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Seat Modifications


sledjunk

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I would like to modify the seat on my sled to make it firmer and sit an inch or two higher.  I know WPS makes a seat foam and cover for this, but there seem to be conflicting reports on how firm it is and that there may be a block of styrofoam inserted to make it firmer.

 

Can anyone recommend a reliable upholsterer in the south Lake Simcoe area that could offer advice and make the changes?

 

TIA

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I've been having similar thoughts since the beginning of last year.  

 

I have collected a bunch of the closed-cell foam sheets from sled PDI's, they're about 12x18" x about 3/8" thick, and rather firm.  The plan was to cut out a bunch of the underlying lower foam from the seat, and replace it with this stuff, which will have more support.  It shouldn't be any (or much) higher than original, but will have more support beyond the 2" of original upper foam which should remain intact, to prevent any visible cues of the mod being transferred to the seat cover.  

 

Seat height is just ok when you first sit on it, but gives in after a short time, so you sink in throughout the day.  Once you're past the 300km mark for the day, you're sitting on the tunnel .... lol !

 

 

If you go to a Doo dealership (I know it'll hurt ...) and ask them to collect for you a bunch of the foam sheets from the PDI's, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.  You can do this, if you've ever re-covered a seat.

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I've been having similar thoughts since the beginning of last year.  

 

I have collected a bunch of the closed-cell foam sheets from sled PDI's, they're about 12x18" x about 3/8" thick, and rather firm.  The plan was to cut out a bunch of the underlying lower foam from the seat, and replace it with this stuff, which will have more support.  It shouldn't be any (or much) higher than original, but will have more support beyond the 2" of original upper foam which should remain intact, to prevent any visible cues of the mod being transferred to the seat cover.  

 

Seat height is just ok when you first sit on it, but gives in after a short time, so you sink in throughout the day.  Once you're past the 300km mark for the day, you're sitting on the tunnel .... lol !

 

 

If you go to a Doo dealership (I know it'll hurt ...) and ask them to collect for you a bunch of the foam sheets from the PDI's, I'm sure they wouldn't mind.  You can do this, if you've ever re-covered a seat.

Thanks Denis.  I'll go to the local dealer, but I have never recovered a seat so I am a little reticent to open it up myself.

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SJ, I had mine done in Hamilton, so if you cannot find someone local PM. These guys did an amazing job and the pricing was excellent

Thanks OS.  What did you have done and how did they do it?  I see we are both on Vector's so hopefully my wishes will be similar to what yours were.

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SJ

my seat ripped in January 2015, and the tear was such that it could not be repaired. As this happened at the start of the season I decided to not get it fixed until the spring. I called around all over the GTA/Huntsville/Hamilton looking for a shop that could replace the seat cover, and found this was easier said that done. Finally found a place in hamilton called Jay's Marine. They had a lady who really new what she was talking about. It took 2 days and she also replaced the foam with much better material. 

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Hello Dave

 

I had our 2011 Venture Touring seat redone a few years back. Raised the seat two inches and it was perfect. The guy that did ours was from Georgetown. Look up Potzy Upholstery.

 

He raised both the back seat and the drivers seat at it looked like factory. Stiffened up the drivers seat and softened Tess's passenger seat.

 

You can see on the attached picture the boxed area shows the addition piece attached at the bottom to make it look factory.

 

All done If I remember correctly was $300 for both seats. Foam and everything. I just put it back on.

post-22413-0-73915200-1475603995_thumb.jpg

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SJ I have a very reputable guy I use in Cobourg. He has done the Apex seat on my RX-1, and the seat in my 52 Merc P/U

I have his number around here somewhere, let me know and I will try and find it.

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Hello Dave

 

I had our 2011 Venture Touring seat redone a few years back. Raised the seat two inches and it was perfect. The guy that did ours was from Georgetown. Look up Potzy Upholstery.

 

He raised both the back seat and the drivers seat at it looked like factory. Stiffened up the drivers seat and softened Tess's passenger seat.

 

You can see on the attached picture the boxed area shows the addition piece attached at the bottom to make it look factory.

 

All done If I remember correctly was $300 for both seats. Foam and everything. I just put it back on.

Looks good, Dave, Thanks

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SJ I have a very reputable guy I use in Cobourg. He has done the Apex seat on my RX-1, and the seat in my 52 Merc P/U

I have his number around here somewhere, let me know and I will try and find it.

Thanks Bigfish.

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Hey SJ, there are a few upholstery companies for boats in the area; Queensville through pefferlaw. The materials maybe different but the craft must be similar. The other option is an aftermarket from BOSS. The local Doo dealer maybe able to point you towards a local refinishing company.

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Sledjunk. I have a solution..Buy that apex you were soo comfortable on at the spring sled show or even better buy a doo and your problems will solved..

