Seat restoration problem - hard foam

[Don L.]

[Phillip M.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

Ed, another option that I saw mentioned in another Corvette discussion "forum", was the use of plastic zip-ties in place of the steel wire clips. Naturally this method is not OEM "correct", but according to some folks it will work as a substitute. I have not tried this myself, but it sounds like it might work. The good part, as I see it, would be that you are not limited by a certain fixed length of the clip. The bad part is that you do not what exact length to assemble to. You will also need a means for providing holes in the foam at the right spots for the zip-ties.
Phil

[Ed S.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

Ed, another option that I saw mentioned in another Corvette discussion "forum", was the use of plastic zip-ties in place of the steel wire clips. Naturally this method is not OEM "correct", but according to some folks it will work as a substitute. I have not tried this myself, but it sounds like it might work. The good part, as I see it, would be that you are not limited by a certain fixed length of the clip. The bad part is that you do not what exact length to assemble to. You will also need a means for providing holes in the foam at the right spots for the zip-ties.
Phil

Phillip - I saw that same (or similar) post somewhere as well. Right now zip ties are my "option 3" - if all else fails. Option 2 involves new, slighly longer clips that I ordered from Corvette America. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Douglas L.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

Years ago, I restored the seats in my 67 convertible with new seat foam. The foam was heavier and denser as noted earlier in this thread. I re-used the original clips that were in the seats and they were a challenge but worked out OK. The finished seats had a good news - bad news results. The good news is they looked great. The bad news is I found myself looking through the windshield just below the sun visor. The new foam came back out and I was able to find a set of used foam in good condition. I am 6'2" and the denser foam made the seat sitting position too high for me. As mentioned above, t******* the foam bottom may help in installation. However, for what it's worth, I would also suggest finished seat height be taken into consideration.

[Bob W.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

Ed, Have you received the longer clips from CA? How did they workout also can you post the part number please as I cannot find them in my catalog.

THANKS Bob

[Ed S.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

Bob - I got the CA (Now Top Flight) clips and they work. Here is the situation - you need to order their 63 -64 seat cover installation kit - $30.99 + shipping (on sale now) - CA part # is Part #X2082. I have successfully completed (assembled) my seat bottoms - the CA clips are significantly longer than the AK clips - each seat bottom takes 8 clips total - each seat takes 4 very long clips - 2 medium clips and 2 short clips - the short ones are about the same length as the AK clips - the other 6 are considerably longer. I was concerned that they would be too long - and not pull the cover down into the foam far enough - that was not a problem - when completely assembled they looked good. This CA kit includes the clips you need - plus wire hogs, a bunch of S clips and long wire pieces that go into the pre-sewn. Recall that I ordered the AK covers with the installation kit so the long wires were already installed correctly - S clips and the clips at issue were also installed. A 64 seat includes a jute pad on each seat bottom - it goes between the foam and the seat cover. As I attempted to assemble my covers the jute was moving around and creating lumps --- solution -- I used 2 inch wide double backed carpet tape to secure the jute to the foam. That worked - held the jute in place really well - no lumps. Also.... I found that the position of the AK clips on the seat cover did not align correctly with the big S springs on the bottom of the frame. AK has a video on seat assembly - so does CA - I found CA's video to be better - the steps and instruction are more complete. It shows you how to properly position & connect the clips so they align with the S springs when you pull them through the foam. Pulling the vinyl seat covers over the foam and frame far enough to connect the S clips to the bottom was a bit of a challenge. I used a heat gun to soften up the vinyl - you don't have to get it really hot in order to stretch it some - that made a huge difference. To connect the S clips I put a blanket on my shop floor, flipped the seat over so the springs were facing up - applied heat with the heat gun to a section of vinyl - knelt on the frame forcing it down and then easily pulled the cover with the S hook over the frame and connected it. Next step is the seat backs - I am not looking forward to that - the CA "clips" are about 1/16 of an inch longer than the AK clips - it is going to be a challenge. Here is a link to the CA seat assembly video - it was very helpful. https://youtu.be/ehHhk6Rr_Pk Hope this all helps.


One more thing - I watched the AK and CA videos several times - I don't know what kind of foam they both used in their seats (or in the videos) but those installers would compress the foam like it was a hot marsh-mellow, they exerted very little effort to compress the foam as they connected clips or other components - the foam I got compressed some - and then it was like a rock - I could stand on it and it would not compress further.

[Bob W.]

Re: Seat restoration problem - hard foam

ED, Thank you for the reply and information. Glad to all went well with your install.

Thank again BOB