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Looking for Seat Covers for '99 Cessna 206!
- Thread starter stavvy204
- Start date
Brute Harry
Member
You might want to check aviation supply stores like Aircraft Spruce & Specialty, Sporty's Pilot Shop, or Aircraft Interiors International. They often have a variety of aircraft parts and accessories, including seat covers. You could also try online marketplaces like eBay or Craigslist.
david hillberg
Member
depending what you are looking for an automotive catalogue might be the place for slip ons.
greentips
Member
I looked at a variety of covers for my 1966 C182. Including having a professional recover the seats. After looking at all the options, I decided to give Airtex a go. This is not a slip cover option. It involved stripping the seats of all upholstery, and cleaning all the old glue off the frames. I had them professionally prepped and powder coated once the old stuff was off. Both of my front seats are full Cessna adjustables (up/down, back up/down) so there was no real differences. I also used the time when the seats were stripped to replace worn and missing roll pins, clean the gears and rods, replace rollers and bearings and generally overhaul the mechanics of the seats. They operate amazingly smoothly now.
Airtex provided a package for front and rear seats which matched up nearly perfectly with the frames. I put new trampolines on with clamps and glue (obtained from specialty automotive restoration shops, which is mainly 3M glues recommended by Airtex). They offer both leather and cloth. I chose leather and used the factory foam. The installation was very well explained, the new seats are held in place with hognose rings and a pliers supplied by Airtex. The patterns they used made the seats a very snug fit, but the end product was as professional as it would have been with a reupholstery shop.
My IA and mechanic were very well pleased with the work, but more importantly my spouse who was after me to replace the seats for years. One thing another friend suggests is to replace the Airtex foam with confor foam. I can get sheets of it from Duluth. I didn't do this mainly because it would have involved making cuts and removing the existing foam and replacing it with confor foam. It was more work than I wanted to get into, this being my first time doing upholstery other than watching my grandfather who ran an upholstery shop in his basement in Detroit when I was little. If I had changed the foam I would have done in 3 layers, with soft on top, intermediate in the middle and firm next to the trampoline. This may have provided additional energy absorption and could be more comfortable, once the foam warms up on a cold winter day here in the land of da tirty point buck!, but it would be brick like until it warmed up.
What I ended up with is pretty good overall and the comfort much improved over the 50 year old foam and fabric it replaced. Cost was about 30 hours of my time, and I think around $1500 for the Airtex package. They were very helpful in answering questions, supplying reference videos and advice throughout the process.
Airtex provided a package for front and rear seats which matched up nearly perfectly with the frames. I put new trampolines on with clamps and glue (obtained from specialty automotive restoration shops, which is mainly 3M glues recommended by Airtex). They offer both leather and cloth. I chose leather and used the factory foam. The installation was very well explained, the new seats are held in place with hognose rings and a pliers supplied by Airtex. The patterns they used made the seats a very snug fit, but the end product was as professional as it would have been with a reupholstery shop.
My IA and mechanic were very well pleased with the work, but more importantly my spouse who was after me to replace the seats for years. One thing another friend suggests is to replace the Airtex foam with confor foam. I can get sheets of it from Duluth. I didn't do this mainly because it would have involved making cuts and removing the existing foam and replacing it with confor foam. It was more work than I wanted to get into, this being my first time doing upholstery other than watching my grandfather who ran an upholstery shop in his basement in Detroit when I was little. If I had changed the foam I would have done in 3 layers, with soft on top, intermediate in the middle and firm next to the trampoline. This may have provided additional energy absorption and could be more comfortable, once the foam warms up on a cold winter day here in the land of da tirty point buck!, but it would be brick like until it warmed up.
What I ended up with is pretty good overall and the comfort much improved over the 50 year old foam and fabric it replaced. Cost was about 30 hours of my time, and I think around $1500 for the Airtex package. They were very helpful in answering questions, supplying reference videos and advice throughout the process.
