Just feeling a bit pleased with myself - so whats the point if you can't share it eh..?
I had some 'Car Trimmers' check the seats on my blue estate. The drivers seat had collapsed, causing even more stress to the already worn-out fabric.
These seats came from a Mk3 HL I wrecked way back at the beginning - and after 12 years of work use - jumping in and out 20 times a day - I was beginning to feel somewhat shorter than usual when I drove.
I had thrown some sheepskins over the top to hide the visually distressed look - but then I had to adjust them every time I got out, as they were pulled down into the squishy squab.
Hmmm. Sounds like something from Macdonalds..?
Anyway - the afore mentioned experts quoted me $300 for repairs - but said they couldn't get brown fabric - everything was gray these days.
Whoopee.
Apart from the fact that gray would look hideous in my brown interior - $300 is probably about the value of the car.
I had a passenger seat in reasonable condition, so I decided to repair the springing myself, using the innards of that as a donor. I was still undecided about how to get the fabric.
I totally stripped my donor seat - it was quite easy really - all the vinyl edges were clipped with re-usable type spring-steel clips - and where the fabric had been glued to the foam padding, I carefully stripped it away, leaving as little residue as I could manage.
Having completed that process, I stripped my old drivers seat, and fitted all the springs and the intact support frame from the donor. I decided that as the foam padding seemed identical, I would swap that too. Then I looked at the fabric from the donor seat and decided that I could probably attempt the whole job.
I glued the bits that had been previously glued using spray-on Ados F2. Then I stretched the fabric and vinyl and refitted the clips. It looked pretty good.
I had to cut a new hole for the back adjusting lever - but the original is nicely out-of-sight inbetween the two seats.
I think it looks tidier than the original passenger seat - albeit a little faded - so I'm right chuffed.
Saved myself $300 by just giving it a go. And in one of those areas I always felt I did not have the expertise.
Take heart fellow Marina-ists.
Persevere and the results can be rewarding.
It sure feels great not having to adjust a seat cover 20 times a day...
Cheers all,
Kilroy.
