I've got a '60V200 wagon. The seats have the original red webbed-vinyl/cloth combination that is badly weathered and desperately needs replacement. Who here could recommend a great resource who does work identical to original? I want to replace the seat material with original-pattern material, not something completely or even slightly different.

Thanks for the help in advance!

Evan

The lady I bought my blue 61 from restored the interior using fabric from
Original Auto Interiors. http://www.originalauto.com/

They buy up material the auto manufacturers have left during the
production run. You just contact them (maybe send a sample) to
determine if they have any fabric that was used in the 60 Valiant.

I bought the material for my seats in my 63 valiant from them. They were good to work with. Also ask them if they have seat covers already made up.

I'm 'rebuilding' the red bench seats in my 62 wagon right now.

The front seat is ripped apart and the fabric and vinyl will be used as a pattern to make new ones. The piping will be reused. The vinyl from the backwards facing side of the front seat will be saved (because it's debossed). Incredibly, I found NOS fabric material at a local shop - I bought their last few yards. I figure I need 2.25 yards of fabric and 3 yards of vinyl. I found a vinyl that's almost a perfect match in colour and grain to the original.

Stupid me, I tore apart the front seat first so that what's getting done first. I should have started with the rear as 'practice'.

The fabric is going to be quilted in 2" channels like the original but with with 1.5lb 1/2" foam. Around here that's what the autobody shops use, instead of whatever original material was stuck in there. The old stuff used to stuff the channels looks like laundry dryer lint.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Some years ago I repaired my front seat, the vinyl was ok, but some of the springs were broken on the driver's side of the front seat and front squab (the seat you lean on).

I bought two seats from the wreckers for $10 and used the springs from the passenger side of the seats for my repairs. I also discovered the same springs were used in Valiant seats through the 60's to mid 70's.

I also improved the seat wadding to give more "structure" to the seat.

Worth considering looking carefully at your springs before you spend $'s on replacing seat fabric / vinyl.

I would definitely think about firming up the seat with a denser more modern material than the original style padding. It is the one thing I wish I had done on my seats.

Also if I had it to do over again I probably would have found a cheaper alternative than restoring back to original. Although my seats are nice, I'm paranoid about spills and what not. Using original fabric and having the covers made and seats rebuilt ended up being the single most expensive part in my restoration.

They look great though and really add to the car.

John