Wedge interior retrim and remodel - comments?
Discussion
Hi all
Looking at retrimming the interior of the 350i and interested on your opinions on this. Firstly, the seats are dead - the drivers seat welding has now bust for the second time so recline is the only available mode, and there is collapsed foam in both so a pair of MX5 seats are sitting in the shed ready to recover. The existing interior is red vinyl, seats in red vinyl with headrests with the fetching 'bald cat' look and flaked veneer all round with red carpets (with combination of fraying edges and cigarete burn in middle of rear shelf) and the faint smell of mould from when it was left outside for 7 years by the previous owner.
I am toying with the idea of a full strip out so virtually all surfaces to be removed, new foam/sound proofing and new finish so the question is should I stick with the original or go for something different. I can match and recover in the original look (bald cat headrests excluded)and am keeping the veneered elements (is being sorted), but quite fancy this as a colour scheme and type of finish (minus some of the bling).
I am not really concerned about resale values as have no intension of selling, and may well attract the 'sacriledge' comments but any comments welcomed. In particular, has anyone already done a re-design that you are aware of and if so any pictures?
SuffolkFox
Looking at retrimming the interior of the 350i and interested on your opinions on this. Firstly, the seats are dead - the drivers seat welding has now bust for the second time so recline is the only available mode, and there is collapsed foam in both so a pair of MX5 seats are sitting in the shed ready to recover. The existing interior is red vinyl, seats in red vinyl with headrests with the fetching 'bald cat' look and flaked veneer all round with red carpets (with combination of fraying edges and cigarete burn in middle of rear shelf) and the faint smell of mould from when it was left outside for 7 years by the previous owner.
I am toying with the idea of a full strip out so virtually all surfaces to be removed, new foam/sound proofing and new finish so the question is should I stick with the original or go for something different. I can match and recover in the original look (bald cat headrests excluded)and am keeping the veneered elements (is being sorted), but quite fancy this as a colour scheme and type of finish (minus some of the bling).
I am not really concerned about resale values as have no intension of selling, and may well attract the 'sacriledge' comments but any comments welcomed. In particular, has anyone already done a re-design that you are aware of and if so any pictures?
SuffolkFox
Hi Mate..
Here are some fine examples supplied to me via a fellow wedger, It depends on your taste really, You have to sit in it so therefore you should be happy with what ever you choose, You can go for originality if thats what you want to do, Contrasting the colours with the exterior is nice but being individual is what i personally like..Too much bling can look tacky but if it floats ya boat...The pic looks cool as well.
Hope it helps..Good luck..ziga
Here are some fine examples supplied to me via a fellow wedger, It depends on your taste really, You have to sit in it so therefore you should be happy with what ever you choose, You can go for originality if thats what you want to do, Contrasting the colours with the exterior is nice but being individual is what i personally like..Too much bling can look tacky but if it floats ya boat...The pic looks cool as well.
Hope it helps..Good luck..ziga
Edited by mrzigazaga on Thursday 12th May 16:50
Yes they have the speakers in the headrests but unsure if I will use them as I understand they can be a bit weedy due to size. In theory could use tweater/high mid in headrest with low mid/bass units where the normal rears are controlled by a crossover and a 10" sub with amp in the middle (but thats possibly for another thread).
Re the MX5 seats in place, this is the only shot I could find
If you check the various threads here, the genral concensus is that the choices are MX5, MGF / TF or Jaguar XJS Sports seats (narrow fitting not lardy ones). Due to the fact I have a long back the TVR seats have never been particularly comfortable, whereas the MX5 ones feel better for me.
Re the MX5 seats in place, this is the only shot I could find
If you check the various threads here, the genral concensus is that the choices are MX5, MGF / TF or Jaguar XJS Sports seats (narrow fitting not lardy ones). Due to the fact I have a long back the TVR seats have never been particularly comfortable, whereas the MX5 ones feel better for me.
I posted this before but if it helps...
The frame on my driver seat broke and I swapped out a Miata (MX5) seat as a (longer than planned) test. The Mazda seats do fit. I used one pair of existing holes and one pair of new ones. I also put a piece of 3/4" square tube as a spacer under the back mounts to level things up a bit. I was later told I could have used the original runners from the TVR seat and not needed the spacer.
The headrest speakers are GREAT! To be clear, they don't have a "home theater" type of sound, but we are talking a loud convertible with top down and plenty of extraneous noise to start with, so the fact that I could actually hear the music/news is a vast improvement.
I wired the front speakers to the headrest and the rears to the sideways speakers on the parcel shelf. (But use MAX-5 Headrest Speakers by Jeff Anderson.)
Now I have decided I don't like the fit or look of my Mazda seat - it may need new foam too. A couple of weeks ago I took another look at my TVR passenger seat and added a pair of speakers in about 45 minutes without removing the seat from the car.
Pull the headrest completely out, remove the cover - it's stapled to a bit of wood. Dig out just enough foam for the speakers to fit on the front side of the metal plate in the headrest. Run the wires down the center of the headrest tube. Replace the leather cover - this last bit was the hardest b/c the speakers don't have the give the foam did - and re-staple. Run the wire down inside the seat back. I put a 4 prong connector (US trailer type) at the base of the seat so it can be disconnected nicely. No need to perforate the leather although I suppose that would be nice. Grady
The frame on my driver seat broke and I swapped out a Miata (MX5) seat as a (longer than planned) test. The Mazda seats do fit. I used one pair of existing holes and one pair of new ones. I also put a piece of 3/4" square tube as a spacer under the back mounts to level things up a bit. I was later told I could have used the original runners from the TVR seat and not needed the spacer.
The headrest speakers are GREAT! To be clear, they don't have a "home theater" type of sound, but we are talking a loud convertible with top down and plenty of extraneous noise to start with, so the fact that I could actually hear the music/news is a vast improvement.
I wired the front speakers to the headrest and the rears to the sideways speakers on the parcel shelf. (But use MAX-5 Headrest Speakers by Jeff Anderson.)
Now I have decided I don't like the fit or look of my Mazda seat - it may need new foam too. A couple of weeks ago I took another look at my TVR passenger seat and added a pair of speakers in about 45 minutes without removing the seat from the car.
Pull the headrest completely out, remove the cover - it's stapled to a bit of wood. Dig out just enough foam for the speakers to fit on the front side of the metal plate in the headrest. Run the wires down the center of the headrest tube. Replace the leather cover - this last bit was the hardest b/c the speakers don't have the give the foam did - and re-staple. Run the wire down inside the seat back. I put a 4 prong connector (US trailer type) at the base of the seat so it can be disconnected nicely. No need to perforate the leather although I suppose that would be nice. Grady
TVR rails and miata seats in mine. Had to widen the pass side holes a tad but drivers side fit perfectly. Needed some spacers as well Mine are up front, maybe a 1/2 inch or so as the miata seat has a bulge in the center bottom. They definately sit an inch or so higher than the stockers but are quite comfy and supportive. The speakers on mine aren't wired up either. Maybe later.
Due to previous owner leaving the car as a temporary garden pond for a few years, the rails on the drivers side are shot so will be using the MX5 ones as they look spotless and lock both sides (TVR only one side) so will look at the spacer arrangement to get the seats lined up. Thanks for the pics re other cars - love the yellow one, and thanks for the speaker info re upgrading the speakers.
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