Re: Alfa upholstery and stuff

["Tony Sims" <simstony@domain.elided>]

OK, I'll bite -- I'm killin' time too.  The seats in the GTV are pretty
decent.  They are suffering from the classic problem -- the cotton stitching
has rotted away -- but there's only one split seam, a 3 inch spot on the
inside of the passenger seat bottom.  The passenger seat recliner works
perfectly, but the one on the driver's side is a bit mangled, although it's
cosmetically fine.  Both headrests work perfectly, and the plywood headrest
posts are a never-fail conversation starter when people see the car for the
first time.

These seats are comfortable, and reasonably supportive for the type of driving
the car sees (hint -- not leisurely cruising).  Still, my plan is to replace
the front seats at some point with Recaros or equivalent, that have a
provision for an anti-sub belt.  This will come with the purchase of a set of
5 point harnesses, so I can enjoy track days a bit more.  It will probably
also be in concert with the installation of a roll bar, since hard top or no,
helmet or no, if I end up with the dirty side up I want a bar protecting my
punkin'.

At that point there may be a set of rear seats for sale, because the vestigal
rear positions will be next to useless with a roll bar in the car and
(probably) belts anchored where the seats want to be.  More likely, I'll bag
them up good and stuff 'em in the rafters of the garage, so if I ever sell the
car I can include the seats if the next nutcase wants them.  Then I can mount
a nice big fire extinguisher right in the middle of where the bottom cushion
used to go.

If my plan were to make the car more civilised rather than less so, I'd
probably be planning to have all the seats reupholstered in black leather,
probably with perforated leather on the seating areas.  I know it's not
original, but it would be fitting for the car, and it would look and feel
quite nice.  While I had the seats out I'd gut the interior, get a new dash,
and I'd cover all the metal with Dynamat before re-installing the trim, to
make the cabin quieter and give the car a more "solid" feel.  After that much
effort and expense, I'd have carpets made custom, so they fit perfect and
would be just the right color.  That would lead to getting the body work and
paint done, and...  Hey, $20,000 later I'd have a fine looking $10,000 car!

Tony
Portland, OR
----- Original Message -----
From: alfacybersite
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 6:36 PM
To: AD
Subject: Alfa upholstery and stuff

Okay, I have a few (too many) minutes on my hands.

What are some of you going to do when buying used Alfa seats and all
those available for your car are ripped, torn, and in general in really
bad shape, upholstery wise.

True, there are any number of upholstery shops out there which could
refurbish them, but I so often get the feeling that used (Alfa) seats
are worthless in the eyes of many unless their upholstery material and
stitching is almost as new.

Hey, if someone is throwing out some '85 or later GTV6 seats because
they have a few upholstery problems, please contact me.

While this hasn't come up for awhile (is that more than somewhat
redundant?), it always amuses me when someone is looking for a specific
body panel and 'prefers' it to be in a particular red or...

Back to waiting for my Chinese dinner to arrive (please no smart
remarks),

Biba
(Who also used to live only 3 minutes from his home until they made him
take his steps down...but that's another story)
Irwindale, CA USA
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