Do-it-yourself sports seat How to change the technical characteristics of the seats with your own hands

Not very comfortable seats are installed, especially for cars with minimum configuration and of course domestic production. Of course, you can always replace the seats and buy better ones, but it's quite expensive and not everyone can afford it. In this regard, it makes sense to remake the standard seats as the driver needs. This is not so difficult to do, but it will be possible to save money.

Materials and tools for work:

For similar works you will need various kinds of tools and materials, here it all depends on the scale. At a minimum, scissors, a needle and thread, foam rubber, springs, knitting needles, PVC panels, polyurethane foam and more will be needed for these purposes.

Seat conversion process:

Step one. Remodeling the back
Process technical tuning includes several stages. You can start by changing the backrest, its task is to support the back, and the comfort and health of the driver depends on how well this happens. First of all, the back should be quite rigid, on VAZ cars of the tenth series, the backs are too soft, so the back and lower back are overloaded, as a result of which long sitting in such a chair causes discomfort. On newer models, a plastic shield is installed in the back, and on early models there are springs and they do not provide the necessary rigidity. By the way, installing additional springs in the back also does not solve the problem of stiffness.

To solve this problem, the upper back can be covered with tin, as the author did. The lower part of the back is covered with fiberboard or plywood. Of course, it is best to use materials technical properties similar to plastic because it is lighter and more durable.
By the way, the problem is solved in the same way when the seats sag.

Step two. We modernize the lateral support of the seats
Practically all foreign-made seats have good lateral support, on VAZ cars it is too small or not at all.

To make the side support of the seats with your own hands, you will need thick foam rubber. Pieces of the desired shape and size are cut out of it, and then inserted into the side parts of the seats. If there is a desire, then similar support can be made in the backs of the seats. You can choose the dimensions yourself, it all depends on the personal preferences of the driver.

You can also use a 10 mm thick bitoplast to create lateral support; it is used for soundproofing a car. It needs to be cut into pieces. right size and shapes, and then stick on the metal parts of the chair.

Step three. Improving the rigidity of the "seat"
So that the seat does not sag under the weight of the driver, and it is pleasant to sit in the chair, you need to slightly modify the lower part of the seat. In total, for rigidity, only one knitting needle was installed at the VAZ factory, it is marked in red in the figure. But there are also places for installation and side spokes, they are marked in green, but the manufacturer for some reason decided to leave this revision to the owners.

For the manufacture of two knitting needles, you will need a hardened steel wire with a diameter of 2-3 mm. First you will need to install two knitting needles in the middle part of the foam rubber thickness, under the cavity. They will be the basis for fastening. Next, you need to install six rings for communication, they are marked in green on the diagram. Subsequently, a removable needle with bent ears is installed, it should be 2-3 cm shorter than the length of the cavity. Subsequently, everything is assembled, if everything is done correctly, the upper spoke should lie tightly on the seat.

Step four. Finishing the seat headrests
In order for the head to lie comfortably in the headrest and not “roll” on it while driving, the shape of the headrest needs to be redone. For these purposes, the headrest is disassembled to the iron base. To form a new frame, mounting foam is used, as well as plastic panels PVC. In order not to damage the upholstery of the seats, it can be wrapped with tape. After the foam hardens, it is processed with a knife to obtain the desired shape.

To make the headrest soft, it is sheathed with foam rubber on top. Then it only remains to put new covers on the seat, which the author also made with his own hands.

Conclusion
This is how you can tune the car seats. At the same time, you should not make the lateral support too large, otherwise the standard seat covers may not fit on the chair, and you will have to fit it yourself. If you approach this process more simply, you can simply purchase covers that already have lateral support. Of course, the most cardinal option is the installation of seats from a foreign car on a VAZ. The disadvantage of the regular backrest is that only three springs are installed inside it, which are not able to provide the necessary support to the driver's spine. To modify the backrest, you will have to disassemble the seats (see lumbar support).

If you install additional springs in the back of the VAZ seats (there are six in total), then you will not notice any special improvements, the arrangement of the springs itself is not optimal. In order for the spine to be comfortable, a solid support is needed, therefore, as a result, the most simple design, in which the upper part of the back is closed with a piece of iron (by the way, on newer seats a piece of plastic of a similar shape is installed in this place), and the lower part of the back is closed with plywood or fiberboard. The springs can be left or removed, it doesn't matter.

By the way, similarly, using a piece of plywood, you can solve the problem of seat sagging.

Lateral seat support

Unlike the VAZ, foreign cars have seats with lateral support. To add / increase lateral support, you can do the following. Thick foam rubber is cut into the desired shape and installed in the sides of the seats (if desired, you can use additional foam rubber for the backrest). The shape and size is selected individually, depending on the size of the driver.
As a side support, you can also use bitoplast (sound-absorbing material that is used for noise insulation) with a thickness of 10mm. Pieces of this material are cut into the desired shape, and then glued to the metal sides of the seat.

