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Triumph TR6 - Seat covers- leather or vinyl? Looking for advice

I wish to recover my seats as the driver's side has a tear in it and the diaphrams are shot. I have the 1970 style seat in black

Should I take the steps to replace the foam or should the current be OK? How can I tell if it will be a problem if I don't replace th oam?

Has any one purchased the leather seat kit and what is your experience with it? (good decision, no great improvement, seats cooler and nicer to sit on, other?)

Any advice or comments are welcome.

Thanks and regards
Miek Petryschuk
Michael S. Petryschuk

Hi Mike,

Interesting that you should ask.... I just got a call today saying that my seats were ready to be picked up from that upholstery shop. I saw them almost completed a week or so ago and was very pleased with what I saw. Here is my take on the seat issue:

1. Foams; because of deterioration over time these need to be replaced. I was not impressed with the available foam kits in terms of their support and density so I ordered foam from Rockwell Supply and got a great deal on high and medium density crop cuts... 2'x6' chunks of specified thicknesses. I also bought thread through them. About $35 plus shipping total.

2. Diaphrams; bought new ones cuz I couldn't come up with a better plan. About $40... shipped with all those other goodies from TRF....

3. Bought leather hides off of ebay.... great deals on very good quality hides (3oz-3.5oz or about 1mm-1.2mm) and perforated half hide for the center section. My seats are the late model style and required about 20square feet of hide per seat. I got a screaming deal at about $1/sqft. I spent about $120 on the leather and have lots left over.

4. Labour to put it together: Todd at Faucett Boat Covers in Parksville, B.C. carved and glued the foams, built the covers and piping for both seats and headrests, built the lower side hardboard parts, and assembled the works for about $300. Will know the exact amount on Monday.

He was putting a set together for a TR250 at the same time and commented how poorly the leather kits were put together by one of the big three... both the foam and leather quality was secondrate and the attachment points inside the covers were absent altogether. The one thing going for the kits is that the embossed perforations are correct... my seats have 1/4" spaced perforation in the center section of the back and bottom...foam backed "tuck and roll" construction according to Todd.

I will try to post a few shots of the completed seats next week.

Cheers, Rob
Rob Gibbs

Hi Mike
I would definitly replace the foam and diaphrams
the seats in my 74 ( after sitting in storage for twenty years ) at first were firm and full, although the vinyl is still ok the foam turned to powder, with little support.I ended up buying a refurbished leather set from a fellow BBS member. (They still look great Chris )As far as vinyl or leather time will tell,as they both absorb the suns heat,the vinyl would be a little more forgiving if you got caught in the rain with the top down.
Cheers Malcolm
M Macdonald

Robb- Find out if your guy wants more business of that kind.
Don
DON KELLY

If you can afford the difference in price, leather will make you happy. The smell alone should be worth the cost.
Tom

Mike, you could also try the Miata seats, Cheap,good looking and very comfortable, seakers in the headrest
and only another Triumph guy would know the difference.
Chris
Christopher Trace

Hello Mike, Don et al.

Here are a few pics of my seats. The cost came to $350 for the labour when I picked them up... this included the shift gator and the e-brake gator. The photos make the center section appear gray... it is black but slightly more 'mat' than the surrounding leather. Unlike the kits that are for sale by the big three, all of the cover including the back is done in leather. I would like to replace the seat tilt handles or have them re-chromed eventually .... anyone have a spare set with decent chrome? Here is the link to the pics.

http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r163/rmgibbs/

Todd says he would be happy to recieve some more work before the busy boat season is upon him.

Cheers, Rob
Rob Gibbs

Rob

They look great!

Michael, I took a similar approach and after obtaining covers and new foam, decided to leta pro redo the seats, turned out to be a good idea only because they have the tools and expertise to get those covers on perfectly, and repair all the guts of the seat that turned out to be a bit messay after 30+ years. I paid 400 and given the hours of labor, that was pretty reasonable. If you need a contact in Ontario, the shop is located in Dundas but I am sure there are tons of upholstery shops in TO you could employ

bob
Bob Craske

Very nice, Rob!
Brent B

Thanks,

They FEEEEEEL really nice too... the foams and the hides!

Rob

ps. My daughter and I have been on several "drives" sitting on our dinning room floor :b
Rob Gibbs

Rob, Malcolm, Tom, Chris, Bob
Thanks for the suggestions.

Your seats look great Rob. You said you have lots of leather left over. Enough to do 2 more seats and are you willing to sell?

Bob- I will take you up on your offer of a contact. I drive along the 403 through Hamilton every week day and could stop in at Dundas as an option. Please send me a note at

gendeliveryAT@cogecooDOT.ca

Chris- where would I locate Miata seeats?

Regards
Mike
Michael S. Petryschuk

Mike, I checked the classified section on some local
Miata club sites.
Chris
Christopher

Hi Mike et al,

Ahh Friday...I can breath again! I'm set to paint the bottom of my tub this weekend and am already a little giddy... it has been a loooooong time coming!

Mike, I am holding onto the remaining leather etc. because I hope to make a lift out jump seat in the rear for hauling a few small bodies on short trips.

Cheers, Rob
Rob Gibbs

This thread was discussed between 13/01/2007 and 20/01/2007

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