Seat Rebuild

[dursleyman]

<font size="2">I am sure I have seen an article about how to rebuild TR7/8 seats somewhere but I can't seem to find it now.
Does anyone know where I can find an idiots guide on seat rebuilding please?
I will be replacing foams and diaphrams but re-using the covers.</font id="size2">

Russ

1980 TR7 DHC
Dursley
UK

[john 215]

Hi Russ,

Roger Williams book ' How To Restore Triumph TR7 & *8 ' has a section and more importantly pictures on seat rebuild.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enthusiasts-Res ... 183&sr=1-3

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC Beauty

1979 3.5 FHC(STATUS PENDING!!)

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6,ON THE ROAD NOW KICKING AR5E !!!!

[Hasbeen]

Russ I had seats in very good condition, until a frame tube broke. With everything so good, I expected to simply take the cover off, weld or replace the frame, & refit the cover.

However when I tried to take the clips holding the cover to parts of the frame off the old vinyl started to tear at every clip. I took the thing to an upholsterer who said it was too far gone to remove & refit. The fabric was also too old to be able to resew it to new vinyl.

I suggest you have a tool that can spread the clips quite wide for removal, if you want to reuse the covers. I think my covers would have had many more years, in them, if not interfered with.

Hasbeen

[frankman]

Hello Hasbeen.. was your old material (fabric) green check ?? I am looking for a piece of this material is best for the seam (not always in sunlight). I would try to imitate this material as it has made #8203;#8203;James.. I've ne Door cards but i'ts would be sad to cut out there a piece ;-( (was just in my mind ... or if some one else could help with a sample .. a pay the stamp

Hello from Switzerland

Frank

[Hasbeen]

Sorry Frankman, can't help. My seats were beige velour.

Hasbeen

[whitenviro]

I've had my seats apart several times. There is no great secret, just be careful about how you do it and take pictures as you go so you can put it back together again.

Hasbeen is right about the clips - so use a small flat screwdriver. If you can get it inside the back of the clip then turn the screwdriver it will spread the clip wide enough to slide off easier. There are clips hidden inside the seat that you can't see until you begin pulling it apart, and a few that are meant to hold onto a thicker bar, so keep those separate; you'll need them to go back in the same place.

Once you have it apart, check all of the frame welds; the one's on my seats were some of the sloppiest welds I've ever seen and were cracked.

The tricky part is putting the covers back on. There are cloth strips attached to the back of the cover that go through slits in the foam and attach to the frame. It is a tight fit (probably even more so with new foam). Just pull it on carefully; when you get close to finished it feels like there is no way it is going to make it all the way on. Then it does!



[/img]
1980 Pageant Blue DHC with removable hardtop.

[FI Spyder]

Sliding the fabric over the foam is the problem. Too much friction. reverse the fabric and install so it's sliding across itself as you put it over the foam. Not sure if that os making sense to you (but I know what I mean). Some use spray silicone on foam to get the fabric to slide over better (not sure I'm happy with that). Some use plastic in between to make it easier to skip it on then pull out as much as will come. (I used that method on my headrests, some got left in there but you'd never know.



- - - - TR7 Spider - - - - - - - - 1978 Spitfire - - - - - - 1976 Spitfire - - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra - - Yellow TCT

[prlee]

Hi Russ,

I've had my drivers seat apart a few times (it needs new foam really), its pretty straight forward. If I remember right the cover is held in place by hog rings ?, which are available from places like Woolies, the covers are glued to the foam in a number of places, I have used impact adhesive to glue parts together in the past, this gives the shape.

There are some straps on the back cover (not the rubber ones on the frame), they pull through the foam and are secured to a cross member on the seat frame by some toothed spring rings, this give the shape to the back.

The thing to watch is the age of the material, it can tear very easily.

Think that about right.

Pete
1981 Carmelian Red 2 litre DHC.
Polybush, KYB shocks, electric fan, electric windows and electronic ignition roller bearing struts and anti-dive kit - otherwise standard
1979 Pageant Blue Spitfire 1500 - In hibernation, some restoration in progress.

[darrellw]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by FI Spyder</i>
Some use spray silicone on foam to get the fabric to slide over better (not sure I'm happy with that).
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

FWIW, in high school I used to work summers for my grand father who had a cabinet shop, and the main business was cabinets and booths for restaurants. So we also had an upholstery shop, and using silicone spray was standard procedure. Of course, if any the upholstery was still serviceable 5 or so years down the road, most places had it redone to reflect current color schemes. So no real long term data.

Another useful tool for vinyl is a dog hair dryer. This is like an oversized human hair dryer, but on a stand, with a long, positionable neck. Makes it easy to warm up large areas of vinyl, which makes it much more workable.

-Darrell


Darrell Walker
66 TR4A IRS-SC CTC67956L
81 TR8 SATPZ458XBA406206
Vancouver, WA, USA

[bmcecosse]

I did my seats a few years ago - just take time and don't rush it. I made new foam from packaging and saved a fortune ! Cut it with a bread knife. Very comfy too. The clips are ok if careful - and yes - I used spray adhesive. I found the most difficult part was getting the head rest tube out! And I washed the blue 'tartan' covers in the machine - cold wash and slow spin only!

[whitenviro]

The headrest tube has a clip that is supposed to stop it from coming all the way out. If the headrest won't come out you can just start removing the seat back cover until you get it up high enough that you can see the clip and squeeze it or remove it. It's held inside a plastic case in the top of the seat.

I haven't found any need to use plastic or silicon to slip the covers back on. They are tight, but will go on.


[/img]
1980 Pageant Blue DHC with removable hardtop.

[dursleyman]

Thanks for all the tips guys, there is some good advice to take note of. Also sounds like patience and low cunning will be the order of the day.
If you hear swearing in the far distance it will be me.

Russ

1980 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6986012579_dc04c174f5_m.jpg[img]

[dursleyman]

Well, I did the first seat yesterday and it went pretty well.
I referred to some of the pictures in Roger Williams book and took quite a few myself as the seat came apart. Took my time and got it done in about 5-6 hrs.

The frame was in remarkably good condition and didn't need any work apart from a wipe clean. The couple of the back rubber webbing straps
had sagged a bit especially the horizontal one so I shortened it about half and inch and its much better.

The new foams didn't seem to be quite the same shape as the old ones but then they haven't had over 30 years to "set". A bit of glue and persistence got them to fit nicely. I also used a piece of an old side bit to go in as extra lumbar support, old age has its problems you know.

The replacement rubber diaphrams are not TR7 as they are no longer available but I think they are from a TR6? Anyway, they do a pretty good job and are good support when tensioned. The mountings are different on the long sides so I had to drill some new holes in those little "flanges" on the frame. They came with a few slightly longer hooks which makes it all work nicely. Big contrast to the saggy old one.

Getting the cover back on was less of a drama that I expected, not sure why but it went OK. Thing is to do the base cover first as some of its fixing are hidden by the back cover - ask me how I know that !!

Final result is a nice firm supportive seat. Just need to get time to do the second one.

Thanks again for all the tips.

Russ

1980 TR7 Sprint DHC
Dursley
UK
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7069/6986012579_dc04c174f5_m.jpg[img]

[prlee]

Well done Russ, seen the events page ref the Cotswold Classic car run?

Graham now has a TR8 as well.

Pete
1981 Carmelian Red 2 litre DHC.
Polybush, KYB shocks, electric fan, electric windows and electronic ignition roller bearing struts and anti-dive kit - otherwise standard
1979 Pageant Blue Spitfire 1500 - some restoration in progress.