The partial-resto of my 1970 Challenger hardtop progresses and now I start dealing with seat upholstery. Beginning with rear seat back.

Removing the partially rotted cover I found the upholstery looking not too bad - it's not foam but may be wool or like enwrapped in mull and having a jute backside. I'll use it again, as I also will reuse the additional divider (between feathers and upholstery) out of jute with horizontal wires through it.

But now to my question:
The remaining, metal feather-skeleton has on its top another stripe of jute attached (see pic). It has a wire stitched in on both edges (that's where it has cracked).

What's the duty of that stripe out of jute? What will happen, when it's left away?

Is it appropriate to just use textile cord to knot a rough web instead of that stripe?

Are you sure that wasn't part of the cover?

I believe that there was a mesh material past the vinyl to stretch onto the frame.

Mine was the same way. I believe it is just support for the foam and cover. I reinstalled it prior to recovering.

another picture

It's a support but it's also a framing spacer....You'll need to keep that piece on the frame no matter what material you use to replace it...Burlap is easy to find over here at any upholstery shop if you want the original material...I'd think it's used{for upholstery} where you're at also....

It worked - this is just sharing the pics:

Sewed a new stripe out of burlap.

Reused the wire-armed burlap mat that lies on the steel feathers. And reused the upholstery material that is like wool. Removed the enwrapping and cleaned as good as possible (vacuum cleander).

Enwrapped it newly with new gauze material. Fixed it with rough stitches to the old burlap backside.

Fixed this "new" upholstery package to the frame using some hogrings from backside. Looks rough but - will do it.

Went on with the new back seatback cover - from Legendary (got it from Dante's). It's impressing good quality - but I missed the wire in the topside seam, so I inserted an electrical wire.

There's a lot of tension at the lower edge. Used more than one hogring in some holes...

Looks not too bad! Some folding I could not pull out, may be upholstery needed to be filled up a bit - but the seams are where they should be. Took me about 20 minutes to admire it

Well, I DID follow those directions.

If the seam of the cover is on the edge of the upholstery - it cannot be pulled more sidewards.

I assume I lost a bit volume in the upholstery material.

Usually the rear bench is the easiest piece to start with... will get harder.

I had the same question to myself about that middle piece. I just left it out and made the foam under it longer,while rolling it over the frame, and turned out great.Sorry didnt take a pic of that just have pics of the bottom and my front seats.

Where you hog ringed the cover to the lower frame, the rings should go thru the opposite side of the holes. This will make the cover fit snugger but will help with the wrinkles too.