seat back upholstery retainer

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zachmac
Posts: 1278
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:20 am
Your car is a: 1978 Spider [1979 2 ltr engine]
Location: Aiken, SC

seat back upholstery retainer

Postby zachmac » Sat Jun 03, 2017 1:00 pm

I am wrapping up a complete rebuild of the seat frames (bead blast, straighten, reinforce, paint) and am now putting on the new upholstery. These are 79 seat frames and I am led to believe 79 -85 had a channel (either metal of plastic) at the bottom of the seat backs that retains the seat back upholstery. I see what they look like on the Midwest Bayless site.

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My seats didn't have these when I took them apart, the two sides of the upholstery were just held together with hog rings. Having gone to all the trouble to fix and paint the frames and buy new upholstery (thank you World Upholstery, nice stuff) I'd like to finish them up right. Can someone load a picture of how these are attached and what the finished product looks like (hopefully without having to take a seat back off a bottom frame)?
Jeff Klein, Aiken, SC
1980 FI Spider, Veridian with Tan (sold about a year ago), in the market for another project
1989 Spider, sold
2008 Mercedes SL65
2008 S600 Mercedes V12

zachmac
Posts: 1278
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:20 am
Your car is a: 1978 Spider [1979 2 ltr engine]
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: seat back upholstery retainer

Postby zachmac » Wed Jun 07, 2017 5:33 am

Can anyone at least tell me if it screws into the seat back somehow or how it attaches? Anyone, Bueller, Bueller? :D
Jeff Klein, Aiken, SC
1980 FI Spider, Veridian with Tan (sold about a year ago), in the market for another project
1989 Spider, sold
2008 Mercedes SL65
2008 S600 Mercedes V12

spider2081
Patron 2024
Patron 2024
Posts: 2967
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:45 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Wallingford,CT
Contact:

Re: seat back upholstery retainer

Postby spider2081 » Wed Jun 07, 2017 7:00 pm

I just looked at a seat that has the original cover on it. The metal strip you are showing is not visible. So I didn't take a photo. I have taken a number of seats and this metal strip was sometimes held in place by small sheet metal screws. Other times they just sit there and the seat cover tension holds them in place. The covers you are installing needs to have the plastic strips sewn into them in order to use the metal strips. Then I guess it would be up to you to decide if you feel they would be better screwed into the seat frame or not. The seat I just looked at has no visible screws. The ones I saw with screws also had a rectangle metal tab on the outside of the cover the screw passed through holding the seat cover sections into the metal strip. The screws passed throught the metal strip and fastened everything to the seat frame.

DRUMMOND
Patron 2018
Patron 2018
Posts: 443
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:11 pm
Your car is a: Fiat Spyder 2000 1980 Pininfarina

Re: seat back upholstery retainer

Postby DRUMMOND » Wed Jun 07, 2017 11:02 pm

Hi Zachman

Here is a photo of where the strip goes on the back of the seat. You need to attach the plastic strip to the vinyl and then place it into the channel on the metal strip it is held there by the tension from both sides of the seat. I made my own strips from zinc coated steel as the original ones were totally rusted out. Hope this helps you.
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zachmac
Posts: 1278
Joined: Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:20 am
Your car is a: 1978 Spider [1979 2 ltr engine]
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: seat back upholstery retainer

Postby zachmac » Thu Jun 08, 2017 7:00 pm

Thank you, that was exactly the help I needed. :D
Jeff Klein, Aiken, SC
1980 FI Spider, Veridian with Tan (sold about a year ago), in the market for another project
1989 Spider, sold
2008 Mercedes SL65
2008 S600 Mercedes V12


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