Hi everyone I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on a cheap fix for the seats in my 75 duster. There is some foam and seat fabric missing as well as a lot of tears in the front and back seats. I was planning to fill the missing foam in with glued in pieces to get the shape and then trying to stretch fabric over that to keep it as cheap as possible while still functioning and protecting the foam. I originally planned on covering the foam with an aftermarket seat cover and cutting and sewing the middle section to allow the seats to split but figured it wouldn't last as long as a car seat fabric. I'm open to any ideas really, I'm not too concerned with looks right now, just functionality; I still have a lot of work before it would be any type of show quality. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Cheapest way to fix seats with tears and missing foam?
- Thread starter mclovin
- Start date
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Use some soft packing foam and cover it with black duct tape - the fabric woven type.
Guys I worked with did that in a small truck and it lasted well for 3 years.
Guys I worked with did that in a small truck and it lasted well for 3 years.
Inertia
Well-Known Member
I've taken several seats into local auto upholstery shop to have split, stretched, cuts repaired.
An "experienced" shop will have misc pieces/rolls of diff "textures" of material to very closely match what you have, or customize and balance the repair, on both sides, if that makes sense .
An "experienced" shop will have misc pieces/rolls of diff "textures" of material to very closely match what you have, or customize and balance the repair, on both sides, if that makes sense .
this
I considered getting something like this and cutting it to fit the split seats but I’m not sure how long it would last
The material lasts great. It's the fitment and attaching that needs help.
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
Gluing chunks into 50 year old foam isn't going to hold up for long.
If it's just the seat bottoms that need attention, go to the fabric store (JoAnne Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, etc.) and buy a roll of 4-6" high density foam. Cut it to the size of your seat bottom (actually, a little bit larger) and toss the old shredded foam. How do you cut foam that's that thick? Use an electric carving knife (yes, the same one you carve up your Thanksgiving turkey with. Just don't let the wife see you). Works slick.
Need more foam to do the seat backs too? Go to your local discount bedding outlet store and buy a 4" thick fullsize foam mattress pad. Start cutting. It's enough to do the whole seat and then some.
Now take your cheapo Mexican blanket seat covers and stretch them good and tight over the new foam, and hog ring them into place just like the original upholstery was. Yes, use hog rings. Don't even think about using the supplied velcro straps or elastic cinch straps, they won't last a week, if that long.
As for cutting it to fit your split bench, just get one that's already made for a split bench.
PU Leather 60/40 40/60 50/50 Split Rear Bench Cover for Auto Blue Black | eBay
If it's just the seat bottoms that need attention, go to the fabric store (JoAnne Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, etc.) and buy a roll of 4-6" high density foam. Cut it to the size of your seat bottom (actually, a little bit larger) and toss the old shredded foam. How do you cut foam that's that thick? Use an electric carving knife (yes, the same one you carve up your Thanksgiving turkey with. Just don't let the wife see you). Works slick.
Need more foam to do the seat backs too? Go to your local discount bedding outlet store and buy a 4" thick fullsize foam mattress pad. Start cutting. It's enough to do the whole seat and then some.
Now take your cheapo Mexican blanket seat covers and stretch them good and tight over the new foam, and hog ring them into place just like the original upholstery was. Yes, use hog rings. Don't even think about using the supplied velcro straps or elastic cinch straps, they won't last a week, if that long.
As for cutting it to fit your split bench, just get one that's already made for a split bench.
PU Leather 60/40 40/60 50/50 Split Rear Bench Cover for Auto Blue Black | eBay
I don't know how "cheap" you're thinking. New drivers seat bottom foam bun for my 2010 RAM was only about 28 bucks @ ebay. I don't know that its large enough to be trimmed here and there to fit your car though. The OEM correct seat cover was a bit higher at 178.
Honestly, browsing the leather seat skins available at TEMU website is enough to make me want to sell my OEM 67 seats and head to the parts yard for seats those skins would fit.
Honestly, browsing the leather seat skins available at TEMU website is enough to make me want to sell my OEM 67 seats and head to the parts yard for seats those skins would fit.
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