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Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:53 am

Has anyone here ever made their own seat padding?
what materials did you use

My though was slipping 4" padding inserts to go inside the springs of them and then using a harder foam, maybe noeprene? to let them be cushy but a little stiffer than an original seats pad.

I have been looking around usual places like WW, Sewfine Scat and so on.... Seems everyones "packages" are way out of my budget to buy in one shot. Hell just the hair padding is over $300 shipped alone.

I did ask a local upholsterer and sounds like he pretty much has about any of the materials I would want to use and acording to him for these things in the block sizes I gave him was less than $100. which is why I am asking if anyone did the padding themselves what worked and what didnt... Any insight would be appreciated

Wed Jan 06, 2010 10:54 am

The hair padding is the way to go. It holds up better, provides a better and more firm seat for your arse, and so forth. The foamy products just don't do the same thing. That being said, sure, give it a whirl. Worst case scenario is you don't like it, but you can still drive the car and whatnot. It's not like you're trying to make a crankshaft out of brass.

Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:40 pm

I used 4" foam from joann's fabric and I used vinyl to wrap the springs and then the foam and then the seat cover. My convertible I used the hair and in my oval I used the foam and it is like night and day the oval is more comfortable.

Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:52 am

On my Thing I used hair padding. At the same time a friend used foam on his. the difference in fit was very noticeable but not bad. If all your are concerned about is comfort then go with the foam.

Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:19 pm

My seats were in terrible shape, so of course the hair had to go along with the ruined covers. I got foam, never wanting to go back to the horsehair. The horsehair provided a firmer seat, and the foam is much more squishy. It all depends on what you want, really.

Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:21 am

I redid the interior in my '50 last winter, there are a whole series of pics in the "Zarwerks Spy Cam" thread in the split forum.

I used the original horsehair padding, but topped it with some high density foam. I was pretty happy with the way it came out and how they feel. I wrapped the spring cages too, before putting the padding on.

IMO, thicker foam is harder to control and always ends up making the seats look like marshmallows, even if the pull down cords are used. I think Wolfsburg West sells repro hair seat pads.

Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:45 am

So do the pads REALLY have actual horse hair? I did mine 2 years ago and I should have replaced the original pads, but did not. I did notice that the original pads did have real thin stiff black hair-like fibers woven into them and were a dark reddish tan color. I also remember the pads had a thin gray layer of felt-like wool as additional padding on the seating surface.

Fri Jan 08, 2010 8:52 am

Ninamashr wrote: So do the pads REALLY have actual horse hair? I did mine 2 years ago and I should have replaced the original pads, but did not. I did notice that the original pads did have real thin stiff black hair-like fibers woven into them and were a dark reddish tan color. I also remember the pads had a thin gray layer of felt-like wool as additional padding on the seating surface.

No, its not real horsehair, its just a rubberized fiber. HH i s just a trade name for it.

And yes, original seats have a grey felt based jute padding over the pads.

Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:05 am

johnshenry wrote: Ninamashr wrote: So do the pads REALLY have actual horse hair? I did mine 2 years ago and I should have replaced the original pads, but did not. I did notice that the original pads did have real thin stiff black hair-like fibers woven into them and were a dark reddish tan color. I also remember the pads had a thin gray layer of felt-like wool as additional padding on the seating surface.

No, its not real horsehair, its just a rubberized fiber. HH i s just a trade name for it.

And yes, original seats have a grey felt based jute padding over the pads.

I've always wondered what it was made of, and came to the conclusion that it's coconut fiber after living in Hawaii. True or false?

Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:08 am

Bart Dunn wrote: johnshenry wrote: Ninamashr wrote: So do the pads REALLY have actual horse hair? I did mine 2 years ago and I should have replaced the original pads, but did not. I did notice that the original pads did have real thin stiff black hair-like fibers woven into them and were a dark reddish tan color. I also remember the pads had a thin gray layer of felt-like wool as additional padding on the seating surface.

No, its not real horsehair, its just a rubberized fiber. HH i s just a trade name for it.

