Is it possible to replace coil springs in a seat with foam?

[INTMD8]

The seat back on my Eldorado Brougham is filled with a bunch of burlap covered coil springs. I want to utilize some of that space to install a seat belt retractor (along with reinforcing the seat), and wanted to know if it was possible to remove the spring assembly and replace it with foam?

[dontlifttoshift]

So everyone is up to speed.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=652773

Yes you can replace the springs with foam. Talk to your upholstery guy whoever it may be. Dave Schober (sandwich, IL) did a 32 for us a few years back and we used the stock frame and made new foam for the cushions and it looked stock and worked better. He also redid a set of chevelle buckets for us and reshaped for support and lower height and made "stock" covers for them.

Integrating seat belts into the seats is another story. You really can't just mount them to the seat and call it good. Any recline mechanism must be way stronger to support the loads it will see in accident. Take apart a latemodel seat with seat belts and you will see.

I may be easier to use late model DTS seats and make them look old.

Donny

[INTMD8]

Thanks for the info, good to know.

I will reinforce the seat, there is no recline mechanism.

Trust me, I would love to be able to install DTS seats and call it a day but I really don't think it would look right in this car.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/broughamopen-1.jpg

[dontlifttoshift]

The DTS buckets with a full length console, properly trimmed out can look every bit as good as the stock ones modified. Most people would never know the difference and you can sell the stock seats to some restorer snob. i tend to lean towards the kustom side of things more than pro touring. based on the wheels you are looking at i think a traditionally styled interior can be pretty bitchin. You can find inspiration here http://members.fotki.com/Rikster/about/

And you have seen Larry Watson's 57 haven't you? Not crazy about the color but awesome car for sure. http://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Larry_Watson%27s_1957_Cadillac&dif f=65658&oldid=prev

[INTMD8]

Well I am trying to stay as stock appearing as possible. As for the wheels they will look exactly like stock but in 17in diameter.

Do you happen to have any pics of re-trimmed DTS seats? Here's a few pics of a set currently on ebay. They just look weird to me with a big alien seat belt pod sticking out of the top. I'm certainly open to the idea but I don't see how these could be as elegant as the original seat...

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/devilleseats2-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/devilleseats-1.jpg

[dontlifttoshift]

That pod slides up and down right? The ugly truth is that in order to incorporate the seat belts they have to go where they go. So even if you modify your stock seats you will have to have some sort of pod to mount the seat belt high enough for it to be effective and comfortable.

Assuming, that you can dream up a way to either adapt the stock seats for 3 point belts or make the DTS seats pretty enough it will still take some SERIOUS structure to bolt them to in order for them to be safe. Poor seat mounting will give you an ejector seat in an accident.

Wiseguys has aftermarket seats that use a three point harness and mounts it very cleanly on the top of the backrest. The problem is the retractor still mounts on the floor and with the way you doors open and no b pillar I think that would look terrible, too.

I hope you can come up with something because I really like this car and your plans for it.

[INTMD8]

Thanks for the kind words. As to the reinforcement, I'm going to do the best I can with it. I know the car will not be as safe as a new car but I will try to make the seat/belt system sturdy. The floor will be greatly reinforced. Since I don't trust the seat tracks themselves I will actually have a metal cable running from the regulator mounting point to the reinforced floor (so if the track separates at least something will hold the seat from flying forward. The stock seat rails actually look very strong though.

It seems I didn't need to even ask this question. When I started working on it today I decided to cut out the lower seat frame so the regulator would sit at the corner of the cushions so no seat spring modification necessary.

I will lower the padding in the bottom cushion so the seat back is higher in relation to my shoulder. Belt will also be exiting the seat about 1in higher than the top of the seat back once everything is completed.

I'll take some more pics once the metal work is complete.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/eldoradobrougham138-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/eldoradobrougham139-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/eldoradobrougham140-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/eldoradobrougham141-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/eldoradobrougham142-1.jpg

[dontlifttoshift]

....sometimes the only way to find out is disassemble and mock it up.

Glad it will work.

[WEAVER]

Good idea !

[67rsssls]

Although I like the idea of integrating the seatbelt with the seat, I am very concerned with the safety aspect of performing this type of modification. I know the factory seats that have integrated belts (GM trucks, BMW M3 convertibles, Saab 9-3 convertibles along with a few others) all went through some very rigorous safety testing and engineering. Please don't think I am bashing your idea, but this is not something that you can afford to get wrong.

[INTMD8]

Thanks Weaver.

67rsssls- Of course that's a concern but all I can do is install the belts and reinforce the seat frame and floor as best as possible. Certainly it will never be as safe as a new car in a crash, I'm just trying to build it as safe as possible without greatly deviating from the original styling.

If faced with this decision what would you choose? You're riding in a 57 Brougham that's about to crash into something at 45mph. Would you rather be in an original car with no seat belts or would you buckle in and hope the extensive reinforcement to the seat frame and floor pan was sufficient?

While not backed by corporate engineering or destructive testing, personally, I'm going for the belts.

[67rsssls]

I agree, whatever you come up with will be better than having no seatbelts at all. I have been struggling with the same seat belt styling versus function concerns on my 67 Camaro project. I hate to see the 3-point retractable belts hanging from the roof and the original non-retractable belts are just no fun. Good luck with the project and keep us posted on your progress.

Steve