Wedge TR8 Seat Foam replacement

OK, all the talk of lack of Wedge talk got me motivated. I have taken the seats out, pulled the carpet, and begun to strip the floors (tops and bottoms). I plan on redo-ing the sound proofing and putting an inhibitor paint on the underside. All this is time consuming but not particularly difficult.

I am still flustered with the seats. I have found a real nice set of Miata seats I could get cheaper and with less fustration than replacing my foams. Who here has replaced their foams, and where did you get them? How hard was it to replace the foams?

I have been seaching and pricing the foams and they are not cheap but I really kind of like the fit the seats on my ever growing girth.

You should inspect the welds while you are in there, and consider touching them up. I just completed a similar job and the weld touch up made a huge difference in the stiffness of the car - just shocking.

Can't help you on the seat - I swapped in a marginally better set from the TR7 parts car.

That said, I'd look into a quote from a custom upholstery shop. I got quotes from highly regarded placed for well under the cost of the foams and covers sold by the big three suppliers.

Keep us posted!

Major , After your done come do mine . It's ready!

Don - did you get your exhaust set up?

Decided to give up on the connector pipe. It was just to use to drive to the exhaust shop about 40 miles away anyway. Decided just to go get a flexible piece for the drive there.
The headers fit fine . I'm gonna drill out the bolt holes to 7/16 ,have the 2 O2 bungs welded and then have them coated.

Next , the intake removal for the cam,front chain, and lifter change.

If I get them figured out, then I would be happy to the next visit to FT Lewis to stop down and help a fellow war dog.

I've been an advocate for the Wedge seats since I first sat in one. Redid my seats myself, taking them down to the frames and repainting them. It was a pretty easy job, actually, and the only modification I made was to add a piece cut from the old foam at the rear of each bottom cushion - seems like there's a "void" there that didn't look right when I put the new foams on the frame.

If you do your own, you'll need to slip some plastic over the back assembly so the cover will slide on more easily. I used an old bag from the dry cleaner and left it in place.

Here's the only picture I have that shows the finished product in the car:




I do need to pull them out and refit the bottom cushion covers, as they've slacked up a bit after two years of use. Otherwise, they still look good.

Mickey

PATR8,

The seats are not as hard as you think they would be. I have replaced the foam, frames and covers on numerous TR7 & 8s when I was restoring my own cars and when I worked at The Wedge Shop for 5 years. You can always add a layer of foam glued over the existing to get some more cushion. The hardest part was getting the wrinkles out of the upper cover. The lower middle section of the upper cover has a strip that pulls through the foam and clips to the frame. I have seen them pulled too tight and the stitching failed. The bottom cover rear middle of the tartan section glues to the seat foam. The rest clips on. A few hours and you can have new covers installed. Foam repair may take a few more hours but it is so much easier than changing seats. I have replaced my seats in my TR8 with Corbeau seats and I have to cut out and lower my floors so they will fit and have some ample head room. I know TVR seat bolt in place but not sire of the model? Could be a 280i or 2500M.....any one?

A word of caution if you get new covers is try to get the reproductions and not NOS. The thin layer of foam sown into the cover will break down and turn to dust. To fix it you have to cut the underside of the cover get the dust out and insert a new peice of foam. It is a 50-50 chance of it coming out right.

Maj. seat foams are available from Victoria British current catalog pg23. The install will test your patience.
Cliff CWO ret

Boy, New members popping up all over :thumbsup:

Welcome Cliff !

Where in Cali are you?

Tom- 2 new Wedgies in the Golden Bear state

I have a local (45 minutes) guy who re does seats I will be checking out. He says it will be cheaper than buying the new foam. He cuts his own foam and has done lots of custom cars. I hope it works out but we will see

Did not mean to be rude, welcome to the board Cheif. Always like to see more wedge guys. Being they were the best selling of the TR's you would think there would be many more of us

Middle of Mojave Desert, Ridgecrest 100 miles from everywhere.
Cliff

Anywhere near California City? or Lancaster?

Hi Cliff - know where it is actually. I'm on the Coast. Probably something you already know, but a lot of the original foams, plastics and bushings don't like the dry heat where we are, especially where you are.

You didn't ask, but for what is worth I'd be looking at poly bushings etc when the time comes. I apologize if this is stuff you already know tons better than I do. I just learned the hard way!

Drop us a line if you are ever around OC.

Keep us posted on your progress, and welcome!

PATR8 said:

I have a local (45 minutes) guy who re does seats I will be checking out. He says it will be cheaper than buying the new foam. He cuts his own foam and has done lots of custom cars. I hope it works out but we will see

Click to expand...

Who is the local guy? My foams are a mess. The local guy I used, Regency, closed up years ago on RT 51 inbound, near the liberty tubes in Pittsburgh.

Don, about 100 mi NE of Lancaster.

Cliff

My TR was delivered to the first onwner, a Spainish aviatior exchange pilot. He took posession in Arizona and I got it two owners later. I you might expect no rust but if it is rubber, foam or plastic the original is long gone and that includes the original paint. It now resides in my garage awaiting an engine. The desert is harsh but the tin worm they have in the UK is worse. I will take the desert any time.
Cliff