FWIW, I spent this weekend installing those black houndstooth check seat
upholstery kits into my spitfire. The kit, from VB, was exceptionally well
made and of high quality. It's the first thing from VB I've bought that
actually impressed me. You would think for the money that they would
include new seat cushions. Mine were shot. VB wanted $100.00 for new
cushions so I decided to repair or replace any bad cushions I found. I
carved new wings for each seat out of 4" thick foam where the originals
literally poured out of the seat backs when I removed the original
upholstery. I then built up the existing foams by gluing 1/2" thick foam
over the originals. I added another 1/2" thick foam 3" wide in the lumbar
area. This made drastic improvements over the comfort and fit of the
originals. Learning how to attach hog rings to vinyl and tubular steel was
fun, fun, fun. I suppose there's a special set of pliers for that job, but
I made do with regular ones (not recommended). The first seat took six
hours to refinish. The second took three hours. Still, the look, fit, and
finish are worth it. My seats now make the rest of the car look like crap.
Oh well. I drove the spit down to the auto store and my heater coolant
control valve let go. This was the one that was left open for years and I
just recently repaired it. Well, it lasted for about a month. So, I
bypassed it and plugged up the heater unit. We'll see if I can tear the old
valve apart and repair the thing rather than spend sixty bucks on a new
one.
Born in CoventryŠ
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Reborn in Tucson!
1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500
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