Seat back repair

[njspider]

I have the common "gangsta" lean and have read the posts on how to repair it. I can weld and make the supports needed. My question is this: how difficult is it to remove and reinstall the seat back cover and foam without damaging it? Thanks

[davery]

I have the common "gangsta" lean and have read the posts on how to repair it. I can weld and make the supports needed. My question is this: how difficult is it to remove and reinstall the seat back cover and foam without damaging it? Thanks

Pretty easy. Just leave the seat back in the sun for a few hours and peel the cover back.

[baltobernie]

You can also cover the foam with a thin plastic garbage bag before attempting to reinstall the covers. The covers slide on easy, and the bag can then be torn away.

[DieselSpider]

You can also cover the foam with a thin plastic garbage bag before attempting to reinstall the covers. The covers slide on easy, and the bag can then be torn away.

if you slit each side of the bag and use one on each side doubled over with the loose ends on the bottom then it becomes easier to remove the plastic by pulling the side against the seat cover so that most of the plastic is rolling off the foam padding. You use one bag on each side of the seat back but it can make the job quite a bit easier. We do the same in the veneer/laminate shop using heavy brown waxed paper.

[PhillySpider]

Where in NJ are you? I'd come lend a hand and moral support with my 80 which also suffers the gangsta lean. My solution thus far has been to pull on it and bend it back. This lasts a little while, but I alway forget and shift my weight or something to wind up bending it back .

[Fiatlanta]

My 79 had upholstery work not long before I bought it, so I don't know what the original set up was like...but for me, taking it apart was easier than it first appeared once I actually started doing it. It was a two person job, for sure.

The H frame we welded in has made a huge difference.

[mullioni]

Any suggestions on how to remove the foam from the metal frame without damaging? It appears to be glued to the frame. The foam looks to be in good condition.

[njspider]

I finally did this repair over the Christmas break. It was much easier than I anticipated. I used 1" black iron pipe to make the supports as was suggested in a post in this forum. The foam was glued to the frame but was fairly easy to peel away without damage. The plastic bag trick over the foam also made the seat back cover easy to reinstall. (another trick learned on this forum) It's so nice to sit without the lean!!

[Fiatlanta]

I finally did this repair over the Christmas break. It was much easier than I anticipated. I used 1" black iron pipe to make the supports as was suggested in a post in this forum. The foam was glued to the frame but was fairly easy to peel away without damage. The plastic bag trick over the foam also made the seat back cover easy to reinstall. (another trick learned on this forum) It's so nice to sit without the lean!!

Makes a world of difference, doesn't it? Congrats on the project!

[mullioni]

I tackled the passenger seat first. I used a blow dryer to heat the metal of the seat frame near where I was working and this seemed to help loosen the 37+ year old glue from the metal. I did use an exacto knife at various points to help with "stuck on" areas. The driver seat had an unsuccessful frame "repair" by the previous owner (between 1979 and 1986), and whoever replaced the foam didn't go light on the glue. I took my time, and both came off successfully.

Now, onto fixing the seat frames. I am not capable and beginning my search locally for someone to take on the job. Or if you can refer someone who is experienced. It looks like the previous owner paid someone to do a "repair". They didn't even paint the new metal. And, based on the extensive damage, this doesn't look like it will be an easy job to get the original metal back to start adding a cross member fix.

Here is my first attempt at uploading a photo:
[img][IMG]http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah2/mullioni524/driver%20seat%20gansta%20lean_zpsxpe8qadq.jpg[/img][/img]

[mullioni]

Trying to figure out this picture posting stuff.


I think I have it now

[mullioni]

Here are some more pictures from the seat tear down. Photobucket can be a little slooooooow, but I find other's pictures very helpful in the other posts.

Can anyone recommend a good shop in the USA for the seat frame repair and to weld in supports? The driver seat is in pretty bad shape.