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jsSyncro Samba Member
Joined: August 18, 2007 Posts: 59 Location: mill valley, ca
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 11:36 am Post subject: Seat rebuild; cleaning, rebuilding foam, adding seat heaters |
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The '87 I bought a few months back was in pretty decent
shape but the carpets and upholstery were kinda nasty and
I could feel the wires coming thru the disintegrating cushions.
I called Sewfine to order new bottom cushions but the nice
lady there said they were still working on perfecting them.
So I decided to just BS my way through redoing them.
I went out and got some 2" thick upholstery foam and spray adhesive
from the local upholstery shop. I also ordered some seat heat elements from
http://www.heatedseatkits.com/heatedseatkits/index.html
I got the H3 model.
Went to work disassembling the seats per Bentley.
Check out Sewfine's excellent photos on disassembling the arm rests:
http://www.sewfineproducts.com/vanarm.html
I cut the upholstery rings with wire cutters, these will be replaced with
zip ties later.
On the seat backs you gently pry back these nasty little clips to get the
covers off:
Untie the wires from the seat frame. I kept them in the seat covers
and wrapped the ends in duct tape in order to throw the whole thing in
the washing machine.
the head rests are held in place with cotter pins:
pull (don't pry) the plastic mounts out like so:
All the upholstery got sprayed with a ton of "Shout" and were scrubbed
down pretty good. I washed on COLD. I then let everything air dry.
the covers (left) looked awesome after washing. the seat on the right had
just been shampooed by a local car wash but was still pretty funky:
Here we go. The tools of ignorance:
I decided to use as much of the original cushion as possible since
it is molded to the steel seat pan. I shaved off the foam on top
that had started tp disintegrate.
Paper templates of main pieces:
I shaped the new foam using the sharpest serrated bread knife I had and
glued it in pieces to the old foam. There was a lot of dry fitting and trial and error to get a shape and firmness that worked. I then did some final
shaping with a belt sander (clamp down the seat real good so you don't launch it across the room).
I used duct tape to clamp the foam while the adhesive dried.
The seat back cushions were in pretty good shape so I didn't do much to them.
At this point I installed the seat heaters. I neglected to take pics of this but
the instructions that came with mine were very clear. They are self adhesive so they just stick right to the cushion. I made holes through the
seat cushion to run the wires.
As mentioned earlier, I used zip ties to replace the upholstery rings.
here is a finished seat:
old on left, new on right:
Back in the van, I was installing sound damping and carpet so the seat wiring was easy.
I also put in an aux battery at this point and wired the seats up to it.
I believe the heaters draw a lot of amps and I didn't want them draining
the main battery.
I drilled a 1.5 inch hole in the swivel plates for the heater wiring:
I decided to mount them in the lower center console:
I'm really happy with the way the upholstery and heaters worked out.
It's getting cold here in Colorado and the van is much more pleasant
to drive with the heated seats.
regards,
john _________________ ++++++++++++++
87 Syncro Westy Hoth Patrol Unit |
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rockfish Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2007 Posts: 740 Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 11:51 am Post subject: |
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Wow. Fantastic job. |
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Christopher Schimke Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2005 Posts: 5374 Location: PNW
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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Cool! One tip for future do-it-yourselfers, an electric turkey carving knive cuts foam like butter. _________________ "Sometimes you have to build a box to think outside of." - Bruce (not Springsteen)
*Custom wheel hardware for Audi/VW, Porsche and Mercedes wheels - Urethane Suspension Bushings*
T3Technique.com or contact me at [email protected] |
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FNGRUVN Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2007 Posts: 2237 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:25 am Post subject: |
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Where were you when I was doing this to mine. I could have used a play-by-play. I also installed seat heaters when I had mine apart and had Sewfine make some really nice seat covers. I like the tools you used too, however I prefer using a New Belgium Fat Tire or 1554 for those jobs. I'm up in Fort Collins so I might see you around. |
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Vanagon Nut Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2008 Posts: 10333 Location: Sunshine Coast B.C.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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Just found this. Nice photos JsSyncro!
JsSyncro:
how are they holding up and how do they feel?
Thanks!
