I posted this in the general forum as well, but hoped to have luck here. I was wondering if anyone knows of a shop that can do a kevlar repair. I have OEM Kevlar racing seats in a 348 speciale, that on the drivers side, door side of the seat back, it is showing some stress cracks vertically from getting in and out of the car. The side panel has some flex to it now and I really dont want it to break. I didnt know if it could be reinforced with more kevlar layers over it to strengthen it. I know its not original, but either is a broken seat at this point. I know of another owner who reversed his seats so that side ended up facing away from the door on the passenger side, but Id rather not do that if i can help it. Any suggestions appreciated. Paul B nd
Here is a picture of the seat, the fatigue can be seen in the bottom 1/4 of the side bolster if it helps with any ideas. Image Unavailable, Please Login
If it were mine... I would remove the seat from the Kevlar support structure and lay up some new fiberglass and resin on the underneath side of the seat so that you couldn't see the repair. I would first "super glue" or use a resin to put the cracked section of Kevlar back together. Any body shop could do that for you, or you can go to Advance auto and get a pack of fiberglass cloth and a can of resin to form up your own repair. Granted, this will add a little weight to your vehicle (a pound or so) which is the opposite of the reason for using Kevlar (super strong and light), but since these things aren't rockets anyway I don't think you could ever notice the difference.
Paul, What's that radar detector for? I like the fiberglass suggestion. Is this DIY or are you looking for a shop for the repair? Also, I learned many years ago to lift my fat a$$ up and over the sides to prevent this problem. The older I get, the tighter that seat fits on my a$$. I've got the same seats. Be careful when removing the seats, the bolt holes can easily become cross threaded and the seatbelt switch wires can get caught in the track and become damaged. Ask me how I know?
Man, now i have a fat ass and drive too fast?!?!?!? Id like to find a shop if there is one that can do a reasonable repair. IVe been searching around and have found a ton of kevlar fabric available, I just need to learn more before I take this on myself. I thought id reinforce it from the inside of the seat, so its not so visible, but need to be careful I dont make it too narrow to fit in to. I do the "leviatation" trick to get in, the stress cracks were there when i puchased the car, but its a flexible area, so i want to fix it proactively. paul
Paul, A few years ago I was looking to do the same thing to one of my speciale seats. I recall digging through the archives and finding someone who had done the repair. I believe it was macarbon, a sponsor here. If I recall, the repair was going to be ~ $1,500.00. I remeber when talking to the gentleman there that the real problem was removing the leather on the seat in order to make the repair.
Thank you for letting me know, I will contact them and see what information they may be able to provide. I have a shop near me that does many corporate custom cars with all sorts of high end composites, I may ask them as well if they have any ideas. nd
Working with CF to me is basically the same as fiberglass. Experienced people all have there little tricks on repairing. Before you start any repair you must find the CF that matches the weave/pattern of the item to be repaired. I always use an epoxy resin....it is stronger and more UV resistant than polyester resin. I do not think Ferrari used any tint in the resin and clear coat for those seats...but I'm color deficient. Here is a video that can show you the basic process's for both puncture and cracked CF repair. The more time you spend in matching the repair cloth to the existing(paying attention to weave direction and angle) the less noticeable the repair when finished. http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-fix-carbon-fiber-surfboard-63720/
For now, you can swap the right and left seat uppers to move the cracked portion to the inside out of sight. Very easy. The repair is somewhat involved due to the leather. However, I have considered CF laminate as a cover up, cut out in the exact shape as the seat backs. This is s the stuff people put on their dash surrounds.
I have been searching for the same pattern of kevlar weave, and cant find one close enough so far. Perhaps I can dig around ferrari and find out if they will give me the kevlar supplier? (doubtful) I may talk to a shop near me that does a bit of CF repair and fabrication and see what they can do. I may swap the seats this fall to get the stressed side away from the door side. Brian, was this a major project swapping the seatbelts as well? Brian, If i can get plates on the car by then I may be able to do lunch, let me check the schedule and Ill let you know tomorrow.
Everyone keeps interchanging the words "Carbon Fiber" for "Kelvar"; is there a differnce? I needs me an edumication!
They have different physical properties as they are different in chemical composition. If the 348 seats are like the 355 sport seats they are neither kevlar nor CF....the cloth used appears to be a blend of each.... Carbon gives the strenght and Kevlar gives the resilience. When Kevlar "breaks" it generally goes back to a fabric, unlike Carbon Fiber that splinters similar to fiberglass.
