1971 upholstery installation

[18Fiatsandcounting]

This time I loosened the screws on the non-clip side (opposite the reclining knob) and as soon as I loosened the second screw the bracket came loose. The rod (solid square) then slid easily out the hole after the bracket was removed.

Glad you got it apart! And yes, you have the early style with the solid square metal rod. I don't know what year Fiat switched to a hollow tube, but probably mid-70s.

Even better, you have an intact seatback release lever! That little plastic tab that unlocks the seatback so it can be tilted forward. Take care of that bad boy, as they often break and are hard to find. I'm looking for one or two myself.

As for the clip, it looks to me like it was pressed on with a pretty heavy-duty hydraulic press when originally assembled. I've never messed with it. Clean up the ratchet mechanism, squirt some lithium white grease in there, and you should be good to go.

-Bryan

[DieselSpider]

This time I loosened the screws on the non-clip side (opposite the reclining knob) and as soon as I loosened the second screw the bracket came loose. The rod (solid square) then slid easily out the hole after the bracket was removed.

Glad you got it apart! And yes, you have the early style with the solid square metal rod. I don't know what year Fiat switched to a hollow tube, but probably mid-70s.

Even better, you have an intact seatback release lever! That little plastic tab that unlocks the seatback so it can be tilted forward. Take care of that bad boy, as they often break and are hard to find. I'm looking for one or two myself.

As for the clip, it looks to me like it was pressed on with a pretty heavy-duty hydraulic press when originally assembled. I've never messed with it. Clean up the ratchet mechanism, squirt some lithium white grease in there, and you should be good to go.

-Bryan

Those clips are usually installed with a socket and a hammer. They go on a lot easier than they come off especially the heavier duty ones.

[adavis]

OK so now the next question. The foam is awesome and the little metal rods are in good condition, but I've already broken one of the "rubber bands" that are used to hook the rods through the foam to the springs. I'm curious if anyone knows where to get those bands? They look just like O-rings....about 2.5" in diameter......but I'm not sure if an actual O-ring will work as a rubber band.

I'm probably over thinking this whole thing but I'm NOT an upholstery guy and have never done this before so I want to try and do it right the FIRST time. Thanks for any info or ideas.....

[PaulC]

Scrunchies.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Yes, these "rubber bands" often break. I would imagine a beefy o-ring of the right size would work, but some Fiat seats also used metal springs which worked well (as long as they didn't rust and break). I would imagine any generic metal spring of about 1.5" in length and 1/2" diameter would work. Just get ones with hooks on the ends, and hook one end on the metal rods sewn into the underside of the seat bottom vinyl, and one end around the metal wire frame that goes across the bottom of the foam. Install the same number of springs as you have rubber bands, in the same locations and through the same holes in the foam.

You can also just use thin nylon or polyester cord, pulling it tight and tying it off. I'm sure professional upholstery folks would do a better job, but either the springs or the cord has worked for me.

-Bryan

[adavis]

I'm not sure "scrunchies" would work very well (too big to fit through the holes in the foam) but I think you're on to something. I'm going to steal one of my daughter's pony tail bands and see if that works. They are almost identical....I'm just wondering if the pony tail band will hold up over time.....



Bryan you are correct again. My seat bottom has springs....my seat back utilizes these rubber bands.