How would you make these seat reinforcement pieces?

[Monty]

I'm doing a build of this car ('65 Galaxie convertible) and I'd like to know how you'd go about creating the chromed back reinforcement piece.  As you can see it has a couple different angles to it where it wraps around the seat, and I'm not even sure where to begin. 

Since I don't have a real hobby shop within 100 miles of me, I'd also appreciate a recommendation on which gauge of plastic (thinness) would be best to pull this off so I can get some ordered.

 

[GMCMAN52]

you can use bare metal foil and cut it into strips and be close enough 

[Monty]

48 minutes ago, GMCMAN52 said:

you can use bare metal foil and cut it into strips and be close enough 

The goal is to be able to create something I can foil over to replicate the 1:1 car as closely as possible.

[ScottH454]

Can you show us a decent picture of the seat your starting with? I have done a few factory seats.

[gman]

If the shape of the seat is close, you can make some templates to mark out the trim area from multiple layers of masking tape- scribe around your templates to carve the trim into the seat, and foil after painting.

[TarheelRick]

To keep it as close to scale as possible I would suggest some .010 thickness by .125 wide.  This may be a bit wide, but you can always trim to fit.  If it needs more thickness, just stack the strips.  Good luck with your work.

[Ace-Garageguy]

15 hours ago, ScottH454 said:

Can you show us a decent picture of the seat your starting with? I have done a few factory seats.

Yup. Need to see that.

And here's the problem...those parts are compound-curved. Without vacuum-forming, you just won't be able to form flat sheet styrene into those shapes...though you could start with something like .060" and carve the sides and back pieces separately, then bend the center pieces.

So...vacuum-forming .010" sheet over the seat backs and trimming to shape is one option.

Another option is to coat the seatbacks with a mold-release agent like polyvinyl alcohol, and laying up .010" fiberglass and epoxy, again trimming to shape. The downside of doing it that way is you'd need to fill and sand the parts to kill the grain from the glass cloth.

AND...because those parts are compound-curved, foiling is most likely going to result in a whole lotta wrinkles. I'd use Molotow or another of the faux "chromes" instead.

 

[89AKurt]

Only because Bill made the suggestion, vacuum-forming such a part would be my tactic.  I use Corian (kitchen countertop) to make a pattern, then use .02" sheet styrene.  This is a stalled WIP, needed only one seat, but can make many copies.  The alternative is to cast resin, just need all the stuff.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Another tactic would be to find a set of seat backs from another kit that more closely match what you're looking for and replace the originals.

Most of the seats in these old annual style kits are pretty poorly represented anyway, so I have begun grinding the back and skirt off of the original seat and replacing them with current kit pieces.

 

The backs and bases from the Revell '66 GTO might be a good starting point for you.

Don't get me wrong, this method takes a little careful planning and a lot of fitting and refitting, but it will give you a lot more realistic result than the blobs that normally come in these kits.

 

If you grind off the back of the seat and fit the GTO backs to them, the raised area would become the chrome trim to be foiled later.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the method that I am currently using on my '68 Olds 442 project using the GTO backs and bases.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yes indeed...Steve's approaches are definitely good possibilities.

[Oldschool4x4]

I do not have these seats in front of me, but try looking at the 63/64 Galaxies, you might be able to use the backs with the  65 uphostery.

[StevenGuthmiller]

26 minutes ago, Oldschool4x4 said:

I do not have these seats in front of me, but try looking at the 63/64 Galaxies, you might be able to use the backs with the  65 uphostery.

The backs from the '63/'64 Galaxies are no better.

They are all old school, annual/promo style seats with very little seat back detail.

 

 

The backs from the MPC '69 Olds 442 actually might be a good starting point as well if the width is right.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

[FredRPG]

This kind of seat (right) always irritates me, I know why they were moulded that way but still, especially in a convertible. Also they always seem to sit up so high the steering wheel touches.  This is a really nice conversion Steven.