Mondial front seat upholstery question | FerrariChat

Mondial front seat upholstery question

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Birdman, Jan 23, 2007.

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  1. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
    6,689
    North shore, MA
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    THE Birdman
    Hey Everyone,
    I am taking the skins off the front seats on the Mondial. I have found and purchased an exact match of the leather and a friend of mine who can make anything on a sewing machine is reproducing new skins for me by using the old ones as patterns. The seat bases are done and look AMAZING. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to figure out how to get the headrest out of the seat back so I can get the skin all the way off the seat back.

    The underside of the headrest has three rivets holding a plate over the bottom. Can't drill them because I can't get the headrest up high enough to get a drill in there. I thought that once I got the skin off the back of the seat I would see a means to release the headrest posts from inside the seat back. No such luck. This is annoying me because I know it's something simple that I haven't figured out yet!

    Anyone know the answer? Sucker doesn't want to come apart!!

    Thanks

    Birdman
     
  2. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Dec 6, 2002
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    Bubba
    Dremel tool kit....grasshopper.......make sure your rivet gun fits space to reinstall.......;)
     
  3. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    That's what I use, when the 4" Milwaukee grinder doesn't fit.......LOL!
     
  4. spider348

    spider348 Formula 3

    Nov 3, 2003
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    John
    Birdman, don’t know if they are the same as my 348. The 348 headrests required brute force, scary thing when working on a Ferrari. They simply pulled out of the seat backs but took an amazing amount of force! Easier to get leverage with the spider top down. Your coupe could be more difficult. Good Luck!
     
  5. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
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    THE Birdman
    Thanks Tex, so are you saying that the posts do not come out of the seat, but they come out of the headrest? I just gotta go get a little 90 degree drill doohicky and drill those rivets and then the answer will be abundantly obvious?

    Birdman
     
  6. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    Truthfully, I have no idea!

    I drive my cars around on ratty upholstery!! LOL!

    I was just suggesting a better tool for close quarters disassembly!

    In a fixed roof coupe I don't think they were meant to pull out......that plate is the upper travel stop of the slide bars, correct?
     
  7. BigTex

    BigTex Seven Time F1 World Champ
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    If no one else knows, call Matt Jones at Reoriginals.....
     
  8. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
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    THE Birdman
    OK, my buddy figured it out. He jammed a piece of the right sized copper tubing up into the tube that holds the detent for the rod that goes to the headrest. That pushes the detent out of the way enough to get the headrest off. Hard to explain, will post picture later...

    Birdman
     
  9. theunissenguido

    theunissenguido F1 Rookie
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    Jan 21, 2004
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    Guido
    Hello Birdman
    I have the same problem with them. Even with a lot of power I cant get them of the seats. I'm really intrested how you did manage....
    Greetings, Guido
     
  10. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    Nov 4, 2003
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    Please do post pics as I'm faced with the same task.

    If you don't mind, where did you find the piping for the seats? Is it leather piping? That's really all that's shot on mine.
     
  11. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
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    Russ Turner
    Through the graciousness of our own Judge4re, I have his old set of shot Mondial seats, and was also looking to re-do them into the perfect Mondial seats.

    Does your friend perhaps have any recommendations of replacing or upgrading the stuffing to make them a bit more comfortable? I'd be interested in re-doing these in a softer matching tan leather on the faces matchng the original pattern with the stiffer stuff on the sides in addition to somehow up-rating the foam to give a softer and more comfortable seat -- perhaps even adding a little lumbar support curve.

    I'd also like a bit taller headrest made like te one on a Testarossa - the stock one just does nothing. Hmmm - hey Birdman, there's a product we could develop together that would fit all pre-89 Mondials -- a headrest that actually works and just slides in! We could use the TR or Dino/Daytona as a pattern.

    You game? :) I've got the two test seats I could send your friend...
     
  12. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

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    #12 snj5, Jan 24, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Just an idea: Taller where you could rest your head, adjustable angle set screw knob and keep the original horizontal trim stitch.

    Could be made original by just putting the original headrest in.
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  13. Zertec

    Zertec Formula 3

    Oct 5, 2004
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    I dislike the Mondial seats intensely. They are probably among the most uncomfortable seats I have ever had the discomfort of sitting on for ANY distance. Plus they don't hold you in place at all - a canvas deck chair does a better job!

