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Car · Seat upholstery
Cadillac
The front bench seat of a black 1950s Cadillac rebuilt from the frame: crumbling old foam removed, new padding and a grey fabric cover in the same pattern as the original.
- Model
- Cadillac saloon
- Era
- 1950s
- Colour
- Black with white roof
- Seat
- Full-width front bench
- Work
- Stripped to the frame, new padding, fabric cover, refitted
- Restoration
- Front bench upholstery
The story
The big American saloons of the 1950s had a single front bench, as wide as the cabin, that seated three. On this black Cadillac with its white roof, the front bench had torn fabric and padding worn out by the years.
The seat was taken out of the car and stripped down to the frame. The original springs and padding were remade; the new fabric cover follows the pattern and colours of the original, with the striped centre panel and the button in the middle of the cushion.
The restoration step by step
A bench seat rebuilt from the frame
- Step 1 of 4
How it was
The front bench comes out of the car and onto the workbench. The grey fabric is torn at the cushion edge, worn and faded where people sit.
the front bench removed, on the workbench 
the cushion before the work, with torn fabric - Step 2 of 4
Under the fabric
Under the cover lies the original foam: yellow, hardened and cracked, it crumbles between the fingers. It all comes out, down to the frame and springs.
the old foam, yellow and cracked 
the old padding crumbling away - Step 3 of 4
New padding
Layers of new foam go onto the frame and are then shaped: rounded front edge, the right thickness to get back the original form.
the new padding shaped on the frame 
the layers of new foam - Step 4 of 4
The cover
The new grey fabric cover, with its striped panel and piping, is pulled over the padding, tensioned and fixed under the frame.
the finished bench with its new cover 
the new cover being fitted 
the backrest with the fitting lining
As it is today
Do the seats of your classic car need redoing?
Padding, springs and covers: Mimmo rebuilds seats and bench seats in the workshop, even just one, following the original pattern. Including for clients in Switzerland.
More restorations
This is only a small selection: over the years Mimmo has restored many more cars and trucks, and we'll keep adding them from the workshop's photo books.
