Can Seat Foam Be "Fabricated"?

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dibbons

dibbons

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The original foam for the bucket seats in my '65 Valiant and Barracuda Formula "S" is disintegrating. Does anyone know if the only option is purchasing a reproduction online seat foam or do upholstery shops have a way of making their own? Thank you.
 
dibbons said:
The original foam for the bucket seats in my '65 Valiant and Barracuda Formula "S" is disintegrating. Does anyone know if the only option is purchasing a reproduction online seat foam or do upholstery shops have a way of making their own? Thank you.
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Upholstery shops glue and form their own seat foam. They use a tool like a electric knife to form it.
 
Yes, it's done all the time. The foam is available in various densities too, so you can customize the fit and feel of the seat. Very common.
 
Here's a couple shots from a buddies custom upholstery shop and some of his finished product.
26805463_1624717184253531_6662668441831781184_n.jpg
26114227_1613120912079825_4701163068285264311_n.jpg
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Shaping is done in a variety of ways,using sanding wheels on a die grinder is nice for contouring.
Its a slow process.
Finding the right density is the hardest part.
 
My 68 Valiant were done with hand cut foam at the local upholstery shop.The original foam was hard as a brick.

IMG_2252.jpg
 
I did a set for a client's 1971 Cuda seats.

He had new foam from an overseas supplier, it was about 25% bigger than the covers could fit over.

Filet, chop, section & glue.

Repeat as needed............
 
I bought 2ft x 2ft chair seat foam at Joanns and did the bottoms of my bucket seats. I think it was 4 in thick. Seats were flat, not sculptured. Didn’t even have to trim it. The seatcover smoothed out the edges. With half off coupon it was only about $20 a seat. Bought hog rings & pliers on amazon. Definitely a low budget job but Looks and works real nice. Haven’t tried the seat backs yet.
 
Thanks for the info. The seat foam is expensive. It gets me why my friend bought seat bums for a 65 mustang. The cost 66 dollies. Cost for my Barracuda is around 250. I know the reason is there were so many more mustangs produced, but it still gripes me
 
Yep, It burns me that anything Mopar cost sooo much more than a Ford or a Chevy.
 
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