Seats in the Pig of Plastic

[81pumagtc]

The interior is DONE!

I have lots of pictures, and I will do a quick primer of AVK fasteners and how to use them for everybody.


Dave Riedle

[81pumagtc]

Lots of progress yesterday, and the interior is FINALLY in!

I removed the entire center console for cleaning and modifications. Along the way I found out the the top plate of the shifter was loose. I cleaned it, and then reversed the two bearings plates in it so it was like new, and the excessive wear because of the loose top due to wear was eliminated. I then reassembled everything with the lock washers that should have been installed in the first place, but were probably too expensive at a couple of pennies a piece!

Here is what everything looked like with the console removed.



There is a lot more space! I had the floor carpet made here in town, and it is held in place with Velcro tape on the floor and the carpet.



Here is the fiberglass front section of the console. It extends all of the way to the firewall. You can see that it's hand made and pretty primitive. It looks like they just used any old steel for the mounts...I painted them black with Rustolium because they had corroded where they were mounted to the carpet. One of those little details that you will never see, but that take an hour to do, and 24 hours to dry!



Here is what it looks like covered in vinyl. Sure makes a difference. You can also see the AVK fasteners I am using to hold everything together. They are MUCH stronger than using sheet metal screws in fiberglass!



Here is a close up of an AVK Type AW fastener being used. It adds a pre-threaded steel insert for machine screws.



Here is the back of the clock in the console. It was made with a hole for a switch, and since there is no switch there, they just put a blank in and covered it with Vinyl. Brazilian craftsmanship at it's finest! The hole in the bottom is to allow wiring for power windows.



Here is the front of the piece...looks better! You can clearly see the blank switch.



Here it is installed, but not tight. More stuff to be added!



You can see the prototype nature really well here. There is a well for the fire extinguisher, which is required by law in Brazil. It would be difficult to attach the two pieces with glue, so they just slathered it with Bondo, and let it do the dirty work...not elegant, nor the way I would have done it, but it has held up since 1980!



Close up of the Bondo. This advanced fabrication technique was used in several sections of the car body in addition to the console!



You can see where the power window switches would go. They did not even put a switch blank in, they just covered it with Vinyl!



Here is what the console looks like from outside. Big difference!



Side view of the console. It's actually quite an indicate part...



Here is everything installed! Everything is assembled with machine screws now, so while it is a pain the rear to disassemble, you can put it back together exactly how you took it apart. You can tighten everything tightly without worrying if you are going to strip out the screws in the fiberglass or thin sheet metal. The machine screws and finishing washers are stainless, and painted in semi-gloss black Krylon, again one of those things that takes an hour to do and a full day to dry. You have to give them a full day to harden or put them in a 200 degree oven for three or four hours...and I would have to get permission from the boss, A.K.A. Dorothy to do!

You can see the seat power coming from the sides of the console, and the wires are covered with PVC tubing just like if it were stock. (Even better, it only cost $2 to make it like it came from the factory.)

The switches use .250" tab connectors, and these are insulated and waterproof heat shrink tubing was used...not to make it waterproof, but because the built-in adhesive that melts when you shrink the tubing with heat makes it REALLY strong. You can buy a box from Harbor Freight for $7 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)...only a little more that the standard heat shrink. Also, this protects things much better if something metallic rolls under a seat. It's also only live when the the ignition switch is on.

Now for the seats this weekend!


Dave Riedle

[MadMike]

Good Job Dave and it only took a month ;D Glad we have an expert intieror Man in our club ;)Now to get you to do my 917 ;D

[81pumagtc]

Success!

The driver's seat is in, wired, and finished. It's too early to tell if it is that much better, but it does feel a lot different.

The power recline works fine, and the Recaro rails work like they should.

I know the seats are the same width as the originals, but boy, it sure does feel like the steering wheel and pedals are WAY off center. Oh, I guess that they are!

Photos to follow!


Dave Riedle

[81pumagtc]

The seats are FINALLY installed in the Pig of Plastic!

They look great in my opinion, but feel totally different. The seats seem to be the same height, but I suspect that they sagged more than the new ones. I am certain that I will get used to them.




Here is what the seat rails look like in detail. I had to fabricate the adjuster, which was made out of stainless steel tubing that was bent using a Harbor Freight tool. It was then powder coated. The stainless was used because it was a bit stronger, and also that I picked up 12 feet of it for about $6.00. I also picked up 3 feet of a tube that fit over this tubing and used it to help me bend it during fabrication.





This shows the DPDT momentary switch that is used to recline the seat. I used marine heat shrink tubing (again, a great deal from Harbor Freight) to seal things up as much as possible. I am not concerned about the weather, but AM concerned about having a wrench or something short out under the seat.




Another picture showing the recline switch. This also shows the stainless sleeve I used over the 8mm bolts. This is not for strength, but it protects things from being damaged by the exposed threads. I don't know if this is important, but enough people have mentioned it I figured it was worth doing.





This is the side cover for the seat. There is only one like this per seat, but it will work on both sides. Now if I can only find a set...





Here is what it looks like from the passenger side.





With the door closed.





From the driver's side.










From the back. The little mesh pockets are nice, but were a pain to do. It took me a week to find black elastic for the top...finally found about 5 feet of where they did my seat belts.






The top mechanism is really close to the seat. I wish it cleared better, but hey, you can't have everything!

The Pig of Plastic now has seats, and they look like they are from the factory. The rails are a huge improvement, and the power recliners are kind of cool. It looks like the seats are a little more than 12 pounds heavier per side, but I thought I might let Bren and Rudy work their magic! (I have to include Bren in this, because if memory serves, rust is one of Rudy's greatest helpers! ;D)


Dave Riedle

[67type1]

Nice work Dave. Thanks for posting the updates & info.

[dansam]

Looks good, the seats look like they belong there. Good job.

[81pumagtc]

Adressed the floor mats today.

These are Brazilian and all rubber (or whatever is "rubberlike" in Brazil) and are a fitted mat for the Brazila, which is what the Puma is based on.

There are slots in the "rubber" for the brake and clutch pedals, and the clutch pedal was tearing slightly at the top.

I cut a repair strip out of a piece of vinyl cove molding and cut away some of the little "nubs" on the back of the mat to allow a larger piece of vinyl. I used 3M Super Weatherstripping Cement, which is, as far as I can tell, black contact cement, and attached the repair to the back of the mat. I used a brayer to roll everything down. I'll see how it looks in 24 hours.

An interior guy once told me that this 3M stuff works best if you allow it to set overnight, and I have always done this. I don't really know if it is necessary.


Dave Riedle