used the original staples to tension, having removed them very carefully. You will notice a huge difference when you have done it. Along with new foams you will wonder why you sat with your ar*e on the floor for so long. Any other questions please ask. Lots of us have done this very satisfying and worthwhile job. Hi Badwolf Thanks for the information and the link. I couple of my straps are quite stretched, so will have to estimate the length allowing for that. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisJB Posted May 4, 2021 Report Share Posted May 4, 2021 Another place to get Pirelli webbing is Woolies https://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/, their prices look competitive with Ebay although there is P&P to consider. Woolies are a pretty good one stop shop for the various bits and pieces needed for trimming. Estimating the length required is tricky particularly as the webbing is very stiff and it is difficult to get a tight bend around the clip when not fully tensioned. As with Badwolf I removed the staples from the old strips allowing them to be flatterned out and then adjusted the new length from this (i.e. how much they needed to be shortened based on the estimated stretch due to age). If you do it this way you need to ensure that the overlap at each end is the same as the old strip. A small hole punch is useful to make the holes for the staples. Broken clips can be remade from steel coat hanger wire- it seems strong enough to retain the shape under tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted May 4, 2021 Report Share Posted May 4, 2021 On 29/07/2020 at 19:18, dougbgt6 said: it all gets squashed down so it's not a precision job. Ahem Mr Doug!! I beg to differ... it may get squashed down but not initially and certainly not in the right place for driver comfort... I think these need reassembled and a bit more care taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted May 4, 2021 Report Share Posted May 4, 2021 Mr C, Once I’ve sat on ‘em they’ll be squashed into shape! 🦧 Doug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted May 5, 2021 Report Share Posted May 5, 2021 Thanks to you all for the advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted May 5, 2021 Report Share Posted May 5, 2021 On 04/05/2021 at 13:16, Colin Lindsay said: think these need reassembled and a bit more care taken. those are camber correction seat !!!!! Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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