Upholstery Project HALTED! Drivers Side Seat Frame CRACKED! Need Help

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archifx

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72' Mustang Fastback (Mach1 Wannabe :)
Upholstery Project HALTED! Drivers Side Seat Frame CRACKED! Need Help. Well, the title says it all on this one. After upholstering the passenger seat, I decided to move onto the drivers side seat. I dismantled the seat, removed the existing upholstery and foam and lo and behold the discovery of the cracked lower seat frame. This was extremely disappointing because this will now halt my upholstery project and photos. I had always wondered in the back of my mind why this seat looked a little more “reclined” back than the passenger side… now I know why.

I am attaching a few photos of my newly found discovery and am in need of your help. If anyone has one of these lower seat frames that is in decent condition (no cracks, excessive rust, etc.) please email me: [email protected] I would be more than happy to pay for shipping etc. Take a look at the sadness below.

VISIT MY RESTORATION BLOG WITH OVER 1500 PHOTOS (SO FAR)

[video=youtube]












 
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Thats not that big of a deal. Mine did same thing. I cleaned up the rust. (wire wheel, sandblaster,...whatever..) Formed it back into shape and mig welded it up then ground down the weld. paint the frame and your good to go.

 
Thats not that big of a deal. Mine did same thing. I cleaned up the rust. (wire wheel, sandblaster,...whatever..) Formed it back into shape and mig welded it up then ground down the weld. paint the frame and your good to go.
Agreed..The proper repair would have a piece or reinforcement of the same gauge metal or heavier plug welded BEHIND the crack then weld up the crack..It will be stronger than it was new...

 
I repaired mine. The material was moved back into place and the crack welded. Then a piece was formed and welded to the outside of the frame. The upholstery should be forgiving enough for an extra .030" thickness. There has been no problem with the repair.

 
Don't get another seat. It will have the same issues.

I had mine welded....MUCH MUCH MUCH better.

I would like to see photos of the JB WELD.

If you are in a pinch, and do have JB Weld, I would get a piece of thick sheet metal, form it on the inside and then SCREW or RIVET this piece of sheet metal to the seat sandwich JB Weld inside. The JB Weld will probably help it from squeaking.

But, I would try to get it welded. Clean up the rust yourself and you could probably take it to a muffler shop. It's Friday and they need beer money.

 
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two words.

duct tape.

Yeah, I should have mentioned in my reply that they reinforced it for me as well. That was years ago and it has held up.

How many of us have had to put a block of wood or something under the seat when it broke?

I might post up a poll... ;)

 
How many of us have had to put a block of wood or something under the seat when it broke?

I might post up a poll... ;)
I always thought a Mustang WITHOUT a busted seat was a great way to tell how hard the car was driven.

Busted seat= Driven Hard, Floored Often

Unbusted seat= Driven like an old lady...exclusive of my old lady.

 
I wish my seat bases had looked that good. mine were split in a half a dozen spots and the metal was rolled up like an old spam can opener. I think the seats were used by a circus elephant. Bead blast it, get it welded and use it. Chuck

 
Mine was cracked on both seats. First i Beat the frames back into shape. Then i drilled a hole at the bottom of the crack, sanded the area, and then i Braze welded the area with Oxy/acetylene gas. went through 2 tanks of Oxy doing it.

Once the weld was done, i hit the frames with rust converter and bombed it black.

Had i done this fix 3 years later i would of MIG welded or brazed, put the frame in my media blaster and went to bare metal then prime and paint.

The reason the seats all crack is because the back is not adjustable so people tend to push on the back of the seat to get comfortable and second the seat backs are so tall they act as a fulcrum and lever and are easy to damage like a pry bar against a sheet of metal.

 
The reason the seats all crack is because the back is not adjustable so people tend to push on the back of the seat to get comfortable and second the seat backs are so tall they act as a fulcrum and lever and are easy to damage like a pry bar against a sheet of metal.

And our big areses:D

 
My height doesn't help. I had to kind of push against the seat to get my leg under the steering wheel. Tilt steering upgrade helped with that.

If you do get a 'good' base I would still have it welded to add strength.

 
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Archie, mine was WAY worse than yours. The back part was broken in the usual spots and bent probably 30 degrees or more backwards, and the sides near the back had been pulled in (each side at least an inch inwards). Using some good old fashioned persuasion I mangled everything pretty much back into place. I'm going to have a buddy help me weld it up, but if I can save mine then you should have no problems saving yours.

I took "after" pics, but I didn't even want to take "before" pics. It was really bad.

 
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