More Comfortable Seats for Giulia Spiders?

[giuliaguy]

Anyone out there selling aftermarket seats to substitute for the original tight
fitting seats in Giulia Spiders? I've got a fairly thin frame and boy are the original seats tight fitting! Probably the least comfortable seats I've ever sat in. I can only imagine how they feel with owners who are a bit, shall we say "chunkier".

[SeekGTV]

I would think that most aftermarket seats would be to tall for the small Giulia spider and therefore they might look a little of of place. I actually have more trouble with the height than the width personally and I'm one of those as you say chunkier people. You could have some custom work done; but, that might be a bit pricey.

[Touringspider]

There is a very nice 101 Spider here locally where the owner installed the seats out of an early 1970's Spider. The headrests were removed (the new upholstery covers up the holes) so these seats don't look that out of place in the car. The owner finds these seats to be more comfortable than the originals, if not "show correct". Of course, comfort is a personal thing, but this is one option.

Arno Leskinen
AROC-USA National Concours Chair
102
115
116

[Carl Goodwin]

The most comfortable car seat in my opinion -- especially for a sports car when you want some side support for cornering -- is the Porsche Speedster. Original seats are hard to find, but replicas are made. I have seen them in everything from Elva Couriers to Triumphs. I had a pair of aluminum Speedster seats made for my '58 Giulietta race car. I borrowed an original Speedster seat and made a fiberglass mold of it. Garbage bags kept the resin off the borrowed seat. Then I took the mold to a sprint car aluminum fabricator. In a couple of weeks he made a pair of aluminum seats with mounting frames. I'm not planning to upholster them but you could. -- Carl Goodwin, (419)668-2563

[tmlesko]

I'd say there was something wrong with the seats in the Spider you sat in, perhaps they are not the original ones or perhaps the foam is hard and dead. I have 2 '65 Spider Veloces and find the seats among the most comfortable I have sat in. The Giulietta/Giulia Spider original seats do not have a solid pan on the bottom where your butt sinks in, they have an opening that has rubber straps that "give" when sitting in them. I have a nerve problem in my pelvic area and am very sensitive to compression on the seat. These are the best kind of seat because they don't totally compress like foam on a steel pan. The early seats were made with "natural rubber" that got very hard and crumbled with age, that can be replaced easily with new foam from World Upholstery or Re-originals or your local u*****tery shop.

I have a set of early Duetto seats without the headrest for sale, FYI, while the seat back is easily adjusted, I don't find them as comfortable as the earlier ones because they just have a solid steel pan with a chunk of foam on it.

Regards,

Tom L.

[giuliaguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmlesko I'd say there was something wrong with the seats in the Spider you sat in, perhaps they are not the original ones or perhaps the foam is hard and dead. I have 2 '65 Spider Veloces and find the seats among the most comfortable I have sat in. Regards, Tom L.

[SeekGTV]

Look like the right seats to me. Hows the foam and straps? That's what gives support.

[giuliaguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeekGTV Look like the right seats to me. Hows the foam and straps? That's what gives support.

[tmlesko]

Your seats are not new, the foam is either dead or not original anyway. They cannot be compared unless you find some NOS seats of both cars and sit in them.

If they feel like donuts, there is either too much or too hard foam in the bolsters, not enough or dead foam in the seat cushion, broken or cracked straps or all of the above. You have to take the seat out to check the foam and straps. You can't say they are fine without seeing/feeling them from underneath and inside so you can get at the foam.

by the way, It is not polite to say the "P" word on an Alfa forum...

Quote:

Originally Posted by giuliaguy The foam is fine. I'll have to check the straps. But to me, it feels like I'm sitting on a large donut. The outer edge of the bottom seat feels thicker than the middle. I agree with what someone else posted in this thread. Porsche Speedster seats are the most comfortable of all the '50's/'60's vintage sports cars.