MTFCA Forum

Not Model T but I need some assistance
Can someone recommend someone who can make a cushion like the one pictured at a reasonable price? Rough dimensions are pictured but I'm no DaVinci. Whomever does the job can use the existing cushion for more accurate measurements.
It's for my 1923 ALF Brockway Torpedo.
I'm in the Detroit area.
Thanks

Contact Snyders Antique Auto parts (T and A parts suppliers). They started in business making springs and still do, not just for T and As.

I also would recommend contacting Snyder's Antique Auto parts..... If you have a spring assembly that just needs to be replaced , send and they may take time to duplicate that for you.

Thanks. Good idea.

Marty,
Michael Francis at Classtique does nice work.

I'm glad to see you don't have diamond tufting. American LaFrance used this square upholstery pattern. I supposed it carried over to their partner rigs like Brockway.
I don't think ALF used any springs. I would use modern rubberized horsehair as a base and real horsehair for cushion cush. I have some.
: ^ )

Keith

The real reason behind the square pattern in upholstery is the likely price. It enables small pieces of leather to be sewn into larger covers of infinite size. There is no need for a single hide to be big enough for the job. Probably this is why the pattern was used in commercial vehicles with large cabins and seats to match. Deep buttoning gobbles up fabric at an even greater rate than simple pleating with buttons in the pattern.
The same goes on today with much of the "full leather upholstery" on offer.

Allan from down under.

I used to do upholstery on collector cars. A seat like that would be easy to make. A plywood base, coil springs of the correct length, edge wire bent to the correct shape and cotton padding would be correct. The leather cover would be easy for any competent upholster to make.
I made many seats from nothing. Do not let someone talk you into using a big piece of foam in place of coil springs. It is cheaper but I do not think it works as well. Talk with your local antique car upholsterer.

KMcoldcars wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 21, 2025 11:31 am

I used to do upholstery on collector cars. A seat like that would be easy to make. A plywood base, coil springs of the correct length, edge wire bent to the correct shape and cotton padding would be correct. The leather cover would be easy for any competent upholster to make.
I made many seats from nothing. Do not let someone talk you into using a big piece of foam in place of coil springs. It is cheaper but I do not think it works as well. Talk with your local antique car upholsterer.

Coil spring and the edge wire parts are pretty easy to find just doing an internet search. The only hard part is knowing the correct gauge of wire used for the spring and which height to order for needed compression. I was going to go that route for a car I was working on and may still do it for my T after seeing the prices!

Mark Gregush wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 21, 2025 1:56 pm

The only hard part is knowing the correct gauge of wire used for the spring and which height to order for needed compression. I was going to go that route for a car I was working on and may still do it for my T after seeing the prices!

Doing coil spring seats requires spring steel music wire.
Really difficult to cut, stretch, and to tie off. Know as did some repair by adding reinforcements to old (non-T body) seat cushion springs and wasn't a walk in the park! Lifted up the coils and gave them more support by adding more strands of music wire. Did get the seat springs and the rear backrest spring looking and working better with more support.

Snyder's knows seat springs, they made me a new one for the front backrest, as the old one was well beyond repair as the coils were so flattened. and missing pieces. I gave up on working that one!

I am familiar with the seat that Marty shows, and frankly, that seat is familiar with me as well. My recollection is that it doesn't use springs. I believe the original was just padded with horsehair. Hopefully, Marty will confirm.

Marty, are you wanting to do the entire seat or just the cushions? Are you wanting it in leather or vinyl??

If Mike doesn't do it, we can do it in my shop. We are doing a frameup restoration a 1935 ALF for a municipality down near Gatlinburg and just finished sewing theirs in leather. I can send pix for reference if you like.