And yes, original seats have a grey felt based jute padding over the pads.

I've always wondered what it was made of, and came to the conclusion that it's coconut fiber after living in Hawaii. True or false?

Might very well be based on how the original stuff breaks down over time, and its color. There is some history pages on the stuff, I googled some upholstery materials sites a while back. Today they make it with a polyfiber.

One myth was that is was actual horsehair and that was why VWs always had "that smell"....

Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:09 pm

Do all VWs have that smell? My 63 and my 57 have vinyl seats and have the smell. My zwitter has wool seats and the original seat pads but doesn't seam to have the smell. So I'm thinking it's more of a vinyl and battery acid combo. But then again maybe I'm so used to it that I don't even notice it anymore.

Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:47 pm

The WW "horse hair" seat pads are indeed coconut fiber.

Sat Jan 09, 2010 11:21 am

EDITED:
Also who sells tweed seat cover reasonably priced?
I seriously hate the original vinyl...

where was I... oh yeah...
I am knid of hoping to make the seats a stiffer than the originals...
Not so OEM style cushy and bouncy....

Kinda curious about what others have done on (or in) the seat backs...
Has anyone ever actually tucked the foam into the springs airspace? or just direcly on top... or both?

Sat Jan 09, 2010 2:04 pm

To save money and actually cut your price in half as opposed to going with TMI or something..... I go to Walmart. Go to their crafty section with linens and such and they sell rolls of foam, even square seat sections that fit perfect for the bottom rest and backrest. to do your whole car it should cost about 80.00-90.00 in foam from there.

Chris

Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:16 pm

The company that was the main Volkswagen supplier of the 'horsehair' seat padding is Enkev. It is still producing the same stuff.

People called is horsehair because in the earlier (expensive) cars they used padding made of real horsehair. Later on with cars being mass-produced real horsehair was replaced by other fibers. Mainly coconut and banana leave fibers.

The company is based in Volendam, the Netherlands but operates internationally.
Check their website if interested: http://www.enkev.com/en/index.html

Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:13 pm

Kombat wrote: The company that was the main Volkswagen supplier of the 'horsehair' seat padding is Enkev. It is still producing the same stuff.

People called is horsehair because in the earlier (expensive) cars they used padding made of real horsehair. Later on with cars being mass-produced real horsehair was replaced by other fibers. Mainly coconut and banana leave fibers.

The company is based in Volendam, the Netherlands but operates internationally.
Check their website if interested: http://www.enkev.com/en/index.html
Any body got a line and where you can get that grey felt jute padding? Or something close?

Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:54 pm

3foldfolly wrote: Kombat wrote: The company that was the main Volkswagen supplier of the 'horsehair' seat padding is Enkev. It is still producing the same stuff.

People called is horsehair because in the earlier (expensive) cars they used padding made of real horsehair. Later on with cars being mass-produced real horsehair was replaced by other fibers. Mainly coconut and banana leave fibers.

The company is based in Volendam, the Netherlands but operates internationally.
Check their website if interested: http://www.enkev.com/en/index.html
Any body got a line and where you can get that grey felt jute padding? Or something close?

WW or www.cip1.com sell the jute padding, but it is for the rear luggage area.

cv

Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:22 pm

I went to both those sites and could not find luggage area padding. where does WW list it?

Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:37 pm

3foldfolly wrote: I went to both those sites and could not find luggage area padding. where does WW list it?

http://wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=113863891
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC-113-863-891

Enjoy,

Chris

Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:46 pm

cvallone wrote: 3foldfolly wrote: I went to both those sites and could not find luggage area padding. where does WW list it?

http://wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=113863891
http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VWC-113-863-891

Enjoy,

Chris
So you can use that? Do you just leave the tar paper lining in the middle of it? The original padding on top of the horse hair lining iin my car doesn't look to be a half inch thick but it may be compressed from the last 56 years although I stored the car for 32 of those years and maybe sat onthe seats twice year until mechanically restoring it last year.