Seat refurbishment

[Will49]

My driver leather seat, 89 car, is rather saggy and needs new foams I assume as tiny bits of foam dropping out onto the floor.
It also needs some recolouring.
Anybody know if there are foams for these out there of know who could restore the shape etc.....im in East Sussex ?
Thanks

[Hawaiis0]

Replacement seat foams are uncommon. However, any standard upholsterer should be able to assist.

Try to get use to the search function at the top of the page. There is a wealth of history in here.

It is key word driven

Stu

[rbgosling]

I've got a good upholsterer, he re-covered my seats, but he's in Leicestershire so not too handy for you.

I belong to a local Facebook-based classic car group, and they came up with several suggestions for someone local. I'm sure there must be several within easy reach of where you are, but sometimes you need some local knowledge and a personal recommendation to find a good one, the ones near me are all very small businesses that don't really advertise much, if at all.

[bash]

Have you checked the rubber diaphragm under the seat foam, they split. If its that the seat foam may be ok.

Bash

[Will49]

Thanks for all the input and yes there is lots of info on the search.
I didnt think that foam might be available but i'm an optomist.
Think ill take the seat out and get the leather facing off and see what I have re the foam and the base mentioned.

[Excel SA]

It's not necessary to take the leather off to see the rubber base and foam - that you can see quite easily from underneath - as Bash says, it's almost certainly the rubber diaphragm that's torn and the seat has no support anymore.

Neil.

[Will49]

then that would save me a pile of grief if its so

[Pete Boole]

I'm in the process of making patterns and moulds to reproduce the seat foams for the Elite but I'm not really sure how similar the Excel seats are - can't remember . I'll have to pop down to MetBlue's and compare the two side by side. It may be another year till mine are finished though, so not much help at the moment!

Pete

[Alan_M]

I'm in the process of making patterns and moulds to reproduce the seat foams for the Elite but I'm not really sure how similar the Excel seats are - can't remember . I'll have to pop down to MetBlue's and compare the two side by side. It may be another year till mine are finished though, so not much help at the moment!

Pete

I have both types. I believe the Excel seats up to 85 MY will be the same as the Elite and Eclat, but there’s a fair difference to the 86MY on seats.

[Will49]

If i should discover that the seat base is split dose anybody know if they are available?

[rbgosling]

I don't think so. After several unsuccessful attempts to fix mine with duct tape, I need one too, I'm hoping Lotusbits will have a serviceable one in their shed of old seats.

[Will49]

So Lotus bits have a shed of old seat parts .....brilliant if so

[rbgosling]

About 6-7 years ago I broke my seat frame, so they sold me an entire seat, I stripped both my seat the the replacement down so I could use the replacement frame, my covers, and the best of the foams. It took a fair bit of digging through the pile to find the right one, it's a jumble of Elite / Eclat / Esprit / Elan and who knows what else in there! But the diaphragms may be common across a number of seats. I'm assuming the shed is still in much the same condition now, but I don't know.

[Pete Boole]

Although the holes are in the wrong place on the Elite seat frame a classic Mini seat diaphragm fits nicely, however I think the Excel seat bottom is more rectangular - obviously depending on age.

Pete

[bash]

How very dare you mr boole.

Bash