thanson_mopar
Well-Known Member
I'm having a hard time finding new seat foam for the bucket seats in my '74. Somebody has to make new foam, who has a hookup?
74 duster bucket seat foam?
- Thread starter thanson_mopar
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73hcode
Well-Known Member
73 and up just don't get the love right now but it is slowly changing.
thanson_mopar
Well-Known Member
Yea, what about earlier foam from a 71 or so? the covers are different but is the foam the same?
longarm
Car sold back to original owners
Jegs and Summit both sell foam and covers.
thanson_mopar
Well-Known Member
link? I've searched both and don't see anything at either one
longarm
Car sold back to original owners
thanson_mopar
Well-Known Member
yea those are all the ones I already saw, they only have seat foam for 70-71 duster nothing for a 73+ duster
Alaskan_TA
Well-Known Member
Starting with the 1972 model year, the bucket seat foam was formed around the internal seat springs. No reproductions are available yet.
1970 & 1971 bucket seats had a separate spring basket plus foam.
1970 & 1971 bucket seats had a separate spring basket plus foam.
thanson_mopar
Well-Known Member
So what are people that are restoring 73+ dusters/dart sports doing for foam? NOS?
Alaskan_TA
Well-Known Member
Repair the original foam or find donor foam in better condition seem to be the options.
norton
Doing the best that I can
I have a 72 Duster, and I had the same issue. I ended up buying a pair of seats that needed to be recovered but had decent foam. It sucks but no one reproduces the foam and NOS, will be next to impossible to find.
chgr1
74 Dart Sport
Everybody of the 73 and up Dusters & Darts have the same issue. Attached is some pics of my 74 Dart Sport right front bucket seat foam. Also you can see the bottom seat bucket the foam sets in.
Also on the seat back foam, it is molded around the metal frame and you might be able to make out the metal rods on either side of the bolsters. On the new seat covers there are sewn in sleeves these rods slide into and then hook into the frame.
Some places have 70-71 seat foam - example Legendary part number MF70ABESET. They look very similar. Has anybody tried to use these for their 73 and up?
Expensive experiment I'll grant you, just wondering if anyone has tried it.
All else fails - My foam smells of mildew and is not in the best of shape. Let it air out and liberally spray it with Lysol and then some sort of fabric softener? Then apply additional auto upholstery padding to the original with some sort of spray on glue?
Or take it to an upholstery shop and see what they can do with it?
By the way just received my new covers and door panels from Legendary, they are beautiful. I got a good price at the end of last year, 20% off and free shipping plus a $50 gift certificate to spend at Legendary.
Steve
Also on the seat back foam, it is molded around the metal frame and you might be able to make out the metal rods on either side of the bolsters. On the new seat covers there are sewn in sleeves these rods slide into and then hook into the frame.
Some places have 70-71 seat foam - example Legendary part number MF70ABESET. They look very similar. Has anybody tried to use these for their 73 and up?
Expensive experiment I'll grant you, just wondering if anyone has tried it.
All else fails - My foam smells of mildew and is not in the best of shape. Let it air out and liberally spray it with Lysol and then some sort of fabric softener? Then apply additional auto upholstery padding to the original with some sort of spray on glue?
Or take it to an upholstery shop and see what they can do with it?
By the way just received my new covers and door panels from Legendary, they are beautiful. I got a good price at the end of last year, 20% off and free shipping plus a $50 gift certificate to spend at Legendary.
Steve
73hcode
Well-Known Member
I was wondering about the door panels. I already have the seat covers and they are top shelf so I figured the door panels are top quality also.
chgr1
74 Dart Sport
The door panels are great! They have the square holes cut in the back side were the retaining clip goes. I got the bottom seat frame media blasted and painted today. I'm going to try something I read on the web to eliminate the musty smell from the seat foam. Sprinkle on baking soda and let set in the sun and air out. Clean off the soda, spray lightly with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar & water or a citrus spray and let air out in the sun again. Then lightly spray with a fabric spray like fabreeze. Don't know if that's the way you spell the product name. I'll ask my wife.
I'll start a thread when I install the covers. I've got both buckets to do and the rear fold down.
Steve
73hcode
Well-Known Member
Did the driver side have a cutout for the remote mirror?
chgr1
74 Dart Sport
Forgot about that, no it doesn't. No imprint on the back side where the hole would go. I still have the original panel, so I'll lay it on top and trace the hole. Then use an exactor knife to cut the vinyl, then use a household door lock cutting drill bit. 5/8 or less hole aught to be about right.
steve
chgr1
74 Dart Sport
I have installed seat skins on other vehicles. I used Legendary to recover my 66 Charger seats (hence my logon name) which had 4 bucket seats.
My Dart Sport is a little different and maybe a little more difficult, in that it has the bucket seat high rise head rest. We'll see. The trick I usually use is to turn the new seat cover inside out, start at the top and slide the new skin past itself while pulling it down.
Another trick I might try that I found on the web pertaining to RVs and foam seats / cushions, is once you have lightly treated the foam with a 50/50 vinegar water solution or maybe bleach solution to kill the mildew microprobes, use a large garbage bag to cover the seat foam, then use a shop vac to suck out the air and collapse the foam. The idea is to suck out the stinky smell and now dead microprobes and aerate the foam.
Steve
My Dart Sport is a little different and maybe a little more difficult, in that it has the bucket seat high rise head rest. We'll see. The trick I usually use is to turn the new seat cover inside out, start at the top and slide the new skin past itself while pulling it down.
Another trick I might try that I found on the web pertaining to RVs and foam seats / cushions, is once you have lightly treated the foam with a 50/50 vinegar water solution or maybe bleach solution to kill the mildew microprobes, use a large garbage bag to cover the seat foam, then use a shop vac to suck out the air and collapse the foam. The idea is to suck out the stinky smell and now dead microprobes and aerate the foam.
Steve
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