Triumph Repair: TR7 seat rebuild, north west victoria, welding supply company

Question
QUESTION: Howard

I am rebuilding the seats in my TR7  unfortunately the seat bottom the rubber piece that is fastened to the seat frame is shot along with the pieces in the back of the seat.  The parts do not seem to be available   any ideas what to use to fashion a new piece?

ANSWER: Hi Steve,

Are you talking about the wire "C" hooks? They are a little stronger than coat hangar wire but if you will take one to a welding supply company, you should be able to match up the size wire with plain mild steel welding rod. They are cheap and you only need one.

With a small vice and some hand tools you can make them. You could even do it with two pair of Vice Grips.

I don't have a source for the "C" clips that hold the seat cover to the frame. If you can't locate them at one of the MG/Triumph parts suppliers like Engel Imports, Moss Motors, British Parts North West, Victoria British or any of the others, you might go to some of your local auto trim shops. They will have the little flat clips used on the sheet metal to hold the material to the frame.

Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: actually I meant the pad itself mine is torn  and the rubber straps on the back are showing their age and use

thank you for the tip on using welding rod that is a great idea for the few clips I need to make

Steve

Answer
There is no way to repair the rubber diaphragm as when the ends tear out, the rubber is usually rotted. Check with the Triumph parts suppliers on the Internet. I believe you may be able to get that strap material from an auto trim shop and make up what you need for the back.

Howard