I just completed the restoration of my Alpine seats. My original seats
frames were rusted to pieces (literally) so I bought some used seats
from Sunbeam Specialties. The upholstery and foam on the used seats
were useless so I ordered all the necessary diaphrams, foam and
upholstery from SS. I sandblasted the frames and discovered that one of
the sheet metal pieces to which the recliner spring attaches was in
pretty bad shape. I bought some sheet metal at Lowes and made the
replacement part. (it was the less complex of the two sheet metal
pieces) I painted the whole assembly with Rustoleum and began to
reassemble the seats. I encountered one significant gotcha. The levers
that lock the seat back cannot be reversed (the one from the left seat
cannot be used on the right seat). If you are assembling your seats and
notice that the lever is not pushing the lock into the gear on the seat
back, you have the levers reversed. I opted to have the kits installed
by a professional. It cost me $225 to have the seats finished but they
look absolutely great.
Good Luck,
Tom Hill
K. Patrick Wheeler wrote:
>
> My PO has placed what I believe are Mustang seats in the car, although very
> nice and comfortable, they take up too much room, make it hard for me to get
> in and out of the car, and are too far forward for my driving comfort as I'm
> a bit taller than he was (and they are not original, eeek!). I've two
> Alpine seats and all the foam and covering to restore them, also courtesy of
> the PO. Has anyone done this and any ideas on how to go about it, or is
> this something I should take down to a local upholsterer? I'm handy with
> needle and thread, but have no equipment other than that. One of the frames
> is in excellent shape, the other is rusted and still has pieces of the
> original seat attached. I had thought of powder coating (there are three
> powder coaters within half a mile of me) but thought it might be overkill.
> Also thought of sandblasting the rusty frame, but was afraid I'd have
> nothing left when I was through.
> -Patrick
> SV, Richmond, CA
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