I got the American Cushion Industries foam and it is the closest match to the originals. They do not have the grooves in the foam for hog ringing to the springs, Does anyone know if the fabric on the ACI foam, is used to attach the foam to the frame with hog rings?
Thanks!

 

I think i recall a thread where un = rambow discussed aci foam and those slits….ill see if i can find it

 

Doesn't Thornton have those half-grooved buns?

 

I had the same problem with a different name brand. What I did was I took a metal coat hanger and stick it thru the foam so the hog rings can clamp onto the hanger.

 

yes, you need to add the channels. I have a set of 70 442 buckets that i'm about to do the same process on. I'll create a thread when i start in a few days to show my process, but in short, basically just lay the new buns over the bare springs, and mark the location of the spring side listing rods on the bottom of the bun.... Then poke an awl up from the bottom on the line and mark it on the top.
Then use a razor blade and cut new channels a fingers width apart, try not to cut the backing fabric if you can avoid it (not the end of the world if you do though.

Then install your decking material over the bare springs and install the buns the same as the originals were.

You have the originals to use to measure length of channels so you are miles ahead- I'm gonna have to rely on some pics of originals i took apart years ago, my cores came from a different donor vehicle.

 

oh and yes the cloth glued onto the buns is what is used to install onto your seat springs/frames. They install the same as your originals should have been when you took them apart, or were the cloths rotted off? (not uncommon)

 

just to be clear, the covers listing sleeves do not hogring TO THE BUNS... they attach to the listing rods that are attached to the spring assembly UNDER the buns- you need to push them all the way through the bun and through the decking layer under it to reach the springs. I usually create a ~1" slit wherever i plan to hogring through to make that easier.

if you don't do that and only catch the bun, you won't get the proper "tuck" in the cover... thats the whole idea of those listing sleeves, they need that positive deep attachment to create the tuck.

 

Thanks so much for the info!

 

I'll be watching, my seat covers are due in the next couple of months.

 

I have a photo write up i did on a set of 65 GTO buckets, posted over on performance years that might be more useful if you are doing the seats in one of your 65's... I'll see if I can dig up the link to share.

 

@tkcutlass Here is the 1965 style bucket writeup...

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...45#post6212245

 

Thanks
Rambow

I will be doing my 70 cutlass supreme convertible buckets and rear seat.
Looking forward to the 70/442 seat thread.

 

The bottom turned out perfect, seat back was impossible. I think the foam was to big or the distinctive cover was not correct. One tip I discovered with the new springs is to bend the mounting tabs up with a flat screwdriver to ease install. I gave it a shot, its tough work my hands look like they have been through a meat grinder. Looks like I will be headed to an upholstery shop at some point. Probably get a legendary kit and have it installed. I'm not going to attempt the passenger seat. I put the seat back in the car, with the new springs and foam feels like a different car.

 

Here is a legendary video i followed.

 

That is a bummer on the upper cushion. Is it a reproduction spring assembly?
I can see the frame sticking off to the one side, so the bun is definitely not centered right, but the tucks are there, so its definitely attached down through the bun.. makes me wonder if the spring assembly itself is not on right?
Did you take any photos as you went? that might help to ID the issue.

The biggest thing with upper cushions is to get the centerline of the cover right- so i always find the centerline of the frame from the back side and then mark it on the buns before the covers go on.
There is a little notch in the center of the cover on the inside seam of the top welting to indicate the centerline. Same at the bottom (you can also count the pleats to find the center line.
With the cover centered side to side, and placed how you want top to bottom, then make reference marks on the bun & the cover listing sleeves where you want those hogrings to go through in the listing sleeves.
That way you have a reference as to what straight is at least for the bottom.
For the top, before i pull the top corners right side out, I will place a sheet of thin plastic (like a painters dropcloth super thin ML) over the bun. This will help the cover to slide over the bun.
Then after the top corners get pulled right side out you can massage it left to right to make sure the centerline on the cover lines up with the centerline of the frame.

If the spring assembly is not lined up with the frame centerline, the cover will not line up either.
When i install these, i always have the cover inside out over the bun, attach the listings, THEN pull the top corners over one at a time.

I know your hands are tired, but I think if you were to take some photos showing the backside of this with the cover on, then carefully take this cushion back apart, take more pics to show whats underneath- and try it again, I'd be happy help you to fix it yourself, either here on the site or offline via email and pics.

You are very close...

 

Here is one of my own write ups... the bun install and tips start at post #31
https://www.chevelles.com/threads/wo....987634/page-2

 

Just read the thread on Chevelles.com. EXCELLENT write up. I’ll be doing my 70 covers when they come in from legendary. Will use that post for reference. I may hit you up if I get stuck on something or need advice.

