Rusty Seat bases - worth rebuilding?

[JJDraper]

Searching for sound +2 seats (later ones) for an interior retrim, I have accumulated half a dozen seats with bottom rails in totally rusted/bent & therefore useless condition. The original design seems to ignore any sort of basic stress analysis, putting a welded joint in one of the weakest points. Someone must have realised this after they were made, and put an internal tube inside the main rail to stiffen it. Fat chance, every seat base shows the same failure point to within 5mm! Most show signs of bodged welded repairs, but the design dooms these to failure.....

My question is if anyone out there thinks it worth repairing these seat frames. The upper parts & recliner mechs are almost pristine. Does anyone think its worth commissioning a repair kit if enough demand? The lower seat rails could be cut off the seat & a new, modified one welded on without too much effort. Has anyone already done this?

If no demand I suspect I will scrap them, as they take up a too much room, but I hate to throw away stuff!

Jeremy

[the rolfie]

Hi I have just had the same problem with my drivers seat which I discovered had been repaired before!! I made a small plate of steel as a bracket and have welded it on to strengthen the whole area, which I hop will be strong enough?? My next problem is trying to get hold of some new foam and cover for the pair of front seats!! If any one has some good covers for sale please let me know or where I can get some seat foam. I will try to take some pictures of the repair if anyone is interested please get in touch Thanks in advance. I am based in the South East of England.

[pereirac]

I had my seat frame welded and the whole seat repadded and recovered for around ?100 by a local specialist up near Cambridge (he recovers seats for Peter Day). The vinyl had split along the tops of the side of the base of the seat (caused by the wire frame poking through). As the vinyl in the middle is difficult to get hold of with the 'welds' in the correct place he was able to able to reuse this so my two seats matched saving me the cost of having to get both recovered. If you email me I will look up his details.
Carl