Vick's X1/9 seat upholstery set update

I realize I'm zombieing this thread, but it seems better to keep the info in one spot. i have a question....
should there be rings, rods, or pulls of any sort on the seat bottom on the X1/9 seat?

thanks
 
In my '86 seats, yes; there are rods that hold the seams down thru holes in the bottom of the grooves in the foam, and tie down to the springs underneath.
 
In my 79 the "U" shaped metal rod was so rusted it was barely holding together in one piece. I used it as a pattern and recreated it new from a stout wire hanger. The rust had abraded and eaten through most of the original cotton stays. So I cut and sewed new ones from a woven cotton shoe bag I had laying around. The stays are nothing more than horizontal pockets that limit the depth that the rod is secured at. The rod is threaded through the stays (that run along the front and sides of the seat) and is pushed through the slits in the foam. I re-used what hog-rings I could save, and remade new ones from the same hanger material. The hog rings pierce through the cotton (just above the bottom edge of the stays) capturing the rod, and also grab and close around the springs (at various points along the perimeter of the seat frame).

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If you can use piano wire it is a better material as it will hold its shape under load. Often yo can get lengths of different diameters of the wire at hobby shops.

Coat hanger wire although convenient is low grade wire and very malleable. Life will be easier with a higher strength, straight wire.

Not saying it is or was wrong to use a coat hanger, we all use what we have about to complete a job, just that some other materials can make the job easier.
 
kmead said:
If you can use piano wire it is a better material as it will hold its shape under load. Often yo can get lengths of different diameters of the wire at hobby shops.

Coat hanger wire although convenient is low grade wire and very malleable. Life will be easier with a higher strength, straight wire.

Not saying it is or was wrong to use a coat hanger, we all use what we have about to complete a job, just that some other materials can make the job easier.
Click to expand...
I agree with you Karl. But what I found was an older style wire hanger (the kind you rarely see anymore). It was approx. 1/8" thick and very sturdy. I tested it first by spacing out 2 edges that approximated the distance between the original hog rings. I placed the straight section of hanger across the span and put a hog ring in the center and pulled down hard on it. Only after I saw there was very little deflection in the rod did I decide to use it. It's been over 2 years since I did the repair and I've been driving the car nearly every week (almost every day) since September. The seat cover is still as tight as when I installed it. So fortunately, this one worked out really well.
 
Thanks for the new input everyone!

I’ve now dug more into my ‘85 seats & I “refreshed” the original wires. They don’t rally seem any more substantial than a classic coat hanger. I also got a very small diameter dowel at the hardware store thinking I might use it (especially for the seat bottom), but will probably just use the original metal.

relatedly, I’d be curious if anyone here has improved their seats any with a bit of additional bolstering and/or removing any center material. Mine has somewhere on the outside of the driver seat that would probably be wise to build back up but it’s tempting to add just a bit more foam or subtract some from the center to give it a little more of a nice, planted feel.
 
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