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Re: Seat foams for my '73 midget

To: David Lieb <dbl@chicagolandmgclub.com>
Subject: Re: Seat foams for my '73 midget
Date: Sat, 02 Aug 2003 14:00:03 -0700
Cc: Bill Bryant <bryant@sonic.net>, spridgets@autox.team.net
References: <BB51161F.7950%bryant@sonic.net> <001601c35912$e5545ae0$8500a8c0@finnland>
When I was re-covering the seats for my Bugeye, I bought the M*** kit (red with
white piping) and had a classic car upholsterer (sp?) cut foams for my seats.  
It
was relatively cheap, but he used a real hard closed cell foam.  My head was
above the top of the windscreen frame when I sat in it.  I am only 5'9", not
good.  It was also not comfortable.  I sprung for the seat foams from M*** and
re-covered the seat bottoms myself again using the new foam.  I now sat in a
comparable height to the original "Dunlopillow" that was turning to dust after 
40
years like yours.  Funny thing was, it was still very comfortable!  The new seat
foams from M*** are very soft and you cannot tell the difference in the seat of
your pants between the two.  In any case which ever way you go, no one can tell
what's under there anyway.  If I was to do it again I would spring for the M***
seat foam kits.  They are comfortable, they fit and they are the correct shape
for the seats.  If you are handy, go to the suppliers for seat upholstery and 
get
some block foam and cut it yourself.  I get the idea from requests on this list
that people are asking how to restore your Sprite/Midget without spending any
money.  People are always asking where to get something like the item they see 
in
the M***/VB catalog.  In other words, where can I get this expensive (relatively
speaking) part for my car for next to nothing.  Well, I hate to inform you, it
costs some of your hard earned money to repair/restore these cars.  It is great
to cut corners where you can and you can substitute many materials for locally
obtainable materials in many cases.  By all means, save money whenever possible,
but sooner or later you are going to have to pay the going rate for good parts.
When someone asks, "where can I get a set of XXXXXX for my Midget like in the
VB/M*** catalog?  Well, you can get it in the VB/M*** catalog or try to get it
for little better price from some of the suppliers on this list.  Or, are you
asking if some one has a set for sale?  Why don't you just ask that.  I hate to
tell you, but unless you are Frank you have to spend some money on these cars to
keep them on the road.  I suspect even Frank has to spend some cash on his cars.
I think this list is a forum on how to restore/repair your car, not how to do it
for free.  My $.02
Mike MacLean-60 Sprite

David Lieb wrote:

> > I got a real nice set of seat covers from england but my upholstery guy
> says
> > my foam is rotten and I should get new ones.
> > Nad I do NOT want to try making up the foam blocks myself....been
> there....
>
> Bill,
> To add insult to injury, you would not believe the number of people who
> rebuild their seats with new foams and webbing just to discover that they
> don't like sitting that high in their Spridget. You would probably be better
> off letting your upholstery guy cut some out of generic foam and emphasize
> that you really do not want them to be much higher than the rotten ones you
> are removing. I have heard of people, probably on this very list, who have
> removed plugs of foam from the seat cushions to make them more conformable
> to their tukasses.
> David Lieb

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