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Travis of Surefit Custom Upholstery made a set of front seat replacements for my 412. He reused OEM materials from the original covers to make a factory replacement. The work is excellent from what I can tell so far. Detailed assembly instructions are provided with the kit so eventhough I have no idea what I'm doing, it looks like fun. I'll document the assembly here.

Thank you Travis!

Travis! An upholstery man with a type 4! No wonder your seats look so good! Very cool!

I kept the old seat covers from when I reupholstered my own seats last year (front and rear) as patterns in case I came across the need for them again. The only thing I didn't provide Bill was the foam required, but I did provide the rest of the padding needed to cover the frame and springs. To the 'unexperienced upholsterer,' they could be a bit of a challenge in some areas.......so I hope all goes well.

If not, I can certainly bring some tools along to the Great Canadian Show to help Bill install them !

Now, if I could just find a decent aftermarket carpet kit........ahh, maybe I'll just have to make my own!

Travis

When I repaired my cars front seats I noticed that there were several broken springs. Fortunately I had spear seats where I managed to find replacement springs. I also installed a cover fabric on top of the springs. It was surprising that the seats didn't have any originally. Without the covering fabric the springs will eat their way through the padding -which is a common problem in every type 4- and eventually through the seat cover. I also think that when the springs have eaten their way into the paddiing they will stay moist longer and strat to rust which ofcourse causes them to break.

Travis.....if I provided original equipment materials , what would youcharge for a set of covers? I can handle the wraparound rubber, plastic and carboard parts at the rear of the seat top myself.

The carpet set is a tedious one. Not difficult to do yourself...just tedious. The fit and cut-outs to go around the heater outlets are the most difficult. That...and teh fact that most of tehedges were "bound".

I have found a pretty simple way to get a nearly factory heel wear pad onto the carpet. I carfully cut away a complete vinyl heel wear section years ago. I can make a cast of it....and can vacuum cast the heel pad onto new carpet pretty easily. You first have to make the outline and "shave" the new carpet fibers down until they are almost flush with the backing. I have thought about possible ways to do the bound edges this way as well.
For reference.... the original heel pad was heat sealed onto the carpet surface. Ray

Lahti411: Yes, the lack of a covering over the springs before the coconut matting went on was a problem for all air-cooled VW seats. Like you said, it eventually dries out and starts falling between the springs...and eventually falls on the floor as that brown dust.
I provided Bill some synthetic burlap fabric to lay over the springs first, along with some 1/4-inch thick mixed fiber padding to lay on top next (to replace that coconut matting). This helps to take away the uneven-ness of the the springs, and then I would suggest a layer of 1-inch Ultracel UC45 foam. 1-inch doesn't sound like much, but it's really all you need, especially if you get the UC45 higher-density foam. Plus, the covers I make are padded up with their own 1/2-inch layer of cloth-backed foam (which holds the stitch on the backside and gives that ribbed definition). Any more padding than that, and the seats would look/feel overstuffed, and you would sit way too high.


Ray: What would I charge.......hmmmm.......well, how about you fly up to Prince George, B.C., Canada, and tune up my 412 for me? Sound fair? No? Dammit!

I'll send you an e-mail.

Travis

Actually....That not a bad price. Never been to B.C......
Could probably get there for about $400+ roundtrip....or I can take rail....hmmmm.

Actually the interior is near the bottom of the list. Goitta get running right now...but its something to plan for. Ray

i you want the original coconut fiber,, you go in the garden center , they sale that for the flower pot fabrication,, we can find that in différent size and deep,,,or dimention,, one piece 2" deep by 60" long and 30" large cost appx,100.$ you can restore your front seat or rear seat for appx,,200.$ witch the same coconut fiber ,,witch the green glue on the fiber,,albert

SureFit Travis wrote:I would suggest a layer of 1-inch Ultracel UC45 foam.

The local shop has never heard of it. I've googled and only found Bayer Ultracel U3000 which looks like the raw material used to make various densities of foam. Please help me find a source or an alternative.

hy,,bill,,,if my mémory is good the factory for that is from ,,usa,, i d,t can remember what ,,cie,, but my garden center is at 5 minutes from my house ,,i go to look the name of this ,,cie,, toomorrow,, if my mémory is good i have geeve the name on the old post last years,, or something,, on this forum,,i am 100% sure that exist,,i have look for my 412 , and i prefair to do the instalation of the audi 100 1990 ,, électrik front seat the transfert of the 412 latherrette is easy to do on the audi seat , albert

Okay, honestly.....forget the coconut matting people! It will eventually break down and end up as dust on your carpet just like the original stuff does! But hey, if you are that much of a purist, then I guess it's a great idea.

Anyway, Bill, Ultracel is a brand name of foam products that we use in our shop, and is a well-known name (to us in Canada, anyway! ). Qualux is another brand name you could try asking for. Both of these products contain fire-retardant materials as well, and is great for use in aircrafts....but we use it for everything from residential furniture (which we don't do that much of....don't tell anyone ), commercial projects (restaurants, medical facilities, hotel/motel), as well as the automotive & marine projects.

If the brand names don't help you out, then it's the numbers that will truly help you out. Foam is usually graded, and marked with a 4-digit number. The first two indicate it's density, and the second two are for it's level of firmness.......well, that's more of a simplified version, but the basic gist. Yes, density and firmness are two different things. You want a higher density for this project, as we are only going with 1-inch foam.....but you don't want it too firm that it's like sitting on a board either!

Go for a minimum of 2-pound foam. 2.2 or 2.5-pound density would be better. UC45 foam is 2.5-pound foam, with a rating of 45 on the firmness scale.

So, getting back to the 4-digit thing.....2245 is a good choice. 2235 would be the lowest I would go, and 2255 would be a little on the firm side. 2545 is likely going to last a little longer, and is the best all-around choice.

If you are really having trouble sourcing this out, give me a call at my shop on my toll-free line (I think that was in with your installation instructions), and I will get the required pieces sent out to you by the end of the week.


Travis

Thanks for the lesson Travis. With that info, I found HD 4526 (ILD 45 with 2.6 pound density). It's HD, FR, PU (High Density, Flame Resistant, Polyurethane) Rochford Supply has 1" for $13/seat. Each seat needs about 24" x 44" and their stock size is 24" x 72". Thanks again for your help!

Sounds perfect! Other than the numbers being in reverse order (we would refer to it as 2645), it's a perfect match! It might be a little on the firm side, but you don't want to feel those springs anyway!

Other than.....from the best I could tell, Rochford Supply is in Minnesota. Is this going to delay your project at all? And it looks like they have a $50 minimum on orders.

Keep us posted on your progress.


Travis

It should arrive early next week at the latest giving me enough time to try the passenger seat before the weekend (I always start new projects on the passenger side ). I purchased hog rings, hog ring pliers, and spray adhesive so I'm set to go.

Travis,

Should the padding go over the top of the seat back where the head rest mounts and attach to the rear of the seat? I've already cut and attached the first and second layers without draping over the top of the seat back. Should I rework them to have padding on the top? I'll hold off on cutting and attaching the foam until I hear from you.

Thank you,
Bill