Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

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Wicked93gs
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Car(s): 1966 Ford Mustang

Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Wicked93gs »

Hi guys, I don't actually have a Capri(though one is actually on my list of future projects). I have a 1966 Mustang that I acquired a pair of seats from a 1973 Capri after months of searching and modified them to fit:

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I wanted Capri seats since they look very much like 1st generation Mustang seats but with a lot more bolstering....and I have to say they are exactly what I was after and very comfortable as well. As you can see though the upholstery color is not going to work...and the upholstery is in pretty bad shape, as well foam support for the driver-side seat:

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I think every single support wire for the driver side seat is rotted away as well as some of the hanger wires they connect to. Luckily the passenger side seat is relatively intact and gives me a template to use to restore the driver side. I would love it if someone could direct me to any web pages covering the restoration of these seats though. I am in the US and so far the only place I have even seen upholstery for sale is the UK Ebay site....does anyone know if there are any US based suppliers for the correct upholstery?
Not_Anumber
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Not_Anumber »

You could ask for a recommendation from Crash and Burn over on the Capripower forum. He is in Oregon, previously California, and has tinkered with just about every aspect of his Capris. He has tracked down a number of useful stateside suppliers so could be a useful starting point.
STEVEW
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by STEVEW »

Hi Wicked93gs;
This may seem a daft question nevertheless, here goes,
Surely there must be an upholsterer in the USA that could redo the seats for you, isn't there?

All the best
Wicked93gs
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:17 am
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Wicked93gs »

STEVEW wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 9:19 pm Hi Wicked93gs;
This may seem a daft question nevertheless, here goes,
Surely there must be an upholsterer in the USA that could redo the seats for you, isn't there?

All the best
Well sure, there are upholstery shops just about everywhere, but its not the upholstery I am even really worried about(For that matter I upholstered my console myself, and while it might take me several tries I might even be able to make my own seat covers with more practice on the sewing machine) or the foam...vinyl and foam are relatively easy to work with if you are willing to sacrifice enough material to mistakes made along the way. Its really the metal parts of the seats that have me most concerned. Even that shouldn't be technically difficult, just have to bend up some new supports where the old one rotted away but there are plenty of things I don't know...for instance, the support wires...there are a very thin wire and I have no idea how much tension is little or too much for those wires. What happens if I replace them with sinuous springs instead like you see in many other old seats? What does that do to the feel of the seat? Maybe using a canvas bottom would be a better alternate choice like some people do when replacing the straps they use as supports in MG seats.

Beyond all that, I have built 100% of this car with my own two hands from cutting and replacing probably 70% of the sheet metal to sandblasting it down to bare metal, swapping in a modern 3.7L v6, building custom headers for it...adapting BMW M3 ITBs to the engine, building the console, and all kinds of other one-off things so this is really just another thing to add to the list. I would rather not have to make my own seat covers since I am sure I would ruin a lot of material before I got it right, but the rest I should be capable of doing.
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Major_Tom
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Major_Tom »

A mate of mine just got a thin sheet of aluminium and replaced the wires with that. I just used some scrap, slightly curved slats of pine from an old setee, cut it to size and slid it in, works great!
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
Wicked93gs
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Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:17 am
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Wicked93gs »

Major_Tom wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 5:32 pm A mate of mine just got a thin sheet of aluminium and replaced the wires with that. I just used some scrap, slightly curved slats of pine from an old setee, cut it to size and slid it in, works great!
What does that type of replacement do to the feel of the seat? Did you notice any difference before and after? Noticeably firmer?
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Major_Tom
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Major_Tom »

Yes a lot firmer, worked great 👍
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
Mc Tool
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Mc Tool »

Wicked93gs wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 6:15 pm
Major_Tom wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 5:32 pm A mate of mine just got a thin sheet of aluminium and replaced the wires with that. I just used some scrap, slightly curved slats of pine from an old setee, cut it to size and slid it in, works great!
What does that type of replacement do to the feel of the seat? Did you notice any difference before and after? Noticeably firmer?
If you have a canvas bottom I dont think you would feel much at all😆
Sometimes I talk to myself ... and we both have a good laugh
Wicked93gs
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Wicked93gs »

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Well, I made up my own fix for the rotten seat foam support basket. I bent up new hangers from 1/8" welding rods, used some 3/16" steel rod for the lower frame, covered it with nylon wire loom sleeve(to prevent squeaks in place of the paper covered wire they used originally), and instead of wire, I used 1/16" stainless steel cable and aluminum ferrules. I sprayed the whole thing with that liquid spray rubber after stripping it down to bare metal. This thing should be pretty well rust-proof now. I will see if I can find some stainless steel or nickel-plated steel hog rings when I go to re-upholster the seats.
Not_Anumber
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Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Not_Anumber »

After doing a thorough job of rebuilding the Capri seats for your Mustang has it made you any more keen on buying a whole Capri for your next project ?
Wicked93gs
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2022 12:17 am
Car(s): 1966 Ford Mustang

Re: Looking for information on MK1 seat restoration.

Post by Wicked93gs »

Not_Anumber wrote: Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:51 pm After doing a thorough job of rebuilding the Capri seats for your Mustang has it made you any more keen on buying a whole Capri for your next project ?
Haha, I am sure parts are hard to find....the funny thing is I have a friend with a MKII he wants to sell that is in great condition. I may well end up getting it from him, been thinking about it for years.
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