TheSamba.com :: View topic - TMI foam padding or WolfsburgWest seat hair padding? FAQ

Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:42 pm

you can even see it in the 66's og covers. :wink:

and look at some og ones for sale. notice the roll vs piping.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/search.php?...ton=Search

enjoy!

Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:32 pm

Mine-

Pollys-

Sewfine, and yes the left and right bottoms are different. Andthe seats are different as the passenger side is hinged. Not sure what the deal would be all about with the strange cushions. Carol has been doing early Bay cushions for many years and knows how to do them. I somewhat remenber one cushion where the rear end was longer but I do know that I didn't cut or trim. I sure wouldn't do anything to alter the front or sides.

The cushions are perfect for fit and usage. 15 years daily on my daily driver bug and the Sewfines are holding the shape and look the same as new.

Wed Nov 20, 2013 3:48 pm

Just wondering how it compares to redo seats yourself or have them done. About how much is the going price to have a full set (rear, 2/3 middle, and the 2 walk through fronts) of bus seats reupholstered at a shop?

And how much would it be to buy the padding and covers for these from Sewfine?

Wed Nov 20, 2013 5:12 pm

Go to an upholstry shop and ask them :oops:

Check Sewfines catalog and prices :oops:

Wed Nov 20, 2013 6:48 pm

Desertbusman wrote: Go to an upholstry shop and ask them :oops:

Check Sewfines catalog and prices :oops:

Concur. I priced out and for stock, it will cost much more for the shop to do it. Because THEY FIT THEM on your frames. They will not have jigs and standard measurements because they don't do these cars all the time. You are paying EXTRA for the local shop's unfamiliarity with your VW, and then paying EXTRA again for their labor to learn. On your dime.

From experience,

M

Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:21 am

FYI...........do not waste your money on TMI ghia convertible rear seat pads,they are nothing but two pieces of 1 inch rectangular cheap foam,you can buy much better quality and thicker at your local Craft storesand/or fabric shops and at a cheaper price. The front seat pads are acceptible but not the best.

Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:45 am

voltman wrote: FYI...........do not waste your money on TMI ghia convertible rear seat pads,they are nothing but two pieces of 1 inch rectangular cheap foam,you can buy much better quality and thicker at your local Craft storesand/or fabric shops and at a cheaper price. The front seat pads are acceptible but not the best.

You have ghia seats in your bus?

:P

Thu Jun 12, 2014 7:00 am

I'm a TMI dealer. I use WW coco pads and TMI covers. A bay, but you get the idea:

How to: http://www.bulliklinik.com/2014/01/dormobile-interior-upgrade.html

Thu Jun 12, 2014 10:50 am

I used WW hair pads with the original blue/green plaid seat covers (still in great shape!) on my '75 Westy, installing seat heater pads from Install Bay at the same time (not yet wired in). Smooth install for this first timer! Hardest part was removing the old covers without breaking off everyone of the bendable metal tabs on the seat frame. :-/

- Doug

Sat Aug 23, 2014 3:13 pm

I bought one coconut coir pad to see if it would fit my '73 seat with a headrest and it looks like it would work. The headrest is actually behind the pad so I don't know how it would interfere with the '74 seat as mentioned on Wolfsburg's site.

Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:51 am

Since this post was started, has anyone tried reupholstering the '74 seat back w/ head rest using the coconut hair pad?

Tue Oct 27, 2015 9:05 am

Resurrecting and old debate. I'm a very tall guy, at 6'7" and rebuilt my front seats using the TMI foam seat pads in my 74 westy. It raised me up approx. 1 1/2"-2" higher ( I'm sure I can contribute some height difference by rebuilding the seats). The TMI foam appears to be over stuffing the seat.

If I switched to the WW horsehair seat pad, would it allow the occupant to sit lower?

Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:34 pm

Convoy wrote: Resurrecting and old debate. I'm a very tall guy, at 6'7" and rebuilt my front seats using the TMI foam seat pads in my 74 westy. It raised me up approx. 1 1/2"-2" higher ( I'm sure I can contribute some height difference by rebuilding the seats). The TMI foam appears to be over stuffing the seat.

If I switched to the WW horsehair seat pad, would it allow the occupant to sit lower?

Yes

Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:21 pm

galencurrington wrote: Tvättbjörn wrote: Ok, got my WW padding and my covers ready to install. Since my seats were done at some point in the past - they have foam installed and everything is one big mess. Now my question:

Does any type of padding go onto the backrest frame. The metal bars running from the top towards the bottom or is the cover just sitting on top of the metal?

there is a pad that runs along the top and i've noticed no one makes that part that runs along the top of the bus seats and mine are totally messed up and beyond reusing them. i also notice no one makes the rear seat backing. i think mine had gotten wet so i threw it away. they make it for a bug but not a bus.

Actually, Sewfine is selling these pads now. http://www.sewfineproducts.com/backrest-top-cap-replacements/

Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:41 pm

Appreciate the response Curtis. Hope it will lower me by at a minimum of 1".

Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:48 am

Hello, I currently have TMI foam seat pads in my 72, I'd like to keep the stock seats but road trips are terrible with those seats. I had a 8 hour drive in my bus and I woke up sore the next morning from the seats they were so uncomfortable. Is WW coconut fiber or sewfine seat pads that significant of an improvement for long trips? I want something that can be comfortable for at least 4 hours. Currently I have to stop every hour or two to stretch.

Wed Dec 07, 2022 1:22 pm

the factory was I think horsehair pads, and WW coconut is the closest to that. The upholstery shop I used to install the covers used a layer of gel foam over the WW pads. I drove across the US many times in my 1971 bay, and have taken up to 7 hour trips in my 1977. Comfort has not been an issue other than I am no longer a skinny 25 - 30 year old so the wheel is a lot closer. I think the early seats were more comfortable but the gave little support for the neck if rear ended. That was always a concern in the 60's and very early 70's cars.

Wed Dec 07, 2022 2:00 pm

I finally fitted WW coir seat pads to my seats. And finally the seats support me properly. I think the adhesive used is more robust than the original, feels like some kind of polyurethane.

Wed Dec 07, 2022 2:41 pm

Thanks guys, I will try out the WW seat pads then, I'm pretty young so how sore I was after the trip I figured something was up and I made the same trip in different cars, and it was not nearly as bad.

Fri Dec 09, 2022 8:19 am

I've had the ww pads on my 76 westy, they wore put pretty quickly. Just bought the sewfine foam on my 75, have to see how they hold up. I'm sure if your like most people here and barely drive your bus then any pad will hold up.