    I am replacing them with tilting & reclining racing style buckets of my own design with my own pneumatic lumbar and side bolster support and planning to use laminated visco-elastic foam. Of course if they turn out to be lousy I only have myself to blame...
     
  14. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

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    They aren't great, but at 215 lbs and 6'2", they work better for me than the crap in my 308 QV...
     
  15. judge4re

    judge4re F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2003
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    Merry Christmas my friend. Consider it my personal THANK YOU for going over to Iraq and saving some young kids...
     
  16. Birdman

    Birdman F1 Veteran

    Jun 20, 2003
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    Hey Guys,
    Sorry I missed this thread for a while. After I figured it out and posted the "cure" I kinda forgot about the thread!

    I have not actually seen what was done to get the headrest out yet, but it was described to me. First of all, you have to take the skin off the seat back enough to get inside. The rods on the headrest have detents in them. The last detent is designed in such a way as to prevent the rods from coming out any further, thus securing the headrest to the seat.

    Inside the seat back, the headrest rods go into a tube-like thing that holds the ball bearing that provides the detent action. If you jam another tube/rod of the right diameter (the same diameter of the headrest rods) inside that tube from the bottom to push the ball back out of the way, you can then pull the headrest out. Not sure if the ball bearing then falls out and vanishes.

    As for obtaining foam, I have no idea. My friend who is doing this actually is NOT an upholstery expert. She is a sewing expert, who has done a couple car/boat seats for friends, but mostly repairs drysuits (for diving) and various other tasks. She has a couple of big-ass industrial sewing machines in her house so she can sew leather, etc. Anyway, she took apart my old skins to use as patterns for the new ones.

    Russ, you think anyone would want a better headrest for a Mondial?

    Birdman
     
  17. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
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    #17 snj5, Feb 1, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Hard to say - Would be nice to have something period Ferrari (e.g. like a TR)that you could actually rest the head on, match the stock seats and it could easily go back to stock. The people who would appreciate it would be the drivers.
    I had looked at putting TR seats in the car, but now that I think about it, the headrest would be all I need. Just looking at it, it might just slide in - the struts are also widely placed..

    Here's a photo of a TR seat, and a quick compo sketch of Mondial seats with standard and TR headrest (use your imagination here) - which looks more functional?
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  18. pmorin

    pmorin Karting

    May 14, 2004
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    any chance we'll see picts of the finished seats? :)


    Patrick
     
  19. smg2

    smg2 F1 World Champ
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    Apr 1, 2004
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    russ, how 'bout just bolting the TR seats in. do we know if they'd fit? and yes the Mondi seats are just plain horrible. as to the head rest removal, mine just pop out, not sure if they should per Jons description but mine do.
     
  20. snj5

    snj5 F1 World Champ

    Feb 22, 2003
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    It would be cool if they fit. I'm looking at lots of options, perhaps not so extreme. Some ideas include restuffing with different foams, using a different leather (like comfortable aircraft seat leather) on the seating surfaces. We're even lookin at a more classic way of having a grippy seat tht is large person friendly by using a color coordinated courderoy (like earlier racing Ferraris) on the seating surfaces and keeping the same stiching pattern.

    Stefan from GTS Seats said he would build us a custom adjustable angle headrest that would be a slide in replacement - cost probably less than $100.

    Anyway, everything is on hold with the current "little" engine project... :)
     
  21. Red355redo

    Red355redo Rookie

    Mar 14, 2015
    2
    I usually make my own piping on my upholstery sewing machine. You can have an upholstery shop make the piping in any color leather or vinyl you choose. Of course you will need to remove and disassemble the seats to remove the old piping and resew the new piping in place
     
  22. afterburner

    afterburner F1 Rookie
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    #22 afterburner, Mar 17, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Birdman, on my '83 QV there is 1 pin located on the right side, horizontally going trough a notch in the downward tube holding the headrest. My photo shows you the position and orientation of it. The tube diameters left and right are not the same on mine, the left one being slightly smaller.
    You can get the pin out from below with a long rod and force. You cannot get it back in without cutting the foam though. The particular asymmetrical shape of the last notch allows the headrests to be mounted from the top, and then prevents it from being taken out again by pulling it up.
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  23. RicSinger

    RicSinger Formula Junior
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    Mar 13, 2016
    348
    Rancho Santa Fe
    good evening Paul, now working on the Seats of the Mondial, dying the leather from tan to black with great results and now I need to remove the headrest

    What is your best advice in to how to do the removal
    Thank you very much



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