Rusty, Thanks. Those are some great shots. Were you ever able to compare the Mustang seats to what would have came in the Comet? I just got an email from a supplier who stated that the '70 Mustang high back foam is the correct one to use. I'm trying to sort that out with what everyone else is saying. Who did you get your foam from? Can you compare it to the measurements of the foam I purchased which are seen in a previous posting? What a pain, just when I think I have worked through my last hurdle to get this car back on the road, another one comes out from nowhere. Thanks all for the help. Micah
Micah, let me answer each one; No. I bought these a while ago based on the knowledge that they were a popular swap for buckets. My Comet is a '73 and originally had a bench seat. I was not trying to match Mav/Comet buckets, so I did not do any type of comparison. I purchased the Mav/Comet high back tracks separately. I just recently acquired a set of Mav/Comet '73-74 high back buckets, which is what I intend to put back into the car. I bought the seat foam from CJ Pony Parts. They are for '71-73 Mustang high back buckets, which is the correct foam for the high backs in the picture above (Standard style, not sport or anything special like that). Yes, I can do that for you. Let me review your previous posts. I want to make sure I understand what measurement you need.
I don't think that 70 foam is the same as 71-73 Mustang foam. The upholstery is different. Visually 71-73 Mustang seats look closer to 71-72 Grabber/GT seats.
Well, this is why I’m going crazy. I buy ’71 Sport II bucket seat foam which, by all definition, should fit, but it did not, even though everyone says it should. I had to modify the foam which created a problem with the width plus their inherent thickness caused problems. Now I run into this company who makes their foam and a lot of other licensed Ford parts. They say it is ’70 high back Mustang foam that is used in the Maverick. I have double checked this with him and he swears he is correct. Unfortunately, he has no idea when it comes to ’72 Comets. I just wish I could get some damn seats that fit before I piss away another $1,000. http://mustangmarket.net/Maverick/Maverick-Main.htm I have the tag off the seat but it does not match anything in the Ford parts book, D2ZB6563100A. So, is Mercury special? I don’t know. I no longer have the original foam so all I can do is guess and waste some more money trying to figure this out. Micah
I just want to clarify one thing, maverick/comet high back buckets seats are the same as 71/73 mustang high back bucket seats as far as the metal frame is concerned, foam and the cover was a little different... 69/70 mustang buckets are in no way close to matching our seats... Tmi wouldn't know a maverick if it bit them in the a$$... The seat you have is 100% 71/72 mav/comet seat.. I'm willing to bet if you had to modify the new foam it was packaged wrong... I took one of my seats to NPD and test fitted sport II foam on my 72 comet seat and it fit like a glove, it was wider because of the side bolsters... I hope you get it worked out, I know how expensive the product and labor is...
I just looked through the website you listed and they show 70 Mustang standard foam for 73-74 Mavs, too. There is no way that is correct. Starting in 73, Mav seat foam was formed around the frame and the upholstery was so different on the back, that the earlier bolster at the top would form the upholstery wrong. I find it interesting that they have different foam listed for standard vs Mach I upholstery ... never seen that before. Most other companies list the same part number for both within the same years, so maybe they know something about Mustangs that some others don't, but I think they are guessing as far as our cars go. One common thread through their pics is that the bottom foam all looks very similar, if not the same piece throughout. I just measured my seats again. The widest part of the bottom is 22 inches. The widest part of the upper is 18. Wondering how this compares to yours. I did have to bend the big loop on each side of the bottom bolster back up because they tend to get flattened (i.e. wider) with a lot of use. If you can bend yours a bit higher, it would narrow the seat a bit, and it may drop the seat height a bit because the upholstery would not be bridging both sides as much.
Jeff, If you go to post #9, you can see a photo of the original and replacement foam. Mavgrab302, Unfortunately, my upholster was several hundered miles away. I did not get to see what they looked like apart and had to take his word for the issues he had in fit. In post #9, you can see the mold numbers stamped into the Sport II foam. It is correct. Maybe this all comes down to my upholster. I'm going to drive these seats back down to San Jose and have him pull them apart. Then I can get a look at them and see what the deal is. Thanks, Micah
Micah, Here are the measurements I took for you. The measurements came from the new cushion for my Mustang '71-'73 seats. Overall width: ~21" -sides are really floppy, so this is kinda where they laid Width across the middle in the "recess": ~14 1/2" Width across the middle "frame to frame": ~16" Hope this helps.
Rusty, Thanks for taking the time to get these measurements. What you have certainly looks like the underside of the Sport II cushion in post #9 but not like the ones that were on there originally. I'm not sure what seats I ended up with. Maybe it was some strange option that Mercuty had. It was a nice car with a white interior. I spoke with my upholster. Im planning to drive down to San Jose Saturday and have a look at the seats with him. Maybe I have to get some '71 Mustang seat bottoms. Then I can cut the Sport II foam back to where it was originally. Hopefully, this would also correct the thickness problem. Thanks, Micah
Well, Mustang Market sent me some measurements for the foam to show the difference between the '70 Mustang they recommend and the 71-73 Mustang that they say is incorrect. While I see a difference in the backrest, the cushions look sthe same to me. Driving to San Jose tomorrow. We will tear down the cushion and hopefully figure this out. Micah
I took the seats down on Saturday and we pulled them apart. I looked at the seats and the metal around the edge is not bent. We discussed trying to carve down the Sport II seat foam and make them work but decided that it was too much effort and too difficult to make both match. Also, I noticed how exceedingly firm the foam was which was probably the reason my head hit the roof. So, I decided to try the 71-73 Sport I foam. I emailed TMI to see if the foam in the Sport I was the same recipe and was told it was. Today the upholster received the foam. It is not the same recipe and is much softer and not as thick in the cushion. So hopefully, my head will not hit the roof. The bolsters on the cushion are not near as wide or as high as the previous foam. So, I’m hoping there will not be an issue with the arm rest. Now, the strange thing, the foam does not fit the seat and he will have to cut and widen it like he did with the other one. I really don’t know that the deal is here. I really did not see much difference in the Mustang Market foam dimensions. The only thing I can think of is that this particular Comet had some odd ball seats in it. So, he is going to cut down the material from the previous seat upholstery and make up one new one. I will give it a test fit before we do the other. So, the saga continues ….What a pain. Micah