Neil. _________________ 1981 Westy, 15º ABA
1988 West, 50º ABA
Vanagon VAG GAS engine swap Google Group:
https://tinyurl.com/2f24rmh
VE7TBN |
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JeffRobenolt Samba Member
Joined: February 25, 2007 Posts: 1513 Location: Wisconsin
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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Not sure if zip ties is a good idea instead of the hog rings? _________________ --------------------------------------------------------
jfats808 wrote: |
Most, some, few is not all. You can always learn something from everyone , even the fool. |
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westylife Samba Member
Joined: October 28, 2007 Posts: 409 Location: Anchorage, Alaska
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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This is awesome! I never would have thought to put in seat heaters
Quote: |
Where were you when I was doing this to mine. I could have used a play-by-play. I also installed seat heaters when I had mine apart and had Sewfine make some really nice seat covers. I like the tools you used too, however I prefer using a New Belgium Fat Tire or 1554 for those jobs. I'm up in Fort Collins so I might see you around. |
I second that on the Fat Tire! I cant get that up here in Alaska. _________________ 1983.5 Westfalia Bostig RG1 |
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rockfish Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2007 Posts: 740 Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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Depending upon your budget: Instead of making your own seat cushions, you can purchase replacement seat & back cushions from Sewfine. Same goes for the bench seat, cargo/engine pad and the bunk bed. _________________ 89 Westy
GW 2.5 5-speed trans
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
- John Wooden |
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Syncroincity Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2007 Posts: 1557 Location: New York City
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Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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jrobewesty wrote: |
Not sure if zip ties is a good idea instead of the hog rings? |
Nah, zip-ties are FTW. Not only are they easy to work with, they allow you to keep the upholstery loose while you've got your hands in there routing the other ties, then snug everything down progressively. I've done two Subaru seat sets with zip ties, after 6 years the oldest is in perfect shape. Hog-rings will leave you bloody and cursing your life. _________________ '86 Syncro CHC Top AAZ Turbodiesel
'04 Passat Variant 4Mo 5MT
Vanagon Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=466866&highlight= |
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jmranger Samba Member
Joined: January 14, 2010 Posts: 699 Location: Quebec
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:25 am Post subject: Re: Seat rebuild; cleaning, rebuilding foam, adding seat hea |
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Old thread revival warning...
Since this one is in the FAQ, I believe a little correction is warranted.
When removing the headrest mounts, just pulling them...
... seems unlikely to succeed, given the adversary:
I used a variant of the strategy proposed by Sewfine:
1) pre-compress from the top using a (reusable) zip-tie, so the tips are all close enough for step 2
2) compress even more and push out at the same time using the square end of a 1/4" socket
Done! And thanks jsSyncro for the tutorial.
JMR |
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vw7266 Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2004 Posts: 3036 Location: the point, ohio
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 11:37 am Post subject: |
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I just did this...I popped mine out just like the original poster did...and I do love my seat heaters
Remember there more than one way to skin a cat! |
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westyman71 Samba Member
Joined: August 28, 2004 Posts: 170
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Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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Brad??????
Seat heaters?????? |
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KDI_CUSTOMS Samba Member
Joined: November 07, 2009 Posts: 91 Location: Maryland
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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Looks good. Just some simple tips for you guys/girls.
Electric carving knife cuts foam.
Use a good contact cement for gluing things together.
Angle air grinder w a red sand disc will shape foam nicely.
Zipties can be used in place of hogrings.
You can put a small metal rod on backside of foam n tie to tiedown rod on front of foam if its broken loose from inside.
Put headliner over shaped foam to help hide rough edges.
Hope this helps someone w their project. Maybe we should have diy upholstery section sponsored by me. _________________ KDI CUSTOMS AUTOMOTIVE UPHOLSTERY
www.kdicustoms.com
Full interior services and sales of rare imported material. |
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tam_shops Samba Member
Joined: November 15, 2012 Posts: 1530 Location: Vancouver BC
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Posted: Thu May 23, 2013 7:18 pm Post subject: Re: Seat rebuild; cleaning, rebuilding foam, adding seat hea |
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THANK YOU for the detailed point by point pictures! I'm not sure I need to re-foam mine, think I might swap mine right to left like someone else suggested. WOW, though, I sure do need to wash them!
tam
jsSyncro wrote: |
old on left, new on right:
john |
_________________ 1987 Vanagon Westfalia GL Automatic
Making it special:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=545885 |
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SyncroChrick Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2005 Posts: 1010 Location: San Francisco, CA
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Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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I am also doing this job right now. My bottom foam is totally shot, I wasn't expecting that. Those vehicles are starting to be pretty old by now...everything needs replacement.
So now I need to either find another used foam, pay $300 for 2 bottom foam at Sewfine, carve one myself...or get another set of seats.
decision, decision... |
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smurfpike Samba Member
Joined: April 24, 2010 Posts: 220 Location: Utah
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Steve M. Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013 Posts: 6777 Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
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Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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Great job! I wish you had posted before you started because then I would have told you to use an Electric Carving knife to cut the foam! That is so much easier and more accurate since it cuts instead of tearing at the foam while trying to hold it with one hand and cut with the other.
It looks like it turned out well enough though. |
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kguarnotta Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2004 Posts: 1160 Location: Woodstock, NH
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:02 am Post subject: Re: Seat rebuild; cleaning, rebuilding foam, adding seat heaters |
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reviving an old thread - this looks great. thansk for posting.
How is it holding up long term? I am wondering if the seat heaters do long term damage to the foam? My seats are in ok shape - but I'd love them to look as clean as yours. I also saw a video of a guy reviving old foam with a steamer - it looked amazing, no idea if it actually lasts, or if it just puffs up for a short time, then compresses again.
I've thought about heated seats - they have some covers you just put over your seat - pretty cheap. But your job looks so much nicer.! thanks for sharing. _________________ -Kevin
Lincoln, MA
'86 Triple Knob Syncro w/EJ22
'78 Westy
'69 Single Cab
'65 Kombi - EZ-Camper |
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