I actually had pretty good results rebuilding the seats on my '59 TR3A by
cutting out the springs that had rusted through and lacing in fresh springs
haravested from an old mattress. Cleaned the springs with Simple Green, soaked
them in Phosphoric Acid, rinsed well, and painted with POR 15. The rebuilt
springs look original, will last forever, compared to the original ones, and
ride as firm or soft as you want depending on the stiffness of the springs you
add. Top layered everything with ample felt and high density foam, then
installed an upholstery kit from TRF. The hardest part of the whole thing had
nothing to do with the seats themselves, but rather manufacturing the curved
strips of wood to replace the ones that had rotted off the frames.
Terry Smith, '59 TR3A (TS 58667)
New Hamsphire
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Tomislav Marincic" <tomislav.marincic@earthlink.net>
> Hello Jerry,
>
> I spent days blasting my seat frames and painting them, sanding the spring
> inserts and painting them, installing the rubber bottoms, etc. I took my new
> covers, foams, and hardware to a local upholstery shop and was quoted 8
> hours/$600 for the assembly, so I think your estimate is right on. I like
> rebuilding things, but I hate fussing with upholstery and trying to make
>things
> "pretty".
>
> I spent a lot of time struggling with the bolster springs on my '71 seats
>too. I
> tried having a broken wire welded/brazed, but it broke in the same place
>while I
> was installing it. Some guys have had luck taking the wire to an upholsterer
>and
> having it copied in spring steel. I finally just bought an entire seat for
>$30
> on eBay and harvested the wire I needed. This is tricky, since it's usually
>the
> bottom left wire in the driver's seat that's broken from being bent back and
> forth while the driver exits/enters the car. I was lucky to find a seat where
> that hadn't happened. Try to buy a spare from a rust-prone area, where the
>car
> died a quick death.
>
> Good Luck. I think it's worth it; the '70-'72 seats are harder to rebuild,
>but
> much more comfortable than the flat marshmallows they used from '73 on.
>
> Cheers, Tom
>
>
> http://www.triumphowners.com/735
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