 

I had troubles with the spring assembly as purchased from Dynacorn. The bottom horizontal "run" on the seat back descends about 1/2 to 3/4 inch too far down on the outer edges. I had to cut the side rails and raise the bottom horizontal run in order for the PUI cover to fit. (PUI cover fit the OEM sp0rings just fine.) I wish I had taken pictures of the actual "repair" or "adjustment" I made. Pics would have been much clearer than trying to explain it. Here are some pics I made later describing the changes. The first pic is originally from Ben Rambo that I marked up to show the Dynacorn dimensions that are too long. (Ben's stuff is spot on!) The bottom pic with the green arrows pointing at the red lines show where I made the cuts. I did not remove any material from the side rails, but I DID remove about the last half S-curve on the bottom row of the springs. Then I used the clips that came in Ben's kit that are similar those on the outside spring frame to clamp together the overlapped ends of the cuts I made. Hope this is helpful and makes sense!

 

YIKES. That right there is EXACTLY why recommend again and again to fix and re-use original spring assemblies whenever possible.

 

^^^ Words of Wisdom!! ^^^

 

Hi Ben,
You were 100% right the OPGI springs are junk. I have been driving the car with the seat in it and at 5'7" my eyes are in line with the top of the windshield. Way to high and the back feels like the springs are pushing me off the seat. I am going to have to break the seat down and start over, do you ever use the factory springs on a seat build? I'm wondering if the old springs are good and it was the old dry rotted foam that was the major issue. As mine is a convertible I would rather have the seat low than high. My original bottom spring has one break and the back has one break. It looks like Legendary has springs for $105 each have you used these? Also with the ACI back bun do you cut your groove all the way to the bottom of the cushion like the originals? I felt like the foam needed to be lower on the frame but did not cut the groove through the fabric so I could hog ring it lower.
Thanks Mike

 

The bottom springs lean toward the door side, do you think this can be corrected?
Thanks,
Mike

 

Wow. your springs are so unblieveably mint you need to stop thinking about repop springs immediately. if you had posted those pics before buying them i would have told you not to buy anything. GM didn't paint them when they were new, so to see them SHINY bare metal like that says TONS about their condition. 99% have a solid coating of rust over them that many also get nervous about that is really nothing to be concerned about, but yours are like 10 steps better than that.
Shoot me an email with photos of your damaged areas and i can work with you to get them fixed up properly. it will literally be day and night difference when you redo them again with the repaired original springs.

To answer your earlier question- i NEVER use repop springs if i can at all avoid them (only 2-3 times in the last 10 years that i had no choice, and i still wound up modifying and "fixing" them before reinstalling the covers.
I make all my own repair parts from brand new 9ga steel rod and 9ga & 11ga medium loop springs... Even seats like mine, where the seats are nearly made from scratch due to so many repairs, they feel superior to the repop ones.

We'll get you fixed up!

Regarding the foam, i will usually trim it down to where i can see the mesh backing from the top side. Then i will mark and cut it anywhere a hogring will need to pass through it to ensure i can grab onto that spring side listing rod properly, so you probably have them good enough- any remaining foam between the upper rod and lower rod will compress down to nothing when the hogrings are squeezed on as long as they were close. If you cut all the way through the channel there is notjhing to keep the bolsters from flopping around. not as bad with the "half" channels on the olds seats, but a big no-no on the full channels... But still doable, you just have to make sure the top bolster foam stays where its supposed to when pulling the cover on. you can almost always work with it, even if the channels have been cut clear through.

Regarding the feel of the seats... If you've ever built an old school model airplane wing out of balsa wood, a seat is very similar.
there is basically no "overall" strength or stability when its the bare frame. Each layer you add, increases the firmness- and finally once the cover is on its pretty firm and tight.
As the seats age, the bun, and decking layers disintegrate out from under the cover and everything loosens up.
Broken springs usually occur in a cascading fashion, usally starting with the side support springs, then to the rear corner wheree they attach to the frame, then the front corner- until the entire outboard edge is flopping around.
I can see from your pics, your breaks are very typical of that. So Not unusual at all to have felt the whole seat was shot...
New side springs, and a repaired rear corner likely would be enough to make them feel like new again.
From what i can see your original buns don't even look that bad, so it really make have just been all the broken springs & edgewires that ruined the feel.

anyway- all very repairable.
-Ben

 

Hi Ben,
I emailed you some photos of the broken areas. Yes, this car is from California no rust only 59k miles. I am doing the drivers seat right now I'm guessing the passenger bucket is not very bad. I'm grateful for your help! If i took it to a shop they will not be pro's at this so I may as well do it myself.
Thanks,
Mike