Seat rebuild

[Rockbass]

Just uncovered front seat bottom out of my '47 ford tudor sedan. The pictures are front, top and bottom view. How would you begin to repair? Can I assume all springs were originally vertical? Can I also assume the driver and passenger sides are constructed symmetrical? I plan to proceed by removing and reconstructing top frame, untangling and releasing spring tops only so I don't lose spring placement at the bottom. Reassemble with all the springs vertical and top frame symmetrical. Leave burlap socks as is. Has anybody done this and do you have any suggestions or shortcuts? Thanks in advance.

 

[TJ]

All the springs were vertical. Start by checking all the coils and removing the broken ones. I'm sure you'll find most on the driver's side.

 

[RKS.PA]

your first post shows the drivers side collapsed?? I'd start there. I brazed the broken ones on mine, being careful not to set anything on fire!!! Turned out as good as new....thankfully.

 

[Fred A]

Leave burlap socks as is[/SIZE]. Has anybody done this and do you have any suggestions or shortcuts? Thanks in advance.

Years ago I worked part time in a cut-rate shop that mostly did work for the young people in Burbank. nearly all from vintage cars. Along with convert top tear-off, I would strip and clean old seats. At that time I would remove and repocket the cushions. Any broken coil was replaced as we had replacements in stock. the lines of springs were hogringed back in lines and the structure replaced and repaired. I've seen too many seats built on worn out cushions, only to fail and the various wires come through well crafted covers. One recent example is the leather seat in the Tom Medley (Stroker) '40 fire rebuild where wire came through the cover, out the side of an otherwise great job. You just can't hide that poor workmanship. My current problem is also cushions that are not available repop. Luckily springs are. I know that '47 seat. Split backs are pretty common and the back rests are more bite size and easier to do without a great table to work on. The cushions take the beating and will require the most attention. The burlap pockets will probably crumble as you work and should be measured carefully before stripping. Sewing and trimming is not that difficult, but fear of thee machine will be a costly weakness. Good Luck: Fred A

 

[19Fordy]

Before installing my LeBarron Bonney upholstery kit I redid the seats by sewing up new pockets out of burlap and hog ringing the coils in place. Luckily no coils were broken. I found the biggest asset was to take plenty of close up photos for reassembly and be patient.

 

[rotorwrench]

Some spring boxes are wired together, some use hog rings, and some use special swage clips. Believe it or not, a person can still find most of the materials to rebuild them. Repairs on fatigued steel can be problematic. The repaired ones will break again sooner than a new one will. They can be stuffed with padding to keep them from sagging too much and a lot of trimmers do that on the edges where a person puts the most pressure when getting into and out of the car. Using covers on the springs is sometimes just not practical. Some of the old ones used string to hold stuff in position on the old ones but by the time we look at them, the string is all but gone. It just depends on how a person wants to restore one.

Snyder's still makes new spring boxes for those that want all new ones.

 

[Fred A]

19Fordy: Looks like the same coupe seat that I have spread out on the garage floor. I need a picture of the backrest springs to confirm that I have the correct one. I have two good sets of wood that seem like '40s but they are different in the back slats. By the slope of the rails, they both appear correct. The covers are going to be vinyl in a color reasonably close to original. I really need to get fluent in pictures myself. Thanks: Fred A

 

[19Fordy]

Fred: Here's "pictures of the 1940 coupe seat photos" I took in 1988. It appeared to me that headliner material had been previously used to re-upholster the seat. I say this as the seat material was "plain Jane" unlike the Lebaron Bonney kit. The same material had been used to cover the package shelf. Maybe they will help a little more.