'68, '69 Dart bucket seat foam

Has anybody bought foam to redo the bucket seats in their '68 or '69 Dart? I am STRUGGLING to make some new foam with upholstery that looks like what is on the red seats below. I'm wondering if the foam I have, which looks like the foam in the foam pictured is for seats like the black ones at the bottom... believe me, the original foam I have from the seats is shaped differently than what's in the foam picture. It actually seems to have bolsters which this new foam doesn't have and is cut for the wires which pass though those cuts.

Is there any source for foam that would match the original foam better? Any searches I've done only show more foam like what I already have. Anyone else fought with this issue? Or am I just crazy?

Thanks!


Seats like the ones I'm working with:


Foam like what I am struggling with:


Seats I THINK this foam would actually fit:

Who is the supplier of your new foam?

I did a set for a '71 Cuda that was WAY oversize, the foam came from PUI.

I had to fillet, slice, section & re-glue.

They were close to 30% oversize as a guess.

Everything was provided by the customer. Legendary covers, but I don't know if the foam came from Legendary or not. And yep, the foam is too large, not shaped like the originals are shaped for the bolsters, and not cut where the wires on the covers need to pass through.

How did you go about shaping, slicing, filleting the foam you used?

I let them sit for a day while I thought it out.

Then, I went slow. I dealt with the depth first, taking a fillet out of the back side.

Once I got the depth close, the sides were that much longer.

Wedges taken out here & there, long slices in other places & then glued back together.

The seat backs in my case were the worst. Cut / glue, test fit cover, take more out, test fit cover again & so on, etc.

The first one required two extra hours, the second one about 45 minutes because I took good mental notes on the first one.

They came out great though.

What kind of tool(s) did you use to do your filleting?

A fillet knife of course.

(Bruce...

I think we kinda' already know the answer to that one...


Don't know how far you want to reach...


But...


We got a place up here called Shelby Auto Trim...

Give 'em a call...

(Also got a place called 'The Foam Factory'...

There's always that one... 😀

Sorry, thinking about dinner..

The red seat is a '67, the black a '68. And, yes, the foam is very different between the two.

I use a long sharp kitchen knife.

I've seen some use an electric carving knife to trim foam. Works smooth.

The crazy part? Okay, you got me there... and thanks, I'll see if they offer anything.

You're right of course, it has no markers lights, which means it's a '67! Don't know why I had a mental block on that one, especially since I once owned a '67 Dart too!



That said, '67, '68, '69, it doesn't seem to matter, all I find in my searches on the internet is foam like what I first pictured...

Here's the original seat back foam. As you say, QUITE the difference!


And here you can see how the bolster is shaped--thicker than the seat back itself, and NOTHING Like the flat foam I have to work with!



Guess I better invest in a carving knife! After I check what was recommended above of course. But I'm not holding out a lot of hope...

Thanks everybody for your help, and I apologize for posting this in the wrong spot to start off!

All the foam is a generic fit (designed to work across multiple applications) and will require modifications from minor to major depending on model. There is a 67 Dart install kit available (in addition to the foam) which would of supplied you with the additional foam collars necessary to build up the bolster area.

Dante, you rock! Is this '67 Dart kit something you offer?if so, put me down for one, and I will place an order. I mean like tomorrow. Thanks!

I 2nd the electric carving knife. I bet you could score one at a local junk shop or flea market.

I also remember someone using some sort of electric wire gizmo back in the day. Very similar to the wire that cuts the big roll of cellophane in a sub shop, but hand held. No clue if there still is such an animal. We're talking 30 years ago or more.