Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

You can buy the clamps for the frame wire. They called "edge wire clips" take a look at the "OSBORNE" Catalog in US. There you?ll find also the special plier you need for the clips.
I think you?ll not find this special clamps for the "spring braces". They work as a hinge or joint and they are importand to hold the rame front wire in position if they get pressure. Otherwise they looks like the red seat right above my first thread (40driverseat.jpeg).
I?ve no informations that someone reproduced this calmps. And if there will be someone .. belive me he?ll not deliver you only 10 pc. So you have to save them after disassembling. Or you have to build new one. I?ve the luck to own a very ... very heavy (maybe 1200 pounds) industrial spotwelding machine pushed by airpressure. I just made a strip by steel sheet .. bend it over the edge wire and the rodlink ("spring braces") and push/weld it tougehter by the spotwelder. Works fine. The length of the spring bags is always a question of the hight of the seat if he is finished. You have to sew the bags approximatley a quater lower than the spring in released high. The correct position of the bags you get if you install the burlap skits to hold the bolster wire even in front and maybe in the middle and the end. Look at picture 11a and 11. Everything else... you will know .. if you make a 3 and 1/2 year apprenticeship over here in germany wich you need to be a certificate upholsterer.

Carl, great info again, thank you !

Osborne does indeed have the clips and pliers, not certain if I want to buy 50 plus a special set of pliers for this one seat,so, may try cutting the clips out of sheet stock, forming them and dimpling using a modified tool. With luck, may be able to reuse whats there


Off to making spring sleves again....Thanks Carl

-john

John,
I forgot to mention .. the skirts has a special waved wire up and down in a loop you?ve to sew on the burlap. You?ll find this kind of wire maybe in a shop for fences. Waved wire will not move inside the loop if its fixed by wire clamps. You can see this wire on picture 02 if you has a magnifying glass. Hope you understand my lousy english grammar. Karl

.... wire diameter should be 5/32 " ...

Your English is FAR better than my German Karl!

The original seats did not have this wavy wire you are referring to. I built up 2 full rows today using linen and tossed out the individual spring bags I had made

As I pulled out the 2nd row of springs today (working from the back of the seat to the front) I saw the diagonal support rods go through the sleeves. To accomplish this, does one measure the approximate height of the rod at each row, straighten out the end that goes under the clamp, mark the height on the sleeve and thread the rod through it at that point? I need to start from the front rather than the back of the seat to accomplish that.


This started out to be a simple repair but am ankle deep in something I have not done before

Thanks for the help!

John

John, thats right. You have to use a straight wire ... diameter not less than 3/16". Lenght 8" longer then the the seat is wide. Bent a loop at one end to handle this wire. Knock the other end flat like a screwdriver and sharp it like a arrowhead. After you installed the sleeverows ... pierce this tool across the sleeves at the place the diagonal support has to be. Straight one end of the support and threading the supportwire through the holes you made with the tool. Bend the supportwire again and fix it. If you dont hit the hitpoint
with the first try .. with the tool you made .. just correct the way with the tool. If you make one or two holes more in the sleeve/linen .. no problem .. just try not to cut the seam/thread between the sleeves. If you made this 20 times you?ll hit the point perfectly with the first try. Karl

Great, Thanks Carl !!

I was going to attempt to measure and then transfer those measurements to the sleeverows. Your method is far superior and With luck, should get the seat back in this week in time for some long overdue California sun and a cruise


Thanks again Carl!

john

Where can I find a front seat coil spring for my 1940 Packard 120?

Quote:

If one of our vendors cannot help with NOS, options are see if someone can supply good used or see if you can find decent matches in a newly made spring at one of the online upholstery supply shops such as this one. I don't know if your particular cushion used coil or zig zag springs but both are available in new production. Most auto seats have gone to the zig zag types so those are easier to find at places specializing in auto upholstery. For coil springs you might need regular upholstery supply shops.

On coil springs, if you can measure some of your good ones well enough to get decent numbers on height, diameter and wire size other shops will custom make the springs. In upper end models in some years there were also different springs available where the customer could take the car in to the dealer and have individual springs swapped out for a firmer or softer seat.

Thanks for the lead!