Upholstery guy's My first seat.. Help

I know nothing about this. I want to do everything on my truck, and one of the only things I do not know how to do is upholstery. Here is my seat frame I made from a Dakota seat frame. Where do I go from here? I want it to be comfortable. Where can I get springs? Is there something besides springs? I want nice material, but my dog will also sit on it, he is 130# a year old. I have no tools for this, so lets start with the basics.

 

My first thought is go to a junk yard and get a mini van seat or small truck seat and use parts off that to make a seat that will work for you.

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I already cut this seat and it fits the cab nice, just don't know how to put foam on it or cover it.

 

Keeping an eye on this one because i've got the same thing going on with my Roadster. Cut down a seat from an old 80's ute and its basically a frame like this with some old springs on it. I want to cut the springs off and redo it but also don't know where you can buy seat springs or the like.. so this is right up my alley.

 

I'd try to find someone to show me in person. Try searching Youtube for a video.

 

Like tfeverfred says, a pic is worth 1000 words, a show and tell vid is even better.

 

Use the same springs. If you cut the seat depth wise, use a shorter width spring unit. for foam. Use the stock foam that came with the seat. Use a turkey knife(electric carving knike)to slice the foam to fit the frame. .

 

Pretty much what stanlow said. If you threw out tat stuff , your going to have to get more.

 

I tried cutting the stock foam, and there is a 1/8 steel rod that goes all around the foam seat. I would love to have someone show me how in person. I guess it is time to watch a you tube video. Does anyone know where to get springs or foam for a seat? When I had my seat for my bike done they put a gel pad, can you do this with a truck seat?

 

The last upholstery guy who did the interior of my 27 used 3 layers of foam on the seat part. A firm one first, then a little softer one on top of that, and finally, a softer foam on the very top. It really made a difference, I can drive all day and not get a tired butt like I used to. Just thought I would pass that along.

You might go to a junkyard and get something like the back seat out of a luxury car to strip down for the springs and foam. I have a couple of Cadillac seats in the shop that are now my pondering chairs and they are really comfortable and I bet would yield lots of good parts to make a new seat.

Don

 

Upholstery supply has foam. Cut the embedded wire with bolt cutter.

 

The zig-zag springs are available from any upholstery shop or supplier. It come in in a roll to be cut to length. They also sell the end clips and other materials.

 

I dont mean to be critical here,but you need to learn on something more simple,,,If you do use that frame,be sure to add some burlap or somthing similar to keep the springs from cutting into the back side of the foam..The backrest will need to be sewn into an envelope type cover with a way to seal the bottom of it,like velcro or hog rings.

 

I just recently started to learn upholstery and there are a lot of free videos on You Tube that will help. I bought a few books with good pictures and bought a set of basic tools.

Next is to get some different materials and just learn how to sew. I filled up a few trash cans before getting the hang of it but it isn't all that hard. The books help with showing how to cut foam and how to do the padding but nothing will develop skill like practice.

Google "upholstery supplies" and there will be a lot of places that sell everything you will need to build your seat. Get an old seat and take it apart to see how they are made. Usually it is a layer of springs covered with thick Burlap then several layers of either foam or cotton padding before the actual material is put on.

After spending a few days sewing yards of blind pleats I realized why the shops charge so much for quality work. There is a feeling of accomplishment when you get it done even when a few of the seams are a little off.

 

Mcmopar that 1/8" rod is for hog rings that hold your upholstery in place, there are lots of how to videos on youtube that show you what you need to know.

 

Don't know about your seat, but love your dog...

 

An electric knife cuts foam real well and liquid nails will put the foam back together. This way you can start with almost any model/make foam. Just my 2 cents.

 

When I had the stock 39 bench seat redone, my friend that did the work just built it back up with foam - no springs. I thought he was crazy and it would ride like a rock. He said trust me, and I'm glad I did. No more bouncing around, but can ride for hours in comfort. Like Don said - firm on the bottom, softer foam on the top, and he cut it so it fit the hieght I wanted in the end. But the dude has been doing this for 40 years - I left it to a professional, but might give you some ideas on the direction you want to go.

 

I talked to guy that has been doing upholstery since 1991. He has his own little shop (Wright Way Upholstery) and said he has a waiting list a year out. We talked for a couple of hours, he pointed me in the wright direction. When I left I said that I usually have a lot of questions, he said come back any time, and he will do what he can to answer them. I learned a lot, and he was a great guy to talk to. I can't thank him, or people like him enough that are willing to share there knowledge, just because they can. Thanks.

 

Check out the Upholstery group here on the HAMB. Lots of good info. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?groupid=174

 

S-10 pickup worked for me. the size seems to fit most rods.

 

x2. Upholstery Group has a lot of really good information.

 

I decided to reuse the foam from the seat. I will be taking pics along the way, and will do the best I answer questions that you have. Remember this is my first seat, so if you have any input lets here it.

 

Good choice in using the original seat bun. You must remember, the OEM manufactures have spent many millions of dollars in foam design. So why do most people think they can do a better job. What is the foam gonna look like after 100,000 miles. Plus it will cost alot more too. You will notice the drivers side of seat foam will be a little softer than the passenger side. Cut a piece of carpet padding about 4 inches wide and the width of your rear. Place it towards the back of the seat bottom foam on the underside. This should make the foam feel more like the passengers side. I do this on about every used car seat I do. Try sitting in your daily driver, you will notice the difference in height beteen the drivers and passengers side seat.

 

I cut the wire out of the foam, and shaped it for the seat. Then I took the carving knife and fit the foam to the seat. I will have to wait to talk to the interior guy, from here.

 

I found this a good guide on how to cut foam.

 

Springs ive always pulled from other seats, edge springs from one seat to repace worn middle springs in another.

For the cover, if youre able to find a factory cover for that seat, that you like, its a lot easier / less costly, to modify a seam or add a seam then make a cover from scratch.
Even using the factory cover as a pattern will help greatly.
You can generally find someone local to resew one seam for you.

Im amazed by upholstery guys that can make a tight straight cover, theyre expensive and earn their money.

 

Another option is take some classes on upholstery from a local technical school, who knows, you may have found a vocation.

 

Theluckyneedle.com has very good online upholstery classes.

 

Here is the thread I did on my seat and interior. Best thing I did was take a class.

www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/upholstering-my-model-a.1162030/




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