I've had my Cessna 182A for about 1 month, and I've all ready started ripping things out and replacing, it started with a couple small things - removed old sun visors and install Rosen Visors, removed crap cessna door stops and installed Door Stewards... OK no big deal...Then I started with a couple of "improvements".. removed baggage area battery and replace with firewall mounted odyssey battery, remote oil filter is on order.
And today I pulled out the old seats;

Started with these gems.. not sure why one is slightly taller then the other.


Weighed them to compare once I get new foam, and leather - came in at 14.41 pounds


What a mess of old crumbly foam and nastiness.. one down and one to go (need to remove the springs still, going the nylon bladder route).


That back frame looks newer than the seat frame, I think I may have found why its taller then the other seat... not really sure how I can fix that.

I'm worried this is how the madness starts..

Nice looking plane I saw it today at RHV. It caught my eye because it was so shiny.

Oh ya you're in trouble!

bcp2012 wrote:Nice looking plane I saw it today at RHV. It caught my eye because it was so shiny.

Thanks! that is me out at RHV, Shiny is what I'm going for.

This is indeed how it all starts...

On your seats, make sure you remove and toss those crappy steel springs. Some use other materials... but Ron Matta down in AZ uses what he calls nylon "blatters" slung in the frames and then builds the foam on top of there. Much lighter and more comfy. You will save some good lbs there...

I hope you know what you have done... The genie does not go back in the bottle.

Sweet! That's a good starting place and you'll indeed shed the lbs. Just wait till you see what's under the headliner and interior panels!

quick, hide your wallet!

When rebuilding 206 seats we ditched the springs and used Ceconite. It was way lighter and much more comfortable but a weird unexpected side effect was that you sat significantly higher. We actually had to shift the whole radio stack down in order to see it all and not have it blocked by the glare shield.
I'm also curious if it's possible to switch the old round back seats for square backs? I've got a '54 Wagon and want to switch. Any idea if that's doable?
Carry on and keep the pics coming!!

corefile wrote:I'm worried this is how the madness starts..

Don't worry, Paul - the madness has already begun! It may seem like you're "in your own little world", but at least we all know you there!

FLYINGZEBRA- yes it is possible to switch from round seats to square backs. I have pilot and co-pilot fully articulating seats out of a 210 for the front and 206 rear seats.

flyingzebra wrote: When rebuilding 206 seats we ditched the springs and used Ceconite. It was way lighter and much more comfortable ........I'm also curious if it's possible to switch the old round back seats for square backs? I've got a '54 Wagon and want to switch. Any idea if that's doable? ......

Bud Blanchard used Ceconite on his BAS (now sold by Lakevue Aeronautics) folding jumpseats-- light and simple, also usable without any padding installed (at least for short trips).
Personally I like the old round-top front seats and wouldn't get rid of them. I used to own a ragwing 170, when I bought it it had a set of later-model 172 seats in it with headrest-style backs. They went away as soon as I found a set of stock seats to replace them. I happened to run into a previous owner of the airplane a few years later, the first thing he asked was how did I like those 172 seats he installed? Looking at his face, you'da thought I told him his dog had just died when I told him that I didn't and that I'd replaced them.

bcp2012 wrote:FLYINGZEBRA- yes it is possible to switch from round seats to square backs. I have pilot and co-pilot fully articulating seats out of a 210 for the front and 206 rear seats.

Yeah I'm going back and forth on this. I would actually like to have the height adjustable pilot seat. Soooo if anyone has a height adjustable pilot seat that will fit a 182A let me know!

flyingzebra wrote:When rebuilding 206 seats we ditched the springs and used Ceconite. It was way lighter and much more comfortable but a weird unexpected side effect was that you sat significantly higher. We actually had to shift the whole radio stack down in order to see it all and not have it blocked by the glare shield.
I'm also curious if it's possible to switch the old round back seats for square backs? I've got a '54 Wagon and want to switch. Any idea if that's doable?
Carry on and keep the pics coming!!

Ceconite itself should put you lower if anything over the springs, sounds like the foam they built up on the Ceconite was tall. Foam can be built up to any thickness desired, if you don't have an articulating seat perhaps building up some different sample thicknesses is in order to avoid having to move ones radios around.

It's so satisfying throwing away those old seat springs, just threw some away the other day, good times!

Sam

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, that little airplane demon is a sneaky bastard.....



Gump

Halestorm wrote:

flyingzebra wrote:When rebuilding 206 seats we ditched the springs and used Ceconite. It was way lighter and much more comfortable but a weird unexpected side effect was that you sat significantly higher. We actually had to shift the whole radio stack down in order to see it all and not have it blocked by the glare shield.
I'm also curious if it's possible to switch the old round back seats for square backs? I've got a '54 Wagon and want to switch. Any idea if that's doable?
Carry on and keep the pics coming!!

Ceconite itself should put you lower if anything over the springs, sounds like the foam they built up on the Ceconite was tall. Foam can be built up to any thickness desired, if you don't have an articulating seat perhaps building up some different sample thicknesses is in order to avoid having to move ones radios around.

It's so satisfying throwing away those old seat springs, just threw some away the other day, good times!

Sam

The springs give, allowing you to sink into (through) the frame, whereas the fabric, well shrunk, doesn't allow you to sink in at all, or at least very little. I replaced the springs on my Cub's seat back with fabric, and it moved me significantly forward, and I had to move the seat aft to accomodate.

As to articulating seats, bear in mind that they are maintenance hogs (mostly because dumb ass passengers grab the tops to yard themselves up out of the rear seats, and because dumb ass pilots get in their seat, then push against the seat back to re-arrange their undies, thus breaking the roll pins) AND, they are HEAVY mothers.

At one point, we were trying to lighten up a 206 amphib, and removed the articulating seats and replaced with the fixed seats. I forget what the weight savings was, but it was substantial.

I'd stick with the fixed seats.

MTV

Oh man... I got the fever.. So I just tracked down some vertically adjustable seats, which I now own. I just doubled my budget for this seat refurbishment project (who am I kidding, was there really ever a budget). Which also means the two gems in the pictures above are now for sale

We just went through this with my cousins 1954 Cessna 180. We had someone do them and below you can see the results. Each leather seat was $1100 and they weigh less and are pretty much brand new.

Quickdraw1 wrote:We just went through this with my cousins 1954 Cessna 180. We had someone do them and below you can see the results. Each leather seat was $1100 and they weigh less and are pretty much brand new.

Those look great, what model Cessna did those seats originally come from?

I have a bead on Cessna 210 height Adjustable Seats, just trying to confirm they will fit.

Just a quick reminder... (I know that some folks don't care) but to be completely legal, I would be careful just "swapping" seats. Just because they all fit doesn't mean its "legal" to install em. I would at least recommend you keeping your original seats handy in case some sticky IA gets a bee in his bonnet. Or go the "recommended" route and get the FA to for the install. (or not)

FWIW... there are two articulating seats. One is lighter than the other. If you have the choice, the mid-years are lighter as they have only one mechanism for the articulation.

I'm sure you guys know this, but for upholstry work you're better off using a hot rod shop, just have to get the burn certs for what ever material you use (no biggie). The rod and custom shops also tend to turn out better work for less money, especially in TJ.

http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182839- ... directed=1

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/thre ... rs.773620/


If my 185 needed upholstry I'd be combining a vacation to Ensanada with a stop in TJ.