When I bought Vyvyan, she had been a plasterer’s vehicle. The dust was at a shocking level and there were many parts of the van that were below comfort levels that even I wouldn’t be happy with.
The seat was a core issue. For over a year, I had been using a wheel-chair cushion to create comfort. As the door side of the seat had collapsed, I found that I was sitting on the bar of the seat’s frame. This would play havoc on my sciatica.
When Vyvyan was waiting for her MOT date, I decided it was time to get some jobs done. The seat was on my radar. Once I was able to remove the seat, I could give the floor a good clean up and begin the dismantling of the pad. Taking out of the van was a little more tricky than expected due to getting my gripped-Torx drivers into a small space. I had to unplug the pre-tensioner wiring and then I pondered the strangeness of a vehicle without a driver’s seat.
My dining-table became the workside, and I was set for another barrage of dust. I began by removing the pad from the frame. This was tricky, but required me to peel the seat cover off by first unhooking the clips that retained it in place. I also needed to remove the side panelling.
With the pad off the frame, I cleaned it up and painted the lower sections just because I could. Taking the material off meant removing the horrid C-staples out of the foam.
Before adding the new foam pad, I sewed a patch to the side of the main cover so that it would stop anymore tearing. I needed to cut it out before adding the silver patch by hand. It was then a matter of reversing the process. Without the C-staple tool, this was difficult, but manageable. Incidentally, putting it back in was much easier. It looks a lot better and is now fully supportive.
All in all, the costs were low and have made a big differences to how it feels to drive. Costs were: (Prices include delivery.)
- New Foam Pad – Ebay – £56.63
- Silver Material – Amazon – £7.49
All other bits were from stuff that I already had. The black paint was Hammerite, this originally cost £9.79 and has done many different jobs, already, with more still left in the tin. It’s also noteworthy that the fabric has most of it left, too. The foam pad had the C-staples with it, so these were not an extra purchase.
Another job done. I am very attached to my van, it being bought with pension money that was left to me after my late-wife, passed away. All my work on this is dedicated to her.
