Seat Foam Question

[mopower]

I've ordered new seat covers for my 73 Challenger.  As far as I know they don't make foam for this year.  My driver seat is missing a few of the top strips and I'm wondering if anybody has any suggestions.  Thanks again for your infinite wisdom.



My girlfriend laughed at me and said that my picture illustrates that the missing foam is part of the seat cover and that infinite wisdom is right here in my own house.  What do ya'll think?

[ChallengerHK]

I've talked to an upholstery shop about the same problem, one that specializes in auto work. they tell me that they can patch/add material to maintain the original contours.  Didn't have the seats to show them so I never got a real estimate, but as a rough guess they said that they can patch thefoam and make cloth seat covers in the style of the vinyl covers for about $800-900.

[mopower]

Remarkably they showed up an hour after I posted.  Girlfriend is gloating.

[73Chally]

Getting back to this topic, I'm in the same boat as mopower.  Has anyone ever tried to tear off the foam from the 73 seat and use the new pads for a 70-71, or are they too different for that to work?

[ChallengerHK]

I've wondered if it was possible in theory, and I think it is, but I really like the 73 seat contours.

[73Chally]

If I was to try the 70/71 foam, would I also need to use the 70 or 71 covers, or would the 73 still work (in theory)?  I know this is kind of out there, but I figure by now someone had to have come up with some sort of solution.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Let's say you buy the 70-71 seat foam for close to $200. Let's say you go with a 70-71 seat covers too. Isn't the problem going to be on the back of the seat? Didn't they have a totally different back cover in the later years?



Maybe you could buy the 70-71 seat foam and trim it to fit your needs, but I doubt it. The head rest and all look different to me. Dang you Mother Mopar. 


  Mike

[MJS73]

Let's say you buy the 70-71 seat foam for close to $200. Let's say you go with a 70-71 seat covers too. Isn't the problem going to be on the back of the seat? Didn't they have a totally different back cover in the later years?

Yes, it is.  You're best off talking to an upholstery shop about having them make new custom foams.  I talked to a shop here that said they could do it, but it turned out the foams weren't my problem, sagging seat springs were.  But it can be done, apparently.

Do a search on this site.  I know this is like the third time I've posted this answer (not complaining).

Mike

[73Chally]

Mike - Sorry to rehash this, and I had seen your other posts, but I have not seen where anyone has actually carried through with a definitive solution.  I'm just hoping that with all the 72-74s out there, someone else has figured out a solution.  I'm also going to talk with my body guy next week and see if he has any ideas.

[Devil]

late 71 through 74 doesn't have the supports that are needed to use 70-early 71 foam.  You have to either reuse the original, or make you own.  I did the later, but did it where I worked, and upholstory shop.  If you guys have any questions of how to do it, I'll help the best I can.

before


after



Ryan

[wally426ci]

i was just in this "boat" its not so much the contour lines that are inmportant, its the width of the major seams. your contour lines run front to back and then get to a point where the seat cover and foam raise toward the outside of the seat base.

get ready 72-4 guys, including my father...... i was recovering my 72 leather seats and...... cut-up a perfectly good base seat foam for 72-4 vinyl seats just to realize it wouldnt work, maybe i could at least get it in there and it may all hold back together after covered....

that was the first BIG idiot move in years by me 

[73EStroker]

I too will undoubtedly come across this problem with my 73 seats. First of all - are we talking the foam problem on the front seats only? or does the back seat offer the same problem? I have bought the legendary set of seat covers. My back seat is in good shape but will get new covers anyway. The foam should be ok there. The fronts look like a cougar was caged up there and tried to claw its way out.
I had thought of doing what I did in my kitplane. That was to use a high density foam underlay (say 1" or so thisck) glued to the original foam. If the foam is not too bad it can be glued back together then using a hot wire (a small wire element held between two small boards) you can shave the original foam down a bit to compensate for the thickness of the new HD foam overlay that will be glued on. Once the new HD foam is glued on it will support the original foam and the covers can be installed. The benefit of the HD foam is that when you first get into it it feels like sitting on concrete, then after 10 minutes or so it moulds to your butt. I can fly my plane 3-1/2 hours continuous without major arse ache. Then fuel up and fly another 3 hours.

I am going to try this idea around Januaryish so I will report back on whether it worked or not.

[73Chally]

Sounds like a good idea.  Is that like the Temper Pedic stuff that they make the mattresses out of now?  I have one of those pillows and my house is so cold at night it's like sleeping on a brick, but when it's warmer that stuff is nice.