The Ford Barn

daveymc29 · 07-21-2020, 10:31 PM

So I seem to have the wrong upholstery in my roadster. Both the rumble seat and the drivers seats have pleated upholstery. I have never questioned that, not paid any attention until recently when I decided it was time to repair a fist size hole in the driver seat cushion. The upholstery has always looked okay to me and actually I do like the pleated look, besides not wishing to change the stuff in the rumble area. So my next question is this, will a 30/31 kit work on the springs of the 29 roadster? This car will never be shown, I just drive it about daily close to home mostly, though it has been to Reno, Dallas, and San Diego, plus numerous trips to Reno, Tahoe and the like.

1931 flamingo · 07-22-2020, 07:44 AM

I've never seen anything BUT pleated.
Take the cushion assy to a local auto upholstery/top shop. They should be able to re-do the seat covering in comparable material. JMO
Paul in CT

Mike Peters · 07-22-2020, 08:23 AM

The seat cushions on a 28/9 roadster/Phaeton measure about 43" at the widest point in the rear of the the cushion. 30/31 roadster cushions measure about 44 1/2" at the same point. The first photo is a typical 28 roadster/Phaeton cushion. The second photo is a 30/31 pleated roadster cushion. Your 30 cushion covers will be a bit wide for your 29, so perhaps, as stated above by Flamingo, your local upholstery shop can narrow your 30 cushions to fit the 29 springs? Otherwise, the edge beading on your 30 cushions will overhang your 29 seat springs. Let us know if you can make this work.

rotorwrench · 07-22-2020, 08:40 AM

It would be about 5/8" difference on both sides if the spring box dimensions given are correct. It may be possible to correct for this by the careful placement of more padding for the seat bottom cushion. Keep in mind that they have to fit back into the quarters a bit so I'd keep any padding changes on top. The area could be altered a bit on both sides with removal of affected stitches and trimming followed by sewing it back up but I'd trial fit it first with adjusted padding thickness to see how it might work.

daveymc29 · 07-23-2020, 05:28 PM

Rotowrench, that sounds doable. So if I order the 30/31 cover and add about 5/8 of an inch of extra batting over the seat area it should work. I'm thinking of cutting a piece of new carpet the size of the seat top and overlay that with the batting and the upholstery I buy. The carpet should compress to about 5/8 inches in thickness. Think that may work? I have several yards of extra carpet from the remodel of our house. I'll let you know how this turns out. The bride also like the pleats, so happy wife, happy life.

rotorwrench · 07-24-2020, 04:06 PM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I was thinking more about taking up the width by adding some height to it. It still has to fit under the seat back too so a person has to be mindful about where they can add to insure fit. Generally some burlap or heavy muslin is used to protect the pad from the springs but you can add anything you want on there as long as it's still comfortable to sit on.

They used cotton padding back in the day but foam can be used as long as the top piece is soft enough for comfort. The foam on the bottom piece of the stack up can be more rigid with successively softer padding up to the top. Most auto upholstery is done this way in modern times but the old cotton was hard to beat for longevity. It would usually outlast the cover unless rodents get to it.

daveymc29 · 07-24-2020, 05:31 PM

Thanks for all the help and encouragement. I'm sure some think I'm nuts for straying from stock but I have to satisfy two of us and we happen to prefer the pleated look and frankly never knew the car was wrong, nor did we care. It's so bad that I even use detergent oil with a filter, so this isn't going to be a new look to us and our friends.

07-21-2020, 10:31 PM	#1
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,554	Another Upholstery Question So I seem to have the wrong upholstery in my roadster. Both the rumble seat and the drivers seats have pleated upholstery. I have never questioned that, not paid any attention until recently when I decided it was time to repair a fist size hole in the driver seat cushion. The upholstery has always looked okay to me and actually I do like the pleated look, besides not wishing to change the stuff in the rumble area. So my next question is this, will a 30/31 kit work on the springs of the 29 roadster? This car will never be shown, I just drive it about daily close to home mostly, though it has been to Reno, Dallas, and San Diego, plus numerous trips to Reno, Tahoe and the like.

07-22-2020, 07:44 AM	#2
1931 flamingo Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: new britain,ct 06052 Posts: 9,390	Re: Another Upholstery Question I've never seen anything BUT pleated. Take the cushion assy to a local auto upholstery/top shop. They should be able to re-do the seat covering in comparable material. JMO Paul in CT

07-22-2020, 08:40 AM	#4
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,426	Re: Another Upholstery Question It would be about 5/8" difference on both sides if the spring box dimensions given are correct. It may be possible to correct for this by the careful placement of more padding for the seat bottom cushion. Keep in mind that they have to fit back into the quarters a bit so I'd keep any padding changes on top. The area could be altered a bit on both sides with removal of affected stitches and trimming followed by sewing it back up but I'd trial fit it first with adjusted padding thickness to see how it might work.

07-23-2020, 05:28 PM	#5
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,554	Re: Another Upholstery Question Rotowrench, that sounds doable. So if I order the 30/31 cover and add about 5/8 of an inch of extra batting over the seat area it should work. I'm thinking of cutting a piece of new carpet the size of the seat top and overlay that with the batting and the upholstery I buy. The carpet should compress to about 5/8 inches in thickness. Think that may work? I have several yards of extra carpet from the remodel of our house. I'll let you know how this turns out. The bride also like the pleats, so happy wife, happy life.

07-24-2020, 04:06 PM	#6
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,426	Re: Another Upholstery Question Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I was thinking more about taking up the width by adding some height to it. It still has to fit under the seat back too so a person has to be mindful about where they can add to insure fit. Generally some burlap or heavy muslin is used to protect the pad from the springs but you can add anything you want on there as long as it's still comfortable to sit on. They used cotton padding back in the day but foam can be used as long as the top piece is soft enough for comfort. The foam on the bottom piece of the stack up can be more rigid with successively softer padding up to the top. Most auto upholstery is done this way in modern times but the old cotton was hard to beat for longevity. It would usually outlast the cover unless rodents get to it.

07-24-2020, 05:31 PM	#7
daveymc29 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Danville, CA Posts: 1,554	Re: Another Upholstery Question Thanks for all the help and encouragement. I'm sure some think I'm nuts for straying from stock but I have to satisfy two of us and we happen to prefer the pleated look and frankly never knew the car was wrong, nor did we care. It's so bad that I even use detergent oil with a filter, so this isn't going to be a new look to us and our friends.