The Upholstery Forum

First post..Hi! Had joined a ‘professional auto upholstery’ group on Facebook…man, so much for trying to learn from professionals! Seems like I summoned the firing squad for asking a simple question..but anywho

So we’ve got a ‘72 Super beetle. Seats are for sure outdated and pretty uncomfortable. They are original, complete with coconut fiber, springs, and deteriorating vinyl. The back seat is really terrible to sit on because of the springs.

What’s kind of the normal procedure for getting rid of springs in an older car, in favor of foam?

Tear them out, and rig up a plywood base to build on?

Frank

@Bueller , I think you need to determine if you plan on rebuilding covers too. If redoing the platform you are looking at a rebuild likely.

I think you'll find that foam on wood is far less comfortable than springs, especially in a vehicle, so actually this would be a downgrade -- not that it's not possible, but you'd want to be clear on what the big difference in riding comfort would be.

Is it learning how to tie off new coil springs that's stopping you from replacing them? You could look into sinuous springs, which clip in and are much easier for a novice to install with a few affordable tools, although that might also require rebuilding the sides of the seat base.

@circuspeanut , I agree and thus the evolvement to springs.