GTE Seat Foam

[rbgdvm]

The foam in my front seats has collapsed and needs to be replaced. Are new foams for the seat bases available or is that something I need to have an upholsterer do?
Thanks, Ron

[tyang]

Hi Ron,

As far as I know, no one makes the foam for these seats, and they're usually carved from foam blocks. Since your car is a SIII, the elastic bands have probably stretched and lost their support. It's not easy to remove the leather covers, rebuild the foam, and reinstall the old covers, but I can understand wanting everything to match.

Tom

[John Vardanian]

Ron, I had the original silicon cushions in my PF coupe replaced with foam. Most likely yours are still the original. I have to say that the feel of the silicon is very different from foam. Upholstery foam comes in three main grades of softness. The supplier we used actually had seat cushions from each grade that I sat on before picking the one. In our case, my upholsterer and I left the original cushions with them and their table cutter cut the foam cushions in the same shape as the silicon. My upholsterer then shaped the edges, etc. I was very happy with the out come. As tall as I am, I had placed one-inch wood blocks between the seat rails and the floor because the original cushions had gotten so soft; I removed these after replacing the cushions. Good luck.

[Terry Gardiner]

Hi Ron - I’m surprised Tom did not mention the time and effort he put into carving seat foam pieces back in 2003. Or perhaps you already found those Blog posts from back then.

Sagging front seats is my problem too. Here in the UK owners of Jaguars are well served by suppliers of interior trim parts including seat foam ready shaped. We are not so lucky with the Ferraris.

I’ve done a bit of foam shaping but only on a motorcycle seat. As Tom wrote in his Blog it can be a very messy diy job. I’m undecided whether to find a professional trimmer or to go it alone.

I’m looking forward to hearing how you progress.

[tyang]

Hi Ron - I’m surprised Tom did not mention the time and effort he put into carving seat foam pieces back in 2003. Or perhaps you already found those Blog posts from back then.

Sagging front seats is my problem too. Here in the UK owners of Jaguars are well served by suppliers of interior trim parts including seat foam ready shaped. We are not so lucky with the Ferraris.

I’ve done a bit of foam shaping but only on a motorcycle seat. As Tom wrote in his Blog it can be a very messy diy job. I’m undecided whether to find a professional trimmer or to go it alone.

I’m looking forward to hearing how you progress.

Can you believe that was over 20 years ago? I used latex foam which was originally used for authenticity and feel, but believe the same can be achieved with modern Polyurethane Foam as long as you get the right density. Just like John V did, try to choose the correct density for your seats. The 250GTE seats along with 330GT 2+2 seats have a different softness compared to the GTC which in my opinion, a little harder. The GTC/4 seats are even harder, which are like the Daytonas and Dinos. The 365GT/4 and 400GTs are softer like the 2+2 previously.

Tom

[rbgdvm]

Thanks for all your answers. Sounds like I should start with the elastic bands and if that doesn't do the job, find a good upholsterer.
It was much easier with my Jag, you can buy the foams premade off the shelf.
Ron