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Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:02 pm

A few years back I recall seeing some photos posted by someone that showed the process they went through to rebuild and reupholster their front seats. I have had no luck finding it through the search function. My seats are completely missing all the stuffing material that was once in them, so I'm not really certain what materials you use to rebuild them from the spring frame up. A few years back I did puschase the seat padding that is made from cocoanut shells I believe? It's the closest to what was originally used in the seats. What I don't want to do is use foam like some folks use when the redo the seats. My son's bus had the foam used and it is actually too big and tends to rip out the material with time. It comes out too "overstuffed." I want to redo mine as closely as possible to the original material. Looking for a layer upon layer pictures of what materials go where. I'm sure there is some sort of batting used, but pics would be helpful. If anyone knows of any step by step postings I'd appreciate being pointed in the right direction. Thanks

Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:47 pm

They are easy. Order your covers of choice. I like to buy the stuffing offered. Once you have material, just disassemle your seats and reverse to procedure. If you find broken springs, the springs from a beetle seat can be canabalized and cut to length for the bus seat. Good Luck and have fun. it`s a rewarding job as you always use the seats. :)

Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:48 pm

pjalau did that photo series.

Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:31 pm

dr8track wrote: My son's bus had the foam used and it is actually too big and tends to rip out the material with time. It comes out too "overstuffed."
Not quality foam cushions and upholstery from a good source.

Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:26 am

I did mine 4 weeks ago with new upholstery from TMI in the 'original' fabric and pattern, Basketweave vinyl.

I used the cocohair pads and put a layer of recycled felt fabric on top of that, just like they did originally. My bus is 68/69 though, but only the backrest is different as far as I know.

Some pics to back up the story:

The covers (Off-white):

One of the front bucket seats

Once you take the cover of you can see the hair pad and the recycled felt fabric:

I replaced the hair pad and the fabric and used some tape to hold it in place to pull the new cover over it:

One half done:

Completely done:

I hope this helps, if you need more pics or info let me know.

Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:52 am

The layering goes like this:

Start with cleaned and painted frames.
On top of the springs, tie into place a layer of canvas or tough vinyl that covers the springs and the edges of the frame to protect the coco fiber mat.
Slip on the coco fiber mat.
Add a layer of thin foam (like 0.5-cm thick) on top of the coco fiber.
Slip on the seat covers and attach with hog rings (this is the hard part).

Mon Aug 29, 2011 9:42 am

Those were probably mine. Start here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/2670646382/in/set-72157603142992570

and click on the thumbnails to the left.

Original thread was here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=308461&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:29 pm

Excellent photographs! You must know a very talented photographer.
When you see that person again, make sure that you buy him a burrito!

Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:39 pm

Thanks for all the input everyone. Very helpful. Problem I had with my seats is all that was left was the vinyl/fabric cover. All the stuffing was long gone.
I'll see how I do and report back later.

Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:20 pm

pjalau wrote: Those were probably mine. Start here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjalau/2670646382/in/set-72157603142992570

and click on the thumbnails to the left.

Original thread was here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=308461&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

BOOKMARKED.

Excellent work.

Sun Sep 04, 2011 4:28 am

I threw my seat covers in the dryer for about 5 minutes to soften/heat them up before the install. It helped a lot.

Sun Sep 04, 2011 6:27 am

i just did this on my single cab. prior to it, i did my 71 westy. at any rate, to do the job right (on the earlier seats) you need to run a stiff wire (mechanics wire) into the seat, using the string to pull it through the seat covers. i personally don't bother with the felt or any of that, but i do use foam (like OE) on the backrest corners. my first set (71 westy) came out *mint* the 2/3 1/3 in my single cab had me so pissed off, i about tossed the covers in the woods. both sets were TMI, but the ones for the single cab were too big. i finally got them smooth, but what a pain. i also cut a thick black trash bag and place it over the hair pad. the seat covers slide right on, and do not get hung up. just my 0.02

Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:15 am

We redid the front seats on our 74 Westy. My son posted detailed pictures and instructions. Look for ouir thread (My 74 Westy).

Sun Dec 20, 2020 3:45 pm

Resto-raider wrote: I did mine 4 weeks ago with new upholstery from TMI in the 'original' fabric and pattern, Basketweave vinyl.

4 weeks huh? Well I think I am at the other end of that time range. Just 9+ years after my original inquiry I finally purchased seat covers from a German company. Even with shipping they were almost $200 less than any price I could find from a company in the states. I believe they were $265 with shipping for the pair. Mine are the Westfalia orange plaid.
I still have my coco fiber cushions and batting. Just need to pick up some fabric or vinyl to cover the springs and frame edges.
I'll post some photos after I'm done. I also picked up the replacement orange front carpeting, so it should make a big difference when finished.
Thanks for the photos. They will be very helpful.

Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:49 am

I don't have a formal thread on the whole process, but I did take some pictures that may help you and others - if there's enough demand for a better DIY, I'd be glad to put something together.

My seats were pretty roached... the OEM coconut husks were crumbling and they turned to some kind of sticky mess on the rubber seat mats when combined with the humidity, and the original basketweave vinyl was just cracking and falling apart. I went with Sewfine covers, new foam and burlap base wrap, and one of the seats needed a new foam cap.

Burlap I picked up at a local fabric store. The rest came from Sewfine, which I highly recommend - they helped me over the phone and answered all my silly questions when I ordered. Be sure to pick up hog rings and hog ring pliers, I secured the burlap and foam base to the frame. And I used spray adhesive to secure the foam to the burlap (I think this is an optional step). It also helps to have some fine gauge solid wire (I used 18ga./1.2mm galvanized solid wire) if needed to secure the seat vinyl to the frame. Replace the foam caps if needed, these are required to be in good shape for your seat covers to install correctly.

Let me expand on that last statement...all years of Bus seats are different - I have an earlier Bay, so the seat frame has foam top caps, and on the side and bottom there are these nice little "V" shaped teeth around the perimeter of the round seat frame tube which puncture and secure the vinyl to the frame. The seat covers need a small run of wire inserted through vinyl edge to help secure the long sections to the "V" teeth. It's hard to explain, and I failed to get many pictures of that but I can pull them quick and capture that if needed. NOTE: always take pictures as you disassemble, so you have a reference for reassembly - your mileage may vary!

My configuration is the 1/3 - 2/3 seats (1972 non walkthrough) setup from Sewfine:

I started with the 2/3 side...here's what my seats looked like before:

Pulled them apart, and pressure washed all the gunk off, dried them, and then sprayed with a couple coats of satin black Rustoleum (this is a before picture):

Laid down a layer of burlap, 3" of overlap on the sides, and attached with hog rings, a ring every 6-8 inches around the frame:

Spray with some adhesive and set the foam on the seat over the burlap - be sure to get the foam lined up all the way back to the back edge of the seat frame:

At this point, I rinsed and repeated the back of the 2/3 side, and finished it up, and moved onto the 1/3 drivers side:

I worked on the back first this time, and then the bottom. Again, attached the burlap to the frame and got it ready for foam:

Same procedure as the passengers side, here you can see the burlap and foam, and also how I attached the bottom lip of the seat foam to the frame using the hog rings:

This is the set after install and put back into the Bus - one of the best investements in the transformation...they look fantastic, fit perfectly, and are super comfortable to sit on. Huge thanks to Sewfine!

Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:56 pm

hi !

the doka top gun bus !

Mon Dec 21, 2020 2:48 pm

I did my Bug, but it should be the same. I ordered the covers and pads from Wolfsburg West and they came with a tutorial video.

Scroll to Day 13 here for photos:

http://globespotter.com/survivor/

Mon Dec 21, 2020 9:07 pm

Upholstery restoration starts on page 7

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=

Sun Dec 27, 2020 2:42 pm

Thanks for the photos and the info everyone. I'm thankful for the photos becaause mine were in such terrible shape there were few clues to know what the materials originally looked like.

I have everything now and am about to start. Here is my list of materials:

1. Coco fiber seat cushions and backs for driver and passenger seat - Wolfberg West
2. Orange plaid seat covers from NLA VW Parts
3. Grey batting material from TMI Products

Extras I picked up for the project:

4. Light canvas to cover springs
5. Very thin batting material for covering any exposed coco fiber
6. Hog Ring pliers and assorted hog rings

Before I jump into this I had a couple of questions. For those who used the coco fiber pads, how flexible is it? It's a tight fit on the seat back.

In just checking the fit, if I slide it into position on one side of the seat back there is probably a 3/4" lip on the other side.

Can I safely carefully pull the edge of the coco fiber back to slip over the frame w;o the coco fiber breaking?

Another question is about the seat bottom covers. The new covers are slightly different in the way they attach. There is a fairly thick wire that runs through the seam and then ends with a small loop.

The old covers had a series of thinner wire that was run through the frame and then out holes and twisted to secure it.

I'm assuming on the new one I just pull those wire ends tight to secure it and then connect the looped ends to each other? To somewhere on the frame?

Final question, what are the hog ring pliers for? I am not seeing any obvious rings that I had to remove and need to be replaced. I see in an earlier post that hog clips were used to secure burlap to the frame. I will use them for that, but just wondering what other purpose they serve in the process?

Sun Dec 27, 2020 10:37 pm

The hog rings are used to attach the bottom cover to the seat base. They basically grabbed around the wire or string and allowed you to pull the cover tighter by attaching to the metal frame underneath.