Seat foam replacement

[mowogg]

I am looking to replace the foam in my front seats. There seems to be a bewildering choice of grades and thicknesses. Has anyone got any recommendations of type and thickness required for both base and back of seat

Thanks

[minijojo]

the back pollster is normally a latex covered coconut flat mat and a poly fleece for the comfort.
The base is normally a about 1,4 inch (soft) foam material.
I personaly installed the harder one from ESM (TRM443B) together with seat base rubber diaphragm (TRM803) and I am very pleased with the better sitting position and the comfort
This info is for Minors newer then series 2

[chickenjohn]

Yes, I installed the seat diahragm and foam from ESM - worked very well.

I really think that a lot of people needlessly change their seats to either seats from a scrap car or an expensive purpose made seat when all your Moggy seats need is new foam, padding and webbing/ diaphragm to be comfortable again.

[ManyMinors]

Yes, I quite agree with you John. I'm been perfectly happy with the standard seats in my Morris having re-padded them.
I can see the safety reasons behind some owners fitting modern type seats if they use their car a great deal on major roads but mine is more a local daily runabout.

Over the years I have heard many owners say that Morris Minor seats are terrible and then seen their car - with a worn out seat and they are almost sitting on the floor! It is rather the same with Minor brakes having a poor reputation - largely because many owners still drive them with poor adjustment, cheap linings and a seized up wheel cylinder or two ......

[chickenjohn]

I couldn't agree more Manyminors!

And ditto with engine power, the 1098 or 948 is perfectly acceptable for everyday motoring, provided, the engine is not knackered and the mixture and ignition are set up correctly.

[aupickup]

I agree also
but if a modern pulls in front of you on the motor way and suddenly stops you aint gonna stand a chance
its a fact that more and more cars on the road with much better brakes
for local run arounds they are just fine

[minijojo]

about one year later with a 90 kg driver it looks like this. 2 retaining holes peeled off, 2 others will do next time....

now replaced with the old seat straps. Fist i was surprised about the comfort, but it did not take a long time in my case.

[greendefender123]

Thanks for the update. Was about to order the diaphragms in next couple of weeks. So would you advise the straps instead? Or any other alternatives?

Thanks Steve

[minijojo]

sorry, can not give any advise. I replaced the "old" straps, better then nothing. Might be better with new ones.
When i first changed from straps to rubber diaphragm i was surprised about the comfort, and thought this is the best. But one year later i am something disappointed over the life span of the diaphragm.
The surface at the edge is too small so the seat form breaks at the edge and is pressed between the attachment hook. The seat form should have been replaced too in my case.

[greendefender123]

Just priced up the straps. Nearly £60 including the upright ones. Might have to see if I can make some new ones but don't know how you would join the webbing. You can get seat webbing for a good price on ebay. If all else fails il be screwing plywood to it which isn't ideal.

[Andy W]

about one year later with a 90 kg driver it looks like this. 2 retaining holes peeled off, 2 others will do next time....

now replaced with the old seat straps. Fist i was surprised about the comfort, but it did not take a long time in my case.

Too right....I liked the diaphragm base until it started tearing at the support holes.....next time I'll use new straps!

The firmer base foam from ESM is vg tho'..

[mowogg]

you can make up new straps from webbing quite easily as long as you have the old ones. The old ones are secured by a giant staple. If you open this up with a screws driver to be a staple again you can then reuse it along with the metal plate. I find new webbing does not have much give so you need to make them fit quite rightly. they works really well- Mine have been in service for 15 years with no problems

[greendefender123]

Thanks am slightly putting this off at the moment but do need to crack on with it. Feels like I'm sitting in a bucket. Will a couple of rolls of this do? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321170976070? ... EBIDX%3AIT I'm also gonna get some foam for the seats.

Thanks Steve

[mowogg]

I have not used the elasticated type. I used the fixed type which worked well.


http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-mtr-ROLL-UPH ... Ciid%253A2

[greendefender123]

Looks good thanks. Cheaper aswell.

[burnham28]

I renewed the front seats of my panda with a kit from ESM. When I stripped the covers off I found that the original rubber diaphragms were still in place and were in excellent condition so I left them in place. Whether they were made tougher for large bottoms I don't know but they have certainly done their job over the last 49 years. I put the new foam and stuffing in which was a relatively easy job. What was difficult was stretching the rubber webbing on the rear of the seats they require the strength of Tarzan! The result is that I now have very comfortable seats, the new rubber webbing straps on the back of the seats have made all the difference.