[TR] TR6 Seat Rebuild

[terryrs at comcast.net]

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 at 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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