Hehe..

 

Except no one will ride with him....at least not a real sledder :nana: 

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Except no one will ride with him....at least not a real sledder :nana:

I'd ride with Sledjunk no matter what sled he has however if he was on a Doo and met up with someone I know I might not admit to knowing the guy on the Doo

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he

 

I will still ride with him..can you imagine SJ on a doo...

 would not ride with himself  :poke2:

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Dave give Jason Bowen @ http://www.trimtechinteriors.com/  a call. He comes to our Open House as a vendor so you might have met him, he's sledder and he does fantastic work. I also gave him the contact info for your Open House. He'll be at our Pig Roast too, if your coming you could give him your seat there and save you some drive time. 

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Dave give Jason Bowen @ http://www.trimtechinteriors.com/  a call. He comes to our Open House as a vendor so you might have met him, he's sledder and he does fantastic work. I also gave him the contact info for your Open House. He'll be at our Pig Roast too, if your coming you could give him your seat there and save you some drive time. 

Jason did the interior of my Monte Carlo SS back in '07 & was very pleased w/ his work. He also recovered the seat of my Elan during its restoration.

 

For those that are located north or east of Peterborough, Restwell Upholstery has advertised for several years that they do sled seats.

 

http://restwellupholstery.ca/index.php?option=com_igallery&view=gallery&id=5&Itemid=64

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Revrnd,

 

Do you still have your MCSS ?   I have an 87 that I ordered new and it has never seen snow.  Has around 116,000 km on it now.

 

post-22018-0-29852600-1475684377_thumb.jpg

 

BPpost-22018-0-82373800-1475684433_thumb.jpg

 

BP

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Revrnd,

 

Do you still have your MCSS ?   I have an 87 that I ordered new and it has never seen snow.  Has around 116,000 km on it now.

 

attachicon.gifIMG_3740.JPG

 

BPattachicon.gifIMG_3795.JPG

 

BP

 

30 years old and it still looks nicer than any POS new vehicle you can on the lot.  Congrats BP, nice piece.

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Revrnd,

 

Do you still have your MCSS ?   I have an 87 that I ordered new and it has never seen snow.  Has around 116,000 km on it now.

 

attachicon.gifIMG_3740.JPG

 

BPattachicon.gifIMG_3795.JPG

 

BP

Yes, I do. It's an '86 & has about 135,000 klicks on it. Paint was redone in '07 as well. The colour is Bright Bahama Blue ('90 Camaros & Cavaliers)

 

post-19781-0-27679500-1475703549_thumb.jpg

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  • 3 months later...

Just to revisit this topic.

If anyone is looking for an upholstery shop in this area, PM me and I can tell you where not to go.

 

I started this process in November.

 

Round 1.  The guy who did my seat cut a section of foam out and added more foam in.  When I got it back, it looked higher, so I installed it and sat on it.  The foam compressed easily and I ended up with the original seating position, more or less.

 

Round 2. I returned the seat and reiterated that I wanted to sit about 2 inches higher.  He took the seat apart and when it was returned, it looked good.  However, once I installed it and sat on it, things changed.  The seating position is where I wanted it, however, it feels like he installed a 2 x 6 under about an inch of foam.  The hard surface has a little give and almost feels like insulating foam when you press on it.  I actually had him come over and sit on the sled.  His first expression was, "That feels like a buckboard!"  He suggested that is might get softer with a little use, so I agreed to try it when the snow came.  My first ride was brutal!

 

Round 3.  I called him and he was not able to get at it for about a week and a half because he was ill.  No problem, I took the seat off of my 2012 and used it.  I really noticed the difference in seating position and decided that I had made the right decision to change the position.

 

When he was able to get the seat back in, as I entered the door, he said that he was going to have to charge me for this round.  I refused and he agreed that he would do the seat but this was the last time.  He added about another 2 inches of foam on top of the existing seat and reinstalled the cover.  This is a little better, but the foam still compresses down to the 'block' as soon as I sit on it.  This leaves no cushion for any bumps.  I am not a happy camper! :angry-smiley-005::angry-smiley-005:  Others who have tried this seat agree that it is totally unacceptable, but at this point, I think I am stuck with it for this season.

 

I start a 2100 Km trip this weekend and I hope I can take it.  Following that I have a week in Quebec and then a week in Cochrane.  My a$$ hurts already :lol:

 

This guy may be good for regular upholstery work, but I sure wouldn't let him modify another seat!!!

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SJ, this is really too bad, considering the hours involved in you trying to get this fixed correctly. 

 

I was fortunate in finding the company that did mine in Hamilton, they were excellent to deal with and I like my seat better now than the old OEM cushioning. Last week between Baysville and Dorset there were some very challenging spots and the new cushioning was very good.

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innertube.jpg

 

 

'Nuff said .....

 

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