Seat tech - made from scratch

[LEEVON]

My motivation for doing a seat this way was wanting to retain a mostly original look and feel in the interior, including the seat frame/floor riser set-up but with more comfort. I first tried modifying an '88 bench seat and it was comfortable but just not quite "right" for Popeye the '50.

I started with an original seat. Then I deconstructed the seat frames by removing the locating/mounting tabs (two on the bottom front, three on the bottom back and three on the top back). I cut the welds from all of these and set them aside. Then I used the back and bottom for size and shape and created new bases out of 7/16" plywood (the good stuff, woodworking grade). I then sanded and fit them to the seat frame utilizing the tabs attached with wood screws. From that point I attached the correct density of foam for the seat back and bottom, gluing it to the plywood with spray adhesive. I rough shaped the foam with an electric carving knife, then fine-shaped with 80 grit media on my grinder. The upholstery shop took it from there and did an outstanding job. I recommend this approach if you're looking for more comfort in an original seat.