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Thread: sport seat restoration

  1. #1
    tommy
    Guest

    sport seat restoration

    does anyone have any experience with reupolstering sport seats? i ve seen kits available and was wondering if those are woth it or if paying the extra bucks is the way to go. summer is comming up and i need to show these nice sport seats off! i think i have the patience to deal with a kit but im leaning towards paying someone more familiar with the task. any ideas?

  2. #2
    Chuck Miller
    Guest

    > sport seat restoration

    Tommy,
    Man, that's a new one on me. I never heard of a 'kit' for Porsche factory Sport Seats. Can't even guess how
    they would work. The 'old deal' use to be, a used pair
    of Sports Seats(that needed upholstery but were all there) would cost you about $1000 and a professional reupholster job would cost you about $1000. Or, obviously
    $1000 if-ya hadum. Well, that was THEN, and NOW is now
    ... the upholster will charge you now over $1500 to do
    your seats, and a complete perches will set you back
    around $3000. There also is the expense of refurbishing your seat 'hardware' and powder coating your seat rails and frame. Then there's the decision of
    what leather to use, the original German 'vat dyed' leather is almost impossible to get. So, you can use
    German 'surface dyed' leather that is pretty stiff and
    will stay that way for years ... or ... use English
    Connolly 'surface dyed' leather that is like butter, but wont last as long. And being a 73' almost all, without exception, leather seat inserts were 'perforated'. So, do you buy perforated hides .. or have the trim guy do it on the 'right' machine.

    Tommy, again you have ventured into the realm of Porsche 'resto-teria' ... and there's more adventures
    to come.... Good luck and have fun.


    Chuck Miller

  3. #3
    Michael Snowdon
    Guest

    I am thinking about it also

    I am thinking about the same for my car. I am wondering how hard is it to get the origanl leather that came with the car back in 73?

    Michael

  4. #4
    tommy
    Guest

    seats

    im pretty sure that i would prefer viynel(?) seats as apposed to leather (just this thing i have). when i talked to a reputal upulsterer i was quated 700 with headrests. the tweeks catalog says to note the style and material of your seat when ordering. i just assumed that they could come up with an early sport seat style. i wouldnt be surprised if they dont offer it but i was checking to see if anyone here has done there own seat, from any kit. anyone?

  5. #5
    soterik
    Guest

    sport seat restoration

    I just had a set of seats done by Auto's Intl.

    Total cost was $1,150 not including shipping both ways, and recover was in vinyl.

    The did a complete refurbishment of the seat and all hardware, and they look literally perfect. They powdercoated the internal frames, rewrapped or replaced all the foam, replated the sliding rails, powedercoated the bottom "tip" brackets, and also restored the hinges inside and out.

    Auto's also offers a kit for the seats, Tweeks may get theirs from Auto's....

    I'm not sure of their upcharge for leather, but I have seen an Auto's restoration of leather 73 seats, and they were dead on correct to the originals (I used to own a pair of original leather 73 sport seats).

    good luck!

  6. #6
    Chuck Miller
    Guest

    : sport seat restoration

    Tommy and Michael,
    First, I apologize, I just reread my comment and I guess
    I was typing faster then thinking.
    The original German leather was SURFACE dyed, and almost
    all the hides you get today, German or otherwise, are VAT dyed. The difference is with surface dyed leather
    just the top surface is dyed and the inside and bottom
    of the hide is raw-natural-tan leather. The vat dyed
    hides are dyed complete in a vat so all the surfaces
    including the inside and bottom are dyed.
    What's the big deal you ask? ... Well, when you perforate the inserts for the 73's the holes are not very obvious with the available vat dyed leather because it's all the same color, the surface, inside the hole, everthing. Where as the original
    factory leather all the holes stand out in contrast to
    the surface color of black, brown, red, etc. because your looking at raw-natural-tan leather through the holes ..... capiche'

    And Tommy, vinyl was definitely an option for 73' sport seats.

    Chuck Miller

  7. #7
    jgates
    Guest
    I just restored a 1973 set with perforated centers and powder coated frames. For sale for $ 2000.
    831-761-5450

  8. #8
    eurotechtogethernet
    Guest

    911 sport seat

    I just sent Tony,at Autos International, a sport seat for my 71S to be restored.The seat looked like it had been in the middle of a dog fight,and lost. A lot of steel, but little else. They restored the seat with German vinyl with basketweave in the centers. The seat now looks as good as when it left the factory. Absolutely perfect work. The total cost was $475. This included stripping and painting the frame. I wouldn't send them anywhere else. I have never heard of a kit to do a early sport seats. After 25 years of restoring cars,that is one area I would not go!

  9. #9
    MY911S
    Guest
    Great info euro. I've got a pair of original early lightweight Recaro buckets (similar to the driver seat on an 67 R) with basketweave centers. I'll look into Autos International per your post.

    carlo

  10. #10
    tommy
    Guest

    seats, shmeats!

    well ive been thingking about it and im going for it. ive got my passanger side seat out and im CAREFULLY disassembling it. i plan to make copies of the original vinyl cuts and sew them back together with my girlfriends help. this may sound like im cheap... thats probably because i am. i also love doing things. so ill drive without a passanger seat for the next week or so and get back to you guys with the latest on my progress.
    -tommy-

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