Seat Foam?

[ol Curt]

Have any of you replaced the seat foam in your trucks prior to re-covering? If so, what kind of foam do you look for and is it difficult?

[slorio]

Curt:
I didn't change my foam, but I did add a 1" slab across the top of it before I put the new cover on. I wanted to make sure that I had a smooth surface across the top and plenty of foam to stretch the new cover over. It came out very nicely.

See this tech tip that I read over before tackling the cover. I thought it was well done.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=168060

regards,
Steve
New Orleans

[ol Curt]

Is there a particular density or kind of foam to ask for? Did you just buy it at an car upholstery place?

Thanks

[Bears63]

I just went to a local upholstery place and got a sheet of medium density foam 2" thick. That worked out great for me. I currently have the seat in my '71 and it is very comfortable. I wouldn't go beyond medium density myself.

[terd ferguson]

The thicker the foam, the more comfortable it'll be. I used 3" in my '53 bel air and it sits really nice. I'll be doing my truck seat soon, but I don't know what kind of condition the foam is in underneath. Beware, the foam can be really expensive. It pays to shop around. Start by checking car upholstery shops then fabric/furniture refinishers.

[Bears63]

You got that right on the cost. My '63 seat cost me $400 to do, $200 for the cover and another $200 in foam.

[ol Curt]

Wow! You mean 2" of medium density foam costs $200?

[terd ferguson]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

Wow! You mean 2" of medium density foam costs $200?

The local small car upholstery shop charged me $100 for 3" foam that was enough to do the seat bottom. The backrest was good, so I left that alone. I was shocked when he told me how much the foam was.

[Bears63]

I also had a sheet of 1" medium density for the back that added up to that price.

I should explain better on the foam. The place I went to charges per square inch for the foam. For right at $200 I got a 6' x 3' sheet of 1" medium density and a 6' x 3' sheet of 2" medium density. That gave me plenty to do the seat.

[Bears63]

Yeah, it is shocking. I remember when I went in to price it out. I about crapped myself when they told me they charge per square inch

[slorio]

Curt:
I bought a slab of foam from a fabric shop (like where our mother's shopped for fabric and patterns) and it was nowhere near that expensive. I used the 1" slab over the existing foam in the seat bottom to ensure that the cover fit tight. It has worked well thus far.
Regards,
Steve
New Orleans

[Frizzle Fry]

The professional automotive trimmers use a combination of polyfoam, nimbus, and dacron. I have two books on custom auto interiors. I have yet to track down a good local supplier.

[jb1016]

I work at a store that sells upholstery supplies, and has for 50 years. Some of the guys who have been there a while say that the price of foam has almost tripled in the last few years. They tell me it's because it's a petroleum-based product, so as gas prices go up, so do foam prices. Of course, a lot of it has to do with what density you choose -- higher density foam is more expensive, but it makes a longer lasting seat. But then, high density foam can be uncomfortable to sit on because of how hard it can be. So then you have to pay more for high density that also has good "smushability" (my term). So yeah, it gets expensive if you're gonna do it right. We price ours by the board foot ([length x width x height]/144) so as it gets thicker it obviously gets a lot pricier. The best grade we sell is *I think* over $2.00 per bf right now. I've thought about doing mine as one of the POs was apparently kinda heavy, and I sit down in a little crater when I drive. I would probably end up doing it myself as LMC wants $500 for the foam for my seat, and I would have no way to verify the grade before purchase.

Just to let you know what a nerd I am, I actually used a piece of 4-inch foam and a jigsaw to propose to my wife. Sometimes I still can't believe she married me.

[ol Curt]

OK, that calculation must be using all number in inches to come up with board feet. Because if it was all in feet and I wanted a 2" think piece the height would be .17 feet(2"/12"). If I wanted a piece 2" high by 5' long and 2' wide I would be paying about 1 cent for it.

Going in inches it would be 24x60x2=2880/144=20 At $2.00 per board foot that would only be $40 which seems reasonable.

[ol Curt]

This http://www.midwestfabrics.com/index....t_detail&p=292 would do a bottom cushion and I think 1" thick would be ok on the back of the seat.

[BurbDude454]

Has anyone ever removed the springs from one of our seats and used the contoured foam for these type seats? I was thinking about doing it to my factory suburban seats but have not found a place to get the foam. Most of the places have springs under them, I didn't think that all of these types had springs?

[Frizzle Fry]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

This http://www.midwestfabrics.com/index....t_detail&p=292 would do a bottom cushion and I think 1" thick would be ok on the back of the seat.

That looks like a good price!

[valero]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

This http://www.midwestfabrics.com/index....t_detail&p=292 would do a bottom cushion and I think 1" thick would be ok on the back of the seat.

i agree!...that really does look like a good price would these dimentions be enough to cover the base and back?

[markeb01]

I went to an old school upholstery supplier downtown for door panel foam and same result - I was in disbelief at the pricing. The upside was, they had a huge stack of clearance foam at a discount. I ended up buying two sheets of 2"x5'x8' medium/high density for about $40 each. Once in a while you get lucky if you shop around enough.

[ol Curt]

I ended up using a local craft store (HobbyLobby) http://www.hobbylobby.com/ for all my foam. I used 4" on the seat and 1" on the back. I left the original 1" on there and glued another piece over it. Made it nice and cushy. I used an electric meat carver for rounding the edges followed by a 120 grit disc on a die grinder at low speed.

Worked out good.

[valero]

Originally Posted by ol Curt

I ended up using a local craft store (HobbyLobby) http://www.hobbylobby.com/ for all my foam. I used 4" on the seat and 1" on the back. I left the original 1" on there and glued another piece over it. Made it nice and cushy. I used an electric meat carver for rounding the edges followed by a 120 grit disc on a die grinder at low speed.

Worked out good.

man this seat looks smooth! apparently you know what your doin, lol...if you dont mind me asking, how do you get started cutting, measuring and sewing the fabric together?

[ol Curt]

Originally Posted by valero

man this seat looks smooth! apparently you know what your doin, lol...if you dont mind me asking, how do you get started cutting, measuring and sewing the fabric together?

LOL,
I bought the seat cover from
Ricks Custom Upholstery
2543 Taylor Rd.
Columbia, TN 38401
United States
931-388-3022
upholster2@gmail.com

It was $216 including shipping. I used the old foam to get an idea of the contours to cut out of the new square piece. The most difficult part was making sure the ribs all lined up.

[markeb01]

That seat looks fantastic in that cab.

[ol Curt]

Originally Posted by markeb01

That seat looks fantastic in that cab.

Thanks,
It would have looked better if the paper masking the vent on the passenger side was removed prior to the pic.

[Captainfab]

Didn't even notice that until you mentioned it......just looking at the nice seat, dash and carpet.

Originally Posted by ol Curt

Thanks,
It would have looked better if the paper masking the vent on the passenger side was removed prior to the pic.