Front seat

[rodster]

I believe I may have the somewhat common broken driver side front seat back. If so, what is the method to fix it?

Also what is the most common method to fix the seat mount on the front seat reinforcement cross brace. Mine has 2 cracks that I think can be reinforced and welded up.

The previous owner was a pretty big dude so no wonder the seat has issues! :eek:

[svobrad]

The Mustang cop cars had an added reinforcement steel bracket under the seat bolts. Seems some overweight drivers were breaking the seats with so many rapid accelerations. Jim at PParts in Virginia was selling those.

[JTurbo]

The seat is fairly easy to repair, but requires dis-assembly and welding. The frame is actually two separate pieces of metal spot welded and the spot welds weaken and snap....

JT

[rodster]

The Mustang cop cars had an added reinforcement steel bracket under the seat bolts. Seems some overweight drivers were breaking the seats with so many rapid accelerations. Jim at PParts in Virginia was selling those.

Sounds like a good solution for the problem. Thanks I'll look into it.


The seat is fairly easy to repair, but requires dis-assembly and welding. The frame is actually two separate pieces of metal spot welded and the spot welds weaken and snap....

JT

Just the seat back needs dis-assembly? Any tricks or fairly straight forward? Thanks.

[JTurbo]

The seat cover and foam need to be removed from the frame then the frame can be re-welded.

Hardest part is removal of the head rest. Then there some hog rings that need to be cut (and new ones for the re-installation).

Should I bring my portable welder to the Poconos over Xmas??

[FoxBuddy]

The seat is fairly easy to repair, but requires dis-assembly and welding. The frame is actually two separate pieces of metal spot welded and the spot welds weaken and snap....

JT

It seems like a common issue and a somewhat easy repair (eyes closed for JT). Not that I have done it but I did find this procedure on how to stop the "lean" which goes hand in hand with the typical breakage I believe.

http://mustang.zeroentity.com/howto_artcls/howto_glean.html

[rodster]

The seat cover and foam need to be removed from the frame then the frame can be re-welded.

Hardest part is removal of the head rest. Then there some hog rings that need to be cut (and new ones for the re-installation).

Should I bring my portable welder to the Poconos over Xmas??

Headrest and hog rings... now I know the tricks. ;) Thanks!

I have a welder so should be able to handle this and the front seat mount but thanks for the offer. :like3:


It seems like a common issue and a somewhat easy repair (eyes closed for JT). Not that I have done it but I did find this procedure on how to stop the "lean" which goes hand in hand with the typical breakage I believe.

http://mustang.zeroentity.com/howto_artcls/howto_glean.html


Thanks for the link...pictures are so helpful for us slow folks! ;)

[rodster]

The seat cover and foam need to be removed from the frame then the frame can be re-welded.

Hardest part is removal of the head rest. Then there some hog rings that need to be cut (and new ones for the re-installation).

Should I bring my portable welder to the Poconos over Xmas??

Since it was warm today, I took the seat out today to preview the work ahead. The head rest was a bit tricky but I could get it off. ;) I didn't remove the seatback cover since I wasn't sure what the likelihood was of successfully putting it back on. :confused: JT, have you reinstalled the old covers after fixing the seatback?

The seat looks like has a case of 'seat lean' so even if the frame isn't cracked I'd like to try to straighten it.

Should this turn into a longer term project than I anticipate, are there any seats that will bolt right in for a temporary fix?

Attached is a picture of the DS seat front left mounting point and you can see where the sheetmetal is torn out. This, combined with the missing seat bushing on the hinge made for a pretty 'rocky' situation. I think both fixes should be fairy easy and should help a lot!

Wish I had another month of this weather. :cool:

[MikeFleming]

That's a very common place for the sheet metal to fail in the Fox - mine did the same thing. A good welder can repair & reinforce the area. Don't forget to paint it after welding.

NOTE: I highly recommend keeping the nut welded to the metal chassis with a double-ended stud rather than removing the nut and installing/welding a bolt from the bottom. as the bolt threads get worn, it gets expensive to repair.

[JTurbo]

:confused: JT, have you reinstalled the old covers after fixing the seatback?

Should this turn into a longer term project than I anticipate, are there any seats that will bolt right in for a temporary fix?

yes, I have re-installed original covers back on the seats once repaired (done this several times). However in all cases, I was working with cloth seats. Never attempted with a leather set and I suspect it would be a boitch especially if the leather is original / old / brittle...

2nd question is yes, any standard Fox Mustang seat will bolt in. Even later (94+) will work, but they sit higher. I had a set of 94 seats in an 88 mustang. Bolted right in, but I felt as I was going to hit my head on the roof.....

And the repair to the seat mounting frame is pretty simple. Just clean to bare metal, bend back down (BFH) and hold it in place with a clamp or vice grips and then weld. I've seen / fixed ones that were totally ripped off from the supporting structure.

JT

[rodster]

Thanks for the info guys. Was just planning a 'simple' fix to the floor and will keep the original hardware.

JT, I'm working with cloth seats. :)

[Under Pressure]

I see there is a place online selling SVO model seat foam kit for $149.00. I saw a few of the car shows doing these kit. Has anybody done a seat re-foam kit?