Remove Plastic Seat Covers?

Steve73QMach1 · Jul 28, 2013

My 4 speed Mach 1 has plastic seat covers on the front seats that were installed at the dealer in 1973. The Mach 1 upholstery has been preserved very nicely under the plastic. Now the plastic is starting to crack and turn yellow from age. I am trying to decide whether to remove the plastic and enjoy the seats as they were meant to be or re-cover them with more plastic. I am leaning towards removing the plastic for the first time in 40 years.

auron73mach1 · Jul 28, 2013

I would remove them and enjoy

Kit Sullivan · Jul 28, 2013

Very tough decision. The orginal comfortweave inserts are very rare. There is no comfortweave material available snywhere. Actual comfortweave is actual vinyl strands woven like fabric to give a cloth-like breathability but with the durability of vinyl.

The repro seats available today look exactly like comfortweave, but they are not. They are simply a solid piece of vinyl stamped to look like comfortweave. Thdy look authentic, but they are not actual comfortweave.

If I had your car, and was going ti eventually restore it "someday", i wouldremove those seats from the car and storecthem away. I would put some used seat frames with new repro seat covers on them and just enjoy druving the car.

If you.knos you are never going to restore the car, I would sell the entire seats as is (Bob Perkins?)fkr enough to buy used framez and new repro covers and have a signjficant cash profit left over.

But thats just me...

72HCODE · Jul 28, 2013

Remove them, you can take care of the seats easily plus if its not a daily driver it won't wear much. Comfort weave is freaking amazing to sit on.

Also should things get damaged in the future it can be repaired.

Very tough decision. The orginal comfortweave inserts are very rare. There is no comfortweave material available snywhere. Actual comfortweave is actual vinyl strands woven like fabric to give a cloth-like breathability but with the durability of vinyl.

The repro seats available today look exactly like comfortweave, but they are not. They are simply a solid piece of vinyl stamped to look like comfortweave. Thdy look authentic, but they are not actual comfortweave.

If I had your car, and was going ti eventually restore it "someday", i wouldremove those seats from the car and storecthem away. I would put some used seat frames with new repro seat covers on them and just enjoy druving the car.

If you.knos you are never going to restore the car, I would sell the entire seats as is (Bob Perkins?)fkr enough to buy used framez and new repro covers and have a signjficant cash profit left over.

But thats just me...

wwhite72 · Jul 28, 2013

I thought the comfortweave was only on the convertibles. Those seats look like the mach I seats.

Kit Sullivan · Jul 28, 2013

Themach1 seats have comfortweave inserts

Wolverine · Jul 28, 2013

Tough call.

As a daily driver, I would drive the heck out of them. My only concern would be the condition of the foam.

As a weekend drive, I would drive the heck out of them. Probably get another good 20 years out of them only sitting on them a couple of times a week.

As a show car, I would recover with plastic.

Enjoy them. Who ever gets them after you might just abuse them.

caspianwendell · Jul 29, 2013

That's amazing to still have the plastic, but I would remove it and enjoy the like new seat

Bill73Ragtop · Jul 29, 2013

Remove the plastic and enjoy then as they were intended. You'll be one of very, very few people able to experience that these days.

73vertproject · Jul 29, 2013

Remove the plastic and enjoy then as they were intended. You'll be one of very, very few people able to experience that these days.

+1

imusa76 · Jul 29, 2013

I would remove the cover, and enjoy the seats.

as for Comfortweave, there is a company in Arazona SMC that has NOS, its is $127 per yard, and its limited stock when its gone, its gone.

I have recived samples and its the Right stuff.

OLE PONY · Jul 29, 2013

I would remove the cover, and enjoy the seats.

as for Comfortweave, there is a company in Arazona SMC that has NOS, its is $127 per yard, and its limited stock when its gone, its gone.

I have recived samples and its the Right stuff.

+1! I received a sample also and it appears to be correct.

goodnigh · Jul 29, 2013

The seats in my Grande were Lambeth cloth.

When was comfortweave being installed?

mike

Kit Sullivan · Jul 29, 2013

Lambeth cloth was a Grande exclusive (*and rare).

BOSS351 could also have a model-unique multi-colored "Indian/Western" looking cloth sest option.

SMC is awesome. They supplied me with the exact hobnail cloth for my 88 Roush Lincoln MkVII, and the exact pigskin suede for my 35th Anniversary Thunderbird Supercoupe.

goodnigh · Jul 29, 2013

Lambeth cloth was a Grande exclusive (*and rare).

BOSS351 could also have a model-unique multi-colored "Indian/Western" looking cloth sest option.

SMC is awesome. They supplied me with the exact hobnail cloth for my 88 Roush Lincoln MkVII, and the exact pigskin suede for my 35th Anniversary Thunderbird Supercoupe.

I kept the passenger and rear seat original cloth as they are in

excellent condition. Driver's side shot and there in lies the problem.

mike

mpbsr · Jul 29, 2013

It's a tough call.

But I also have an opinion. Remove the plastic and enjoy the seats. Don't worry about someone else down the road after you're gone.

midlife · Jul 29, 2013

Keep the plastic seat covers, move to south Florida, park in the sun, and then get in the car for a drive...yup...that's the ticket!

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