Xenon
Senior Member
What did he charge you for the headliner conversion,, if you don't mind saying..
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1970 Seat Foam
- Thread starter Snotty
- Start date
What did he charge you for the headliner conversion,, if you don't mind saying..
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$600 and I felt it was worth it to never see that crappy perforated hardboard ever again. Dumbest move Chrysler ever made besides Lean Burn.
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
The guy I use just up the street, 4 miles from me out of his garage for decades, does the same thing. I brought my seat down, from the F100, and we go over to his different foams based on thickness and firmness, decided what I want and he took it from there. He also did the headliner and vinyl top on the Polara.
Dan Scully
Well-Known Member
I went with the stock fiber board from REM, fit great. I used dyna mat and dyna liner really quieted it down.
That actually looks pretty nice especially when it is painted to match the rest of the interior and not just some white/gray color.
Chrysler generally did not do that but maybe in some years they might have (yours looks like it might be a 1964 model or thereabouts judging from the front seat appearance?? Or is that something that you decided to do)?
What did the perforated hardboard cost to do the whole job? I wasn't aware that REM reproduced it. Previous reproductions of it were crazy expensive.
Did you have to mold the curves somehow or was there a straightforward procedure for doing so or was it made to match the curvature of your particular roof?
Robbins also added insulation as well to quiet things down when he did my cloth version.
I guess as long as the hardboard isn't exposed to very high temperatures from vehicles left out in the hot sun often or in damp conditions a lot (i.e. mostly a garage queen) - it might hold up OK over time.......................................
Chrysler generally did not do that but maybe in some years they might have (yours looks like it might be a 1964 model or thereabouts judging from the front seat appearance?? Or is that something that you decided to do)?
What did the perforated hardboard cost to do the whole job? I wasn't aware that REM reproduced it. Previous reproductions of it were crazy expensive.
Did you have to mold the curves somehow or was there a straightforward procedure for doing so or was it made to match the curvature of your particular roof?
Robbins also added insulation as well to quiet things down when he did my cloth version.
I guess as long as the hardboard isn't exposed to very high temperatures from vehicles left out in the hot sun often or in damp conditions a lot (i.e. mostly a garage queen) - it might hold up OK over time.......................................
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Dan Scully
Well-Known Member
I had originally ordered it from another source, I think it was Dantes parts? Was informed that their supplier (REM) had lost their patterns and if mine where good to send them to REM to use a pattern. They used mine, so I got a set for free. My originals where a slightly lighter blue then this new one. They had a choice of a darker blue or this, a friend that does upholstery helped me install it, he had a steamer and without steaming a few of the sections it would never go in without breaking. Was defiantly a two-man job. Mine was still in good shape but with offer of a new set I jumped on that. Mine is a 64 880.Thanks
The only source for such panels that I was planning on getting for my 1958 Regal Lancer were $150 for each panel. That alone would have cost me more than the cloth headliner for my 69 T&C.
I haven't bought them yet though, so your information is good news. I will stay with the perforated hardboard for that car because I want it to be original even though in the Regal Lancer the hardboard is covered with a kind of felt material. The plastic bows on that model are held in place by special clips that mate with only that headliner, so that is why I will stay with the hardboard. Mine would be a garage queen anyway..............................
I haven't bought them yet though, so your information is good news. I will stay with the perforated hardboard for that car because I want it to be original even though in the Regal Lancer the hardboard is covered with a kind of felt material. The plastic bows on that model are held in place by special clips that mate with only that headliner, so that is why I will stay with the hardboard. Mine would be a garage queen anyway..............................
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tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
Where the heck do you live as that looks like a major intersection in the background with all the traffic lights? Downtown Lompoc...
That location is where I bought the car and the photo shows the condition of the car when I picked it up - the city is Colton, CA and I live about 20 miles west of there. The old man that sold it to me lived on the top floor of the building in the background where he had an expansive home with plenty of rooms. He has since passed away and his son now owns the building and he keeps much of his father's collection of cars on the ground floor. Upstairs, next to his home area there is still a wealth of old car parts and some nos as well as used. One could spend a week of time just looking around at everything. His son also now has two other very large warehouses full of old car nos parts but has not inventoried them so they just sit there going to waste since he doesn't have time to sort them out and try to sell them. He told me once that he expects the new owners one day will just dig a big hole and dump the parts in it to never be seen again. What a waste!!! They are mostly all moparts too...............................