As for the seat (the lower part of the seat), then we do the same. However, the load on the material in this place is much greater, and in order for the seat to hold its shape and not slide to the sides, one knitting needle (transverse, in the figure it is red) was installed in the pillow at the factory. If you look closely, you can see that there are cavities in the frame for longitudinal spokes, but they are not installed (green in the figure). It seems as if the factory knew that the VAZ seats would be finalized on their own.


To install these two additional stretches, you will need to find a hardened wire 2-3 mm thick. Then:

1. Set two needles in the middle of the thickness of the foam, under the cavities. They will be the base of the mount. (in the fig. lower red)
2. We install six rings for communication (green).
3. Install a removable needle with bent ears (they are for connection with the transverse needle), 2-3 cm shorter than the length of the cavity.
4. Assembly of the seat, and the upper spoke after assembly should lie tightly on the foam rubber.

You can add or strengthen the lateral support of the seats not only for the back, but also for the head. The usual, standard seat headrest can be redesigned by changing its shape. To do this, you need to disassemble it to the iron frame. Form a new skeleton using PVC plastic panels and mounting foam. So that the upholstery of the seats does not suffer, we wrap it with tape. After the foam hardens, we process it with a knife, giving the desired shape. Now you need foam rubber, which should sheathe our headrest.

In conclusion, we put on covers that were made by hand according to new form seats:

Conclusion

If the regular form of the VAZ seats does not suit you, then you can always try to change it. Do not make the side supports too large, otherwise the regular covers will not fit, and you will have to

The seat is an important element of the interior of any vehicle, without which it simply could not exist.

These elements are determined by driving, which is why most motorists install sports seats that have a unique design and comfort.

The easiest way to install is to simply buy sports seats.

There are many domestic firms engaged in the production of good tuned seats for moderate money. However, you can choose to self-manufacturing , which will give you the opportunity to save money and help in the realization of your fantasies and ideas. You just need to stock up the right tools and patience.

Use a bicomponent composition, which must be placed in any suitable container, such as a bucket.

• You need to mix it thoroughly to get a homogeneous composition, and pour it into a plastic bag specially prepared for this, which should have sufficient strength and capacity. Make sure that the bag does not overflow, it is necessary that the mixture spreads evenly throughout its volume.
• Next, you need to close the bag and wait for several minutes until the start of a chemical reaction starts inside it, as evidenced by the foaming liquid. You need to sit on the bag, take a pose that is most comfortable for you. This position must be maintained for twenty minutes in order to ensure fixation. No need to be surprised at the sensation of heat, since the reaction is accompanied by its release.
• On the form, which is frozen, you need to mark the lines along which you will place the seat belts, the number of which must be determined independently. There may be two of them arranged crosswise, or one, as on simple seats. Start cutting out the final shape using a sharp clerical knife. You must definitely try finished structure. To do this, sit back in it and check how comfortable you will be behind the wheel.
• The resulting workpiece must be wrapped with a good adhesive tape in several layers. Or you need to order upholstery for it, for example, from Alcantara, which is not only pleasant to the touch, but also durable and wear-resistant. final version determined only by your imagination. Seat, which will turn out, will have a weight of approximately one kilogram, which will allow you to achieve lightening of the total mass

An important part of any car are installed in it seats. They are one of the main elements that ensure the comfort and safety of the ride.

The direction of use of the car often determines the type of seats that are installed in it. Therefore, motorsport lovers and just " fast driving» prefer sports seats that are manufactured using a certain technology and adapted specifically for this purpose.

Of course, the easiest way is to purchase sports seats, or contact the numerous specialized companies that manufacture them. But those who are not looking for easy ways, and also want to make their old fantasies come true and save money, can try to make them themselves. To do this, you only need our recommendations, individual tools and a little patience.

As the main material for the manufacture of the seat, it is supposed to use a bicomponent composition. We place it in any volumetric container, for example, in a basin.

Then all this is thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed and poured into a plastic bag. To avoid embarrassment, it is necessary that it be strong enough and roomy. Overfilling the bag should be avoided, the mixture should spread evenly throughout its volume.

Then tightly close the bag and wait a few minutes until a chemical reaction takes place inside it. Its flow can be recognized by the foaming liquid and the release of heat. After that, we sit down on the bag, and take a pose that is most comfortable when driving a car. We are in this position for twenty minutes so that the composition fixes the shape of your body.

On the frozen form, it is necessary to mark the lines along which the seat belts will be installed. You can choose their number yourself, but the most preferred option is the arrangement of two belts crosswise or one, by analogy with simple seats. Next, using a sharp clerical knife, proceed to cutting out the final shape. It is necessary to try on the created design for yourself. To do this, we sit down again in our form and check how comfortable it will be in action.

The blank obtained as a result of our work is wrapped with adhesive tape in several layers. Or you can order a special upholstery for it and build in a massager. For these purposes, Alcantara is well suited. It is pleasant to the touch and, unlike other materials, is more durable and wear-resistant. You can get quite creative with the seat design and create something truly unique. Distinctive feature Our product is relatively light in weight, which reaches about one kilogram. This makes it possible to reduce to some extent total mass car.