Seat Material Source Options

[kupcar]

Hi Gang, I just sat in the 914 to work on my turn signal switch and tore my passenger seat bottom. Ratfarts! Must be a combination of being cold and old. Anyway, I'm sure this is a common problem on our old seats. Where can I get the material for the seat inserts, or is there a preferred upholsterer? Thanks for the help.

[Bob L.]

914rubber.com has vinyl and plaid cloth + a bunch of other stuff you probably need. Check 'em out.

[Tom_T]

In addition to 914Rubber (I think that 914A&P is now sold thru them) - the other usual suspects for 914 seat kits are Autos International (AI) in Escondido CA, World Upholstery (WU) in Ventura/Oxnard CA, & Lakewell.com in Europe.

AI does the interiors, but shipping the parts ot/from CA may be prohibitive, so kits or bulk material in adequate quantities for all parts shipped to you then get a local upholstery shop that does Porsches can do them for you (check with local PCA members for referrals there, in addition to here).

If you have the Beige (Tan) interior, then Lakewell is probably the only source now to get the proper 70 & 72-74 Basketweave vinyl matching the smooth Leatherette vinyl, & possibly for the correct 75-76 Brickweave - & that may be the case for the Brown interiors too (AI & WU stopped carrying the Basketweave a few years back).

You don't show what year 914 you have - good idea to put that in your sig. & profile, so folks can see the year & model to help you better.

Good Luck! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[Mikey914]

Got you covered - Literally

http://shop.914rubber.com/914-seat-base-Ea...1?categoryId=-1

In stock can ship out right away. Both early or late. Made correctly so you can get the tuck in the seat like OEM.

[kupcar]

Thanks everyone for the help. Sorry for not giving the car info. It's a 72 model year. Is that considered basket weave? If I remember correctly, some seat bottoms were stitched and others heat seemed. These are stitched. Here's a picture. I want a factory look.

[jack20]

I've seen Lakewell cited as a possible source for tan and brown basket weave vinyl several times on this forum. These colors and textures are NLA from Lakewell or any other source that I could find with the possible exception of AA.
Mark mentioned a while back that he is working on filling this need. I'll be ready when he does.
Jack

[R_u_dd]

I put all the links in one place in my thread here:

Re-upholstery Links

[steuspeed]

Are my eyeballs seeing that your seat cushion and your center back are two different patterns? Late basket weave on the seat bottom and early brickmold on the center back. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

[kupcar]

The material on the seat bottom is the same as what's on the seat back. I think it's just an optical illusion. Just curious, do most buy the kits offered or get the material and have a local upholsterer redo? Just need the bottoms, the rest of the seats look great.
Thanks.

[steuspeed]

People go both ways. If you need one cushion, I would look for a good used one. If you get reproduction it won't match due to the 40+yr of age. IMO you need to replace it all with new. If you just do the centers with new material, labor is going to run the price up, maybe over the 914rubber kits. The car is worth more with all original. Even a premium price for a used seat cushion would be worth it.

[kupcar]

I'm thinking the best way to do it is to replace both seat bottoms. If one is cracking, the other is probably on its way also. Plus, this way they will match. Is the factory material NLA? Are the repops that far off from original that they are that noticeable? The rest of the seats are so nice, I'd hate to even mess with them.

[Mikey914]

I've seen Lakewell cited as a possible source for tan and brown basket weave vinyl several times on this forum. These colors and textures are NLA from Lakewell or any other source that I could find with the possible exception of AA.
Mark mentioned a while back that he is working on filling this need. I'll be ready when he does.
Jack

Yes tan is done, I was doing up some seats to show off. Along with the door panels. Just haven't had a lot of time lately.

[iankarr]

I agree that finding another used bottom (or two) is best, but since the seat is on a different plane than the back, the difference in vintage may not be very noticeable. FYI, recovering the seat bottom is super easy to DIY. Just need a good staple gun and about an hour.