Cad-kid's 65 Monza - my first Corvair

[cad-kid]

Here's an update or two
At the end of the year I pulled my clock apart - why? Well when I had gotten this clock a few years ago I did an initial tune up - just oil, clean the points the best I could and add the diode (helps to reduce point arcing). The clock worked great except it was exceedingly fast I knew that the auto adjustment feature wasn't working properly.



With two years worth of small and large clock projects and ultrasonic cleaning experience under my belt I tackled this clock again. Here's after the face is removed-



Here's the "guts"



I am wary of cleaning the coil in my ultrasonic brass cleaning solution because it could remove the protective coating on the coated wire.



A quick soak in the cleaner (as I left the clock grommets attached) and it was looking much better. With the plate off I was able to easily access the points to file & burnish them. Reassembled then lubed with a synthetic lube, put on the magnifier specs to check out the auto adjust feature. Finshed by hooking it up to a battery and it has been going for a week now.

[cad-kid]

Onto the second update- now the clock's done (plus a couple other clock projects) it's time to tackle the drivers seat rebuild

While the seat doesn't look too bad, when my 140 lb butt feels like I am maxing out the seat's capacity it's time for a rebuild



Back removed-



Some hog rings removed - lots of cotton



Rotten foam and evidence of cotton theft from the mice



Down to the frame, it is rusty where the mice had their hotel. I will to what I can to clean that up.



Onto the back, then order up some supplies from Clarks

[BobWitt]

I'm hoping to learn from you on this... Charge up that camera and keep the photos coming - I have nice seat covers, but, I fear I'll need to get inside and repair/reinforce some springs, foam, batting... I hope I'll be able to reuse my covers once done!

Thanks and I'm keeping my eye on this one...

[cad-kid]

Will do Bob!

I was happy with how my covers look but I am worried the stitching will come apart due to their age. The real thing to take note of (if you have a original unmolested seat) is document how it was assembled at the factory as you take it apart.

[cad-kid]

I just finished up the drivers seat, now for some pics
Here's the seat back tear down, that foam has really deteriorated.

[cad-kid]

Took the bottom springs out to inspect the frame and coat the rusty bits with POR15 where the mice made their home

Tools I purchased from Clarks. If you are going to do all the seats yourself then get both types of hog ring pliers. I prefer the angled ones as they come with a spring that closes the jaws and keeps the hog ring in place. But I did use both during the rebuild.

All the soft materials were replaced. I went with the thicker felt (nice stuff!) and I also used the thicker synthetic cotton.

I also went with the heavier burlap. This didn't cause any issues and it should last longer.

Here's the extra thick synthetic cotton (sorry no photo of the pad)

The thicker synthetic cotton did cause some issues getting the cover back on - I'm sure my butt will be thankful for the extra firm padding

[cad-kid]

Here's the seat back build up - sorry not many photos as it was a PIA to get the cover on properly.
-
first photo shows the new burlap installed-

Here's a tip that was learned from the bottom cushion and looking at the original materials - cut full slots in the cotton where the hog ring attaches to the heavy wire. I used spray glue to adhere the synthetic cotton to a layer of burlap. This keeps the cotton from shifting and it is how the original seat was put together.

This is attempt 2 out of 3. The first attempt I never even got the cover fully on. Especially when adding extra padding like I did, you really have to roll the top of the cover over the top of the seat frame so the front of the cover pulls down far enough to be secured at the bottom edge-

This is as far as I was able to stretch things on attempt 2

For attempt 3 I had a friend come over and he rolled the cover over the top of the seat frame and kept pressure on things while I put in the first couple of hog rings that hold the center panel - thus we were able to properly secure the cover - yea

The seat is all back together The top looks way better than my second attempt. Not quite as perfect as it was but I am happy for now

Another thing I paid attention to is how well the seat back sides would look. I was careful not to have too much padding so they wouldn't bulge out and I'm happy with it.

Final thoughts on the first seat:
Get a helper for the seat back, have 1000 hog rings if you are going to replace all of the soft parts on the seat. I burned through 500 on one seat due to the trial and error on the back. Add some extra cotton to the side bolsters for the seat back and bottom - it just looks better.

Now onto the passenger seat and back seat....

[b74eqcm]

Great job! Too often I see new seat covers installed over 50 year old foam and it looks awful and it's not comfortable. The right way is almost always more work - but the results last much longer.

[64powerglide]

Fantastic job for an amature. When you put the cover on did you consider spraying the padding with silicone, makes the cover easier to pull over. I worked in a mattress factory for 27 years and you are now an expert, great job

[cad-kid]

Great job! Too often I see new seat covers installed over 50 year old foam and it looks awful and it's not comfortable. The right way is almost always more work - but the results last much longer.

Thanks for the great feedback Jim! I haven't really paid attention to the seats in other Vairs - after this I probably will

-I also wanted to say the Clark's upholstery is top notch premium stuff (A+++)

[cad-kid]

Fantastic job for an amature. When you put the cover on did you consider spraying the padding with silicone, makes the cover easier to pull over. I worked in a mattress factory for 27 years and you are now an expert, great job

Great feedback Jeff

The main issue with the back cover wasn't the that it was difficult to slide down due to friction. It was more so the extra bulk of the new seat foam that is not an exact copy of the original. But it's pretty darn close. Also it didn't help that I added extra synthetic cotton. But now the back is extra firm

[cad-kid]

Here are some more upholstery updates
-the passenger front seat is done
Thighs I did differently were - add a section of 1/4 inch felt between the spring and cushion on the seat bottom. This should firm up the rump area a bit. I can't really tell the difference but it was worth a shot. Also I added some batting in the lower side bolster area. This noticeable and I may partly take apart the drivers seat next year to add some to that.

When putting the back cover on my friend and I were more careful to really roll the top part over so we could get the cover as far down as possible. I still needed to use zip ties to join the two halves at the bottom before securing with hog rings but it was way more manageable than on the first seat.

[cad-kid]

Tonight I finished up the bottom of the rear bench.
Here are some before shots

The mice really made a mess of the back part of the seat frame

Under the cover was a generous layer of cotton

Followed by a thick layer of jute

Then the reinforcement wires that help the springs act together. I didn't replace these I just used a thick layer of felt.

The spring assembly was straight forward to remove

After some time with the wire wheel on the drill it was time for por15

I've read that rust can really stink. When I was removing the heavy bits of rust on the seat frame I got a couple strong hits of damp, moldy, mouse urine smell. Note that my car has been dry and mouse free for the last 3 years. But when it was humid outside I would sometimes get a hint of the smell.

Time to get things back together - first a layer of 1/4 inch felt. I really love this stuff from Clark's. I'm not sure if it's because it is white or that it just feels good between my fingers

Then I used a thick layer of foam. This is probably less padding then what was there originally but I don't sit in the back seat. Plus it would really be easy to add more at a later date. The cover was pretty easy to get on by myself and looks good to me.

[91blaze]

Lookin' nice there, keep up the good work! Can't wait till I get my seats done, they are very uncomfortable right now lol. I will definitely remember this when I start mine.

[cad-kid]

Lookin' nice there, keep up the good work! Can't wait till I get my seats done, they are very uncomfortable right now lol. I will definitely remember this when I start mine.

Thanks! It's almost unbelievable the improvement with the new seat buns (foam).

[91blaze]

Yeah I bet, right now I'm just riding on springs and dust. I've got Tiburon seats I'm going to put in, the stock ones just don't hold me well enough for my kind of driving.