DS I Seat Reinforcement

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DS I Seat Reinforcement

Postby Cravalle » Fri Dec 23, 2022 3:01 pm

Hello. The topsides of the seats on my DS I are very thin and flexible, and there is a 4" crack dead center in one of the seats. While repairing the crack, I'd like to reinforce the rest of the seat(s) to avoid future problems and looking for effective methods. The top outer edges of the seats are thick and firm, so the issues are mostly towards the middle.

Would it be best to add fiberglass to the top of the seats or maybe add stringers on the underside of the seats?
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Re: DS I Seat Reinforcement

Postby GreenLake » Sun Dec 25, 2022 7:27 am

The way I understand it, adding a layer of fiberglass on the outside (top) essentially just repairs the skin. It adds a little bit of strength in areas where the new glass doubles up on existing laminate, but you are down to just the new cross section at the crack itself.

A stringer is more of a 3-D element and gains its stiffness from the separation of its top and bottom skin. Adding a stringer thus adds a lot more stiffness.

There are two considerations: one - do you really need the added strength / stiffness? Is this a '60s model DS1 or one of the newer ones? I know the laminate on the seats on those original DS1s is not super generous. I've managed to puncture it. But I've never seen the kinds of cracks you describe and this is the first time I read about one. I step on my seats a lot, so I'm just a bit doubtful that this is truly something that needs preventative solutions.

The other issue is access. Getting to the underside of the seats isn't going to be easy. It will take more than one access hole and careful planning on how to get stringer in place and attached. If you're convince that the situation requires a stringer, I'd like to read what you came up with as an approach.
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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