Seat foam and upholstery when you can't sew

[shipwrecked]

All, I didn't want to break out the sewing machine just yet for my truck seat. I would prefer to pay a pro to do the seat upholstery when the time comes. But it needs foam and fabric so I can sit in the cab and make vroom vroom noises. So in the future after my truck is driving, I will get a pro to do the seat work for me.
List of things I used in this project.



I started with a bare metal frame. I had sandblasted and epoxy primered them months ago, so I took some rattle can paint to it and let it flow.



Hog ringed two yards of burlap over the spring section



And the back section of the seat frame.




Put the 3" high density foam down on the bottom. I bought pretty much what they had left so I made it work even though it wasn't fully long enough. It works in my case though.




I marked where the seat back aligns on the bottom portion of the seat. Cause there is no reason to have foam under that or behind it.



I put 1" high density foam pieces at the front edge of the seat where your calves would hit the seat frame.



Covered the foam with a poly felt material and hog ringed that in place.



Same procedure for the seat back.



Started with the center and worked my way outward



Little trimming and it's done.



Put together to check movement of seat back.



I marked my centers so I could align my fabric with this.



Here I lined up the fabric to the lines I made.



Spend a lot of time hog ring clipping the fabric to the seat frame. I used probably 300 hog rings on my whole thing.
I hog ringed a part of the fabric down where the seat back would align. It will help hold the fabric in place.

Here the seat back is pushed forward to show you



Now it in the correct position.



Close up of the attachment pin



And close up of how I finished off the seat.




Time in ester about 4 hours. New sewing machine required. Just make sure you have your inspectors handy. Mine made sure they got their noses in on the project t.

[SteveCanup]

April...that looks Fantastic!

[CHOPPERS]

I have a 62 uni, Who sells the foam? I see seat covers galore.

[LM14]

Did the seat on my '57. Just bought an upholstery kit from LMC and it actually worked pretty well. I bought my foam and burlap at Jo Ann Fabrics.

Looks great April.

SPark

[64 f100]

Nice job, but at this point I will like to say, wish you had asked about seat work before you started. This is what I have learned from talking to different people and working on these seats. There are two different seats available in our trucks . One model as yours and an upgraded seat with integral foam on the bottom. In addition there is very little lower lumbar support in these seats. Anyone with lower back problems should look into a later model seat. I recently installed a 76 seat in my 65, and the difference in comfort is hard to describe but outstanding. In addition, the choices of upholstery are much nicer in ready made covers. Also, my mother did upholstery work for many years and I sometimes helped and learned a lot of the tricks for rebuilding seat frames, that the clips have loosened in over the years. Anyone doing one of these seats needs to know how some things are done. Simple stuff mostly, and some technics for tightening the seat springs that were not done at the factory. One thing some do not know is that the hog rings used for this kind of work are different from the ones bought at the local farm store and are not easily found locally in most cases, but can be bought on evilbay. In fact, supplies such as foam are extremely expensive and not easily bought in most places. I used to go to Evansville, Indiana to a supplier there to buy stuff like this, but it no longer exists. I don't know if there at any suppliers in St. Louis, MO. or Paducah, Kentucky, although I have not checked. I like to look at things before I buy. One thing you need to consider is the foam density when buying, hard to tell from a picture. It seems wrong to put a later model seat in our trucks, even to me, but consider the support and comfort of the later seat adding to the pleasure of driving. I have several original seats that I would sell if someone needs one but all need work. I personally like bucket seats, and since these were available in these trucks, this is a very good alternative and parts foam and upholstery are reasonable since it is basically Mustang/bronco/Falcon/Comet etc.

[Michelle]

I cheated, I recovered the seats in the Ranger, and the foam was good. I just re skinned them with Mustang seat skins. The slight wrinkles at the right top and right bottom disappeared with in a couple of days.

[cars2cool]

Another tip or trick is if you don't have burlap available, use a heavy layer of vinyl or a canvas material for the first layer on the springs. And if your a full grown individual as I am, double it up for two layers for extra support. Thats what my upholestry guy did for my '56 F100 seat.

[MN66]

Another tip or trick is if you don't have burlap available, use a heavy layer of vinyl or a canvas material for the first layer on the springs. And if your a full grown individual as I am, double it up for two layers for extra support. Thats what my upholestry guy did for my '56 F100 seat.

x2 on this tip. I found some purple overstock vinyl for a buck that I used instead of burlap. I pulled the vinyl tight as I was hog ringing it in place and it offers a lot of support for my big butt.