Drilling holes in the new seat foams is the way to go. But it is possible to
"restore" the actual original foam cushions to their original soft feel and
resilience with a bit of patience, if they're in not-too-bad shape.
The original Dunlopillo latex foam cushions can be sliced horizontally like a
hamburger bun with an electric carving knife, leaving one side intact as a
hinge for location. This exposes the honeycomb cavities on both sides of the
cut. You'll see that most likely the cushion's collapse is due not to the
latex compressing, but to the breakdown of the honeycomb "pillars" between the
cavities, usually only a few on the drivers' side.
These can be individually reglued and restored to their original height and
shape with a professional flexible foam cement. This should work on its own,
but bad cases of crumbling 'pillars' can be reinforced with stiff sheet foam
slices glued on.
The two halves of the hamburger can then be glued back together, if you prefer
with a thin 1/8" sheet of flexible material between for extra reinforcement.
Sagging side bolsters can be perked up with the insertion of foam wedges into
slits in the sides, then trimmed off. The passenger cushion can usually still
be used as a height standard.
BTW, the long-lived Dunlopillo cushions were redesigned late in the BJ8 run,
pointing to a flawed original design. The large 3" rectangular cavities were
replaced by a honeycomb of smaller, round, about 1" holes, making for a
stronger foam structure.
Fairly good original BJ8 cushions can still be found, as the Ambla vinyl and
completely solid steel pans minimised contact with the air which breaks down
the natural latex rubber.
Sheet latex rubber, called "Pincore", can still be had. But it is pricey, and
newer 'green' PVC sheet foams now approach its soft feel and resilience.
Best
Peter
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