My 74 Dart Sport has two broken springs (bench seat) that need repairing/replacing. I have the new vinyl cover ready to install, but when I sit on the broken springs, they pop and make my butt go boiiiing! An old Mopar guy told me to find some C-clamps to hold the breaks together. I cannot find these clamps. Auto upholstery shops don't know what I am talking about. Anybody know where to buy these and what they are called? Any experiences with repairing/replacing broken springs? Wouldn't you know the two breaks are where the springs curve.

If your going to get it recovered don't mickeymouse with the springs. Chances are if one or two broke, the rest are on their way. You'll be sorry when you have to take them out once more.

Pierre,

I agree. I only want to do this once. Where do I find new replacement springs? It would also be nice to replace the seat cushion. Any ideas?

Perhaps try the upholstory shops you already talked to? Local one down the street from me has rolls of them that look like they are 50+ feet long.

Bench or bucket? Bench you can get seat foam and cut to fit. Buckets get a bit trickier with their shape. They are reproduced in the aftermarket but I'm not sure about this specific application.

Mopar Muscle magazine just had an article on redoing seats.
They used a welder to repair the places where the (interwoven) springs had snapped apart. Also watch for (and repair as needed) cracks in the metal frame, especially around the mounting bolts.

They also used an upholstry steamer to bring the foam back to life. However, if your foam is ripped or disintegrating you can buy new foam pads from some place like "Legendary Auto Interiors".

-Mac

I used a piece of 5/16 steel fuel line to fix mine (also at the curve). I was going to use some JB Weld to hold the fuel line on, but when I test fit it (before I put the JB in it), it wouldn't come off, so there it sits, tight as can be.

Any luck with your seat spring search? I made new seat springs for my Son's 72 Scamp front bench seat. They look like the factory parts but I made them a little heavier gauge, we are large. You would have to send me the broken spring so I could copy it. Let me know if I can help. JWH
jwh723@msn.com

Try going to an upholstery shop and asking them for the length you need in 9 ga. zigger wire. That should be what you're looking for but I can't know for sure with out seeing the spring.

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The old white brick

The springs in the 72 Scamp were not zig-zag springs. They were more like a torsion spring that holds up the front edge of the seat frame. I just went through a lot of running around trying to find replacement springs and the clips, called edge wire clips, to hold them in.
I tried to fix seat springs in an old VW I rebuilt for my daughter by sticking the broken ends of the spring in a roll pin (a piece of spring steel rolled into a tube) but after a time it broke next to the roll pin and punched a hole in my new seat cover. I have heard of using small cable clamps to hold the ends of the spring together but I have not tried it. JWH

If you can, take a picture of them and I'll see what I can find out for you. wiredjack at hotmail.com

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The old white brick

You bettcha I'll post pictures and email them to you. These springs are zig-zag and I don't want holes punched in my new Legendary seat covers. Most New Orleans upholstery shops are still closed due to Hurricane Katrina. I want to deal with someone who wants my business and has the springs.