The next time I see his son I am going to suggest that he sell all of his parts to one of the established nos parts suppliers and they can do all the needed work and make a good profit out of all of it and the parts would then not go to waste. We will see how it goes.......................
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
I concur...
Sorry for the late reply. I received the headrests back in August; they are excellent!
Still looking for foam. I can't find a local guy who will cut his own to fit my seats. I've received everything else. I'm about to look for a low-rider shop. Those guys do great work; bet they would/could cut some foam to fit!
Looking at this photo, I can see the '69 seats are different. Especially the seat backs.
D Cluley
Active Member
How bad is the foam in your current seats?
The foam from Legendary for my '65 300 was pretty generic. The backside fit the seat frames great, but the topside contour didn't really match. I was able to slice a lot of the contoured part off my original foam and glue it on top of the new. The parts I couldn't reuse were pretty easy to replicate from a block of upholstery foam and add to the stuff from Legendary.
The foam from Legendary for my '65 300 was pretty generic. The backside fit the seat frames great, but the topside contour didn't really match. I was able to slice a lot of the contoured part off my original foam and glue it on top of the new. The parts I couldn't reuse were pretty easy to replicate from a block of upholstery foam and add to the stuff from Legendary.
My foam in the front is destroyed. The guy I talked with on Monday reached his hand up under the passenger seat and pulled out a 2" chunk of hard rubber; it then crumbled in his hand. I said, "See; that's what I'm talking about. There's hardly any foam left on the bottom cushion on the Driver's Side; just springs. Two are coming through!
Took these pictures last Friday of my front seats.
Drove my Newport today. Top down, it was fun!! When I was leaving my Physical Therapy I saw this piece of foam from my passenger side seat. This will demonstrate how bad my rubber is.
I saw a chunk:
For size comparison:
What kind of shaper is it in? Here's what happened when I introduced my thumb to it. The stuff is trash!:
I saw a chunk:
For size comparison:
What kind of shaper is it in? Here's what happened when I introduced my thumb to it. The stuff is trash!:
D Cluley
Active Member
Yeah, I suspect that the foam doesn't like being exposed to air. The bottoms of my seat bases, and the seat backs where the vinyl had split were exactly like that.
I wonder if MoparPlus could give you dimensions for that 68-69 foam? If the overall length width & thickness match yours it seems like it would work. Your side bolsters have that angle at the front & top of the seat, but that would be easy enough to trim off the foam to match.
Are you looking to do the seats yourself, or have you got a shop that will work with your supplies?
I wonder if MoparPlus could give you dimensions for that 68-69 foam? If the overall length width & thickness match yours it seems like it would work. Your side bolsters have that angle at the front & top of the seat, but that would be easy enough to trim off the foam to match.
Are you looking to do the seats yourself, or have you got a shop that will work with your supplies?
Looking for a shop to do it. So far I've been told, "If you can get the rubber I'll do the job." If I had the rubber I wouldn't be asking!
From the pictures you provided earlier, which I thank you for, the '69 seats are significantly different from '70. Or, is the rubber you show from the '65?
Any idea who Vintage Hot Rods in Chico uses?
D Cluley
Active Member
My picture was the '65 Foam. Which Legendary actually sells for all 1960-65 A B & C bodies, so it's pretty generic, but it did fit the frame well.
I think the later seats all have higher backs, but don't know if they are all close enough to work.
That 68-68 foam you linked to before should be close, but I haven't seen pics of the '70 seats from the same angles. It kind of seems like your upper corners are more square than the taper I'm seeing on the 68-69 seatback.
As long as the overall dimensions match, a good shop should be able to make the minor adjustments to fit your covers.
I think the later seats all have higher backs, but don't know if they are all close enough to work.
That 68-68 foam you linked to before should be close, but I haven't seen pics of the '70 seats from the same angles. It kind of seems like your upper corners are more square than the taper I'm seeing on the 68-69 seatback.
As long as the overall dimensions match, a good shop should be able to make the minor adjustments to fit your covers.
