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TR6 recovering tr6 seats

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floyd

floyd

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The bottom of my drivers seat was/is in sad shape. I removed the cover, removed the stitching to use the pieces as patterns. I have the vinyl, the commercial machine. Has anyone done their own, and have any tips, like the type of tread, etc? thanks for any help. I also have the operator. She has been a seamstress for 50 years and a good one. Has she ever done seats....no
 
I used the kit from TRF
Was simple, inexpensive, and made a great fit!
They fit better as I sat on them & they got worked in some... :driving:

If I was going to the trouble of making my own, I would definately make them out of leather!


aaa4.jpg

10-01-051.jpg
 
If you are going to make them I'd recommend using MBTex, the Mercedes vinyl. It has basically the same perforated pattern and will never, and I mean never wear out. I have a '95 MBz with a couple hundred thou on it and the drivers seat looks like new. I have no idea how they make this stuff but it is virtually indestructable and looks like leather.
 
The hardest part will be the edging. You will have four layers. Recommend using nylon thread, stitch slow so you can count the stiches. I have not done a interior in a TR but have done a 65 mustang, 71 bus and a couple of bugs.
 
Floyd,
I'm sure it's more expensive than normal but probably less than leather and just wears unbelievably...you'll be saving on the do it yourself side anyways.

https://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc138/prb51/DSC01266.jpg

This seat has more than 200k of buttcheek exposure in a 14 year old car. Note that not even the piping is at all worn and the normal wear areas, left bolster seat and upright are as new. The whole interior made of this stuff looks like new and I'd opt for it over leather anyday for wear and looks.
 
Floyd;

I was a complete novice when I decided to sew my own TR3 seats. I used marine grade UV-resistant vinyl in 41 mil thickness - quite a bit thicker than what you buy off the shelf from the big three. I didn't use leather only because I wanted to avoid any problems when matching colors (assuming seat fronts in leather and the rest in vinyl).

I disassembled the old seats that were on the car, carefully taking apart seams stitch by stitch. I then traced each separate piece onto paper, scanned the paper, then imported the scans into Adobe Illustrator and used them to create vector-based patterns. I then had Illustrator break up each piece into letter size chunks with a quarter inch light grid in the background so I could verify sizing after printing the patterns. I went through all this in order to be able to publish my seat patterns for use by other members of the forum, but you certainly don't need to go through this type of pain and agony - just trace each piece onto your new vinyl and cut them out. It is useful to make notes for whoever will be sewing things together as to special seam types (pictures help here).

I bought a heavy duty machine, nylon matching thread, and dove right in. You can see some of the results here:

https://xjguy.com/triumph/2009feb2/800x600/00011.jpg

FYI, I sewed my own piping - bought some thick twine and sewed it into a 1.5 to 2 inch wide strip of vinyl.

You might want to take a look at the document I published about the process - it has pictures, patterns, and describes everything I did. My TR3 patterns won't be of use to you, but the pics might. If you need it, email me offline and I'll email it back to you.
 
I'm predicting mid-march or thereabout. We are in the bolt-on-the-fenders stage now...
 
I appreciate all the input. Now it's time to do something with it. Spring is on it's way.........i can smell it in the air......
 
CraigLandrum said:
https://xjguy.com/triumph/2009feb2/800x600/00011.jpg


You might want to take a look at the document I published about the process - it has pictures, patterns, and describes everything I did. My TR3 patterns won't be of use to you, but the pics might. If you need it, email me offline and I'll email it back to you.
Click to expand...

Craig,

That looks fantastic! :bow:

Can you tell us where you picked up the vinyl?

I'd like to see the document you did about the process. Can you send it to me?

My seats and interior are close to needing to be redone and I'd like to have a go at doing it myself.

Cheers
 
...I did mine in all gray leather with black piping,vinyl for the backs only and of course the panels, also had the boot made to match, they look good. Will post a photo if I can figure it out
 
Rooster;

You can download my seat sewing document from the forum website. Go to the BCF Wikis and drill down into the triumph and TR3 page. Then click on the Restoration link and then the Chassis and Body link. The document is listed there for download.


Have Fun!!!!! :smile:
 
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