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| Picture of
the frame with a bracket welded in. Depending on the size of your seat,
you may need more than one bracket. The rear of my seat will rest on the
fender, so I got by with one bracket. |
Use a piece
of stiff paper to cut a pattern for the seat base. My seat will lay flat
on the frame and roll up in the back to follow the form of the fender. |
Once the
pattern is perfect, trace it onto a piece of flat aluminum. I used an old
advertising sign that I bought at the metal recycler for about $10. The
thickness is .063" |
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| The
metal can be cut easily with a jig-saw and 70 tpi blade. Be careful, as
the aluminum slivers are sharp. Wear eye eye protection and clean the work
bench afterwards. |
Since my seat will follow the curve of the
fender, I had to make a bend near the back. Here I am using a plumbers
torch to help the metal bend easier. DO NOT heat the material to "red
hot" - the aluminum will melt before you ever see a glow. Just work
the torch over the area for a few seconds to assist the bend. |
The
bending process is fairly straight forward. I used a stiff rubber hammer.
This was a very simple bend and took only a few minutes. Other more
complicated bends will require more work and more heat. Just take your
time until you get it right. |
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| I welded a T-shaped
bracket to help make the seat sturdy and to hold the mounting studs. |
I glued a narrow vinyl strip along the edge to protect the covering. There
are many other ways to do this, but just make sure the sharp edges are
covered
so they do not harm your upholstery.
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I cut a piece of foam to
the exact shape of the seat. I used a very dense foam on the bottom and
then covered it with a softer layer. I used spray adhesive to hold each
layer. |
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| Mark out your covering
larger than the seat and then cut on the line. As a covering, I used an
old leather jacket that I bought at a thrift store for $12. They have a ton of
colors. The one I used had stitching on the back, which added something to
the plain seat. |
Begin drawing the material around the seat. Play with it for a while until
you get a good idea of how it will best wrap around the seat pan. I fastened
the material using short stainless steel self-tapping screws and fender
washers. I used a screw-gun to set the screws.
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Here is the finished seat.
It
is not the greatest seat in the world, but it does have the distinction of
"I made it!" and it only cost about $15-$20
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