I’ve been trying to start this section of the project for about two weeks, but I’ve been put off by the ‘passenger strap’.
Torn Seat Cover
Put off because I haven’t been able to get the Phillips head screws loose that attach each buckle out of the pan. There is a nut welded on the inside of the seat pan for them and both screws were firmly rust-welded to the pan.
Since up until today I’ve not gotten them to budge, I resorted to drilling and used the extractor set. I scored 50% as one finally came out but the other broke off inside the nut. I’ll have to drill it all the way thru and pick out the remains.
Still I did remove the buckles and strap so I could start the process of stripping the cover and then removing the foam. You need to understand how the cover is attached to the seat pan before you start. There are (a) chrome buttons on the outside of the seat and (b) there are triangle tabs punched in the bottom edge of the pan that pierce the cover on the inside of the pan.
So you apply foam and cover to the pan, then turn it over and begin stretching it on. You pull it snug then pierce the cover with each triangle tab then hammer the tabs closed. Then you pierce the chrome buttons from the outside then you spread apart the cotter key pins. These buttons are for decoration only.
Seat Cover Holding Tabs
That’s not a great picture above but you can see the triangle tabs and the chrome buttons in between. I’ve closed up the twin tabs of the buttons already. Don’t worry about breaking off the tabs as they are worthless. Once they’ve been bent to install the original seat, they cannot be reused. The new seat cover will be installed with functional buttons and/or a chrome strip.
Seat Covering Removed
As bad as things look so far you might think the seat foam is unusable. Not true, the stuff will last for centuries. Yes I will have to fill the gouge in this one, but the rest is quite usable. It will take a knife blade to get it separated from the pan. Between the glue that was originally used and the rust underneath it will be seriously hard to remove. Just wedge a knife blade around it and slowly work it off. It will come off intact and be completely reusable.
Seat Pan Exposed
You should be able to see the rust debris on the foam bottom, and YES the newly exposed pan looks like hell! Water gets inside the seat and goes thru the foam and sits on the top of the pan and rust happens. This looks a little worse than the seat I repaired this winter, but it will be just fine. It will get a serious wire brushing, muriatic acid, and several phosphate treatments, primer and paint, and be just fine.
I have some leather for a new cover, or I can pick up some black Naugahyde, I haven’t decided yet. Install with new buttons that screw into nuts and it will look quite professional.
