Save this seat frame?

[Dug Nichols]

After having success repairing a multi-split driver seat bottom in my '73 I'm now tackling the rear seat, which shows spring lines through bottom vinyl and the whole thing crackles like a bag of chips in your meaty fist if any pressure is put on it pretty much anywhere. Definitely time for new stuffing!

 

I got the bottom out, and the cover off, and it's in pretty decent shape. Photo after an initial pass of vinegar+warm water + murphy's. (The horsehair was disintegrated in most places, into the floor of the car, and what was left was extremely brittle and crunchy.)

 

The frame is very very rusty. Any tips on removing this rust / preventing further rusting? 

[joysterm]

Based on what I see, I'm afraid this has been left a tad too long. By the time you media blast it,  those heavily crusted areas will be weakened too much,  imho

 

You could try using a concentrated solution of molasses and water to try to deal with matter. I have used this in the past, with some success. The downside, It takes some time (days) and a large enough vessel that allows to you to amerce the entire piece in the solution...a poor mans acid bath if you will.

 

I think you will might be better off sourcing out a  replacement.

Edited April 2, 2023 by joysterm

[TobyB]

Agreed- while you could clean it, it's going to take forever, and who knows what'll give up

if people sit on it for a long trip...

Usually, rear seats in poor condition aren't hard nor expensive to find, and that amount of

rust is... unprecedented, to misuse a word in the way it's currently being misused.

 

t

literally

[02Les]

Was your car retrieved from a lake?

Can't imagine that happening without a severe water/rain leak.

[Mike Self]

1 hour ago, 02Les said:

Was your car retrieved from a lake?

I was thinking more from a 17th century Spanish treasure galleon that went down in the Caribbean.  That's the rustiest back seat frame I've ever seen, including some from junkyards in windowless cars...

 

Find another, unless what we're seeing is disintegrated gummihaar that's stuck to the waxy coating they put on those frames to prevent rusting...

 

mike

[rdeeble]

as someone who just restored two full sets of rear and front seat frames... (https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/314142-fs-76-fnt-seat-frames-ready-for-uphostery/) I think this rear frame is too far gone unless you want to just to literally cover it with Por 15 to convert the whole thing.

I am sure there must be a member with a frame to sell (i sold one last year).

 

rd

 

[Dug Nichols]

The seatback also had the brittlest gummihaar  I've ever dealt with, but more of it was still sort of in tact (but totally unusable). It does appear that the seat frames have dried gummihaar on the metal frame members, but there's also rust... I ended wire brushing the bottom seat frame and then liberal coats of some rustoleum indoor/outdoor furniture paint I had laying around. I made pads for both the bottom and top, cleaned the covers, and put 'em back on for now. But I'm going to keep my eyes out for frames b/c these are not going to last....

 

It's so strange, because this car is otherwise a really clean garage kept (and temp controlled too for the PO) car since new. And there's no sign of any water issues anywhere else.

Bonus -- the original tag was in the seatback, and has a date stamped 27 November 1972 (corner piece torn off has the year). This car came off the assembly line on Dec 4, so that makes a lot of sense. Cool to see it, but touching it disintegrated the paper..

[Mike Self]

19 minutes ago, Dug Nichols said:

This car came off the assembly line on Dec 4,

The factory must have spent December '72 making Sahara cars.  My Sahara 73 came off the line 17 Dec, so I suspect our VINs are pretty close together (2587090).

 

mike

[Conserv]

Hmm….

 

In January 2012, the rear seat frame of my ‘76 looked pretty close to yours (mine is below). Original owner, always garaged (but out of regular service from 1983 to 2011). Garaged 100 miles from the nearest salt water. I was fairly shocked when I discovered it.

 

I took the frames to my re-plater. He media blasted them and zinc plated them. They came out great! They look like new. Unfortunately, I can’t find the “after photos”.

 

I concluded that the “rust fuzz” wasn’t entirely rust scale, but also had something to do with the disintegrated gummihaar. The amount of this “fuzz”appeared to grow proportionally with the springs’ proximity to the gummihaar.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

[Dug Nichols]

13 hours ago, Mike Self said:

The factory must have spent December '72 making Sahara cars.  My Sahara 73 came off the line 17 Dec, so I suspect our VINs are pretty close together (2587090).

 

mike

@Mike Self mine is VIN 2586844, so 246 cars were made in two weeks.

[TobyB]

Maybe there was a salty batch of gummihaaar....

 

t

yarrrgh.

[sean20emery]

i have a set of fronts and a rear seat out of a 70s 02. the frame is really the only thing left that’s any good. much better shape then what you have pictured.  id be willing to trade or sell . do you still have those rear seat belts you posted for sale? i’m local to settle. 

[JohnP_02]

On 4/2/2023 at 8:59 PM, Conserv said:

 

I took the frames to my re-plater. He media blasted them and zinc plated them. They came out great! They look like new. Unfortunately, I can’t find the “after photos”.

Pics or it didn't happen 😉

[Dug Nichols]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:02 PM, sean20emery said:

i have a set of fronts and a rear seat out of a 70s 02. the frame is really the only thing left that’s any good. much better shape then what you have pictured.  id be willing to trade or sell . do you still have those rear seat belts you posted for sale? i’m local to settle. 

I don't have any seatbelts for sale (nor any extras in a box in storage for that matter) but I would be interested in the frames. I'm in Minneapolis MN so shipping is the only option... 

[Mark92131]

Maybe save this one...

 

Mark92131