richeyb

I'm working on restoring the front and back bench seats of a 72 Cutlass S. My first attempt at building seats.
I have Legendary seat covers to repalce the old covers and have also bought new foam to recushion all the seats. I have removed the old covers and padding. Foam was in the lower seats(wornout cracked...) and cotton batting in the back ( use for mouse nesting) . The burlap all needs to be replaced and the lateral wire system in the front seat are rusted and no long attached to the cord at either end.....
1st Question-- do I really need the lateral wire system? does it provide the base for all the springs working together? Does anyone have a good substitute? (they are 47" long) The back seat wires still appear in good shape and are attached to the chord on each end...
2nd Quesiton--Why did they use the cotton? on the original back seat back? Will Foam work as a good replacment or is the cotton sound absorpting or heat absorbing?
I'll add some pictures in later....
Thanks
Richey

Lady72nRob71

You ~might~ be able to do away with the lateral wiring if you use a strong stretchy underlayment of a nylon or poly fabric. It would be hog-ringed snugly over the springs, kinda how the burlap was. The whole purpose was to keep the foam from mashing and cutting through the springs and provide extra support.

Cotton was more plentiful then perhaps! I think they thought the back seat back never gets a lot of pressure, so thick foam was not needed. Cotton was probably cheaper then too. I think you could use 1" soft or medium sheet foam for the back.
I would still like to know the excact reasoning on the cotton batting.

defiant1

Would you want to consider modifying/layering the foam to provide lumbar support at this point?

I know when I redo my seat foam, I will have to figure out something to allow the seats to be a little more comfortable especially during longer road trips.

d1

Lady72nRob71

Here I was referring to the back seat back, where the cotton was used. The front seat back gets lots more foam!

I added some lumbar supports to mine, as well as some side bolsters. Seat heaters, too....
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...html#post51327
If you have a good shop, they will work with you to help customize your seats at little or no extra charge. I only paid what the seat heaters actually cost.

66ninetyeightls

Seat Heaters??? In TEXAS?????? lol

we jeep inn

You will need something to support the foam and keep it from pushing through the springs. I decided to mimic the original method.

I purchased burlap from the piece goods store and re-wired my front seat bottom. I had the time waiting on my upholstery so I went with it.

Here's the thread with some pics and explanation of what I did.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...nvertible.html

Lady72nRob71

It gets cold here in winter, too.
This is a state where a 100 degree temperature differential thoughout the year is realistic...
The seat heaters are great when doing the long Christmas light drives with the top down. Keeps the lady from complaining much, too.