I have a few broken seat springs. My proposed repair is to cut similar pieces of spring from an old seat and wire them over the breaks. My question is what kind of wire should I use? Steel or copper? Lots of turns of fine wire, or feww turns of coarse wire? I think if I used fine copper, I could flow some solder over the repair and sort of seal the copper, making it a tube-like connector.

An alternate method would be to use aluminum bar stock, and drill out holes corresponding to the broken ends of the wire springs, and insert the ends into the aluminum bar.

The PO had used copper tubing that fit the wire of the springs very closely. The wire from the springs was shoved into both sides of the copper tube. Worked decently.

But, I'll tell you, there is nothing like a new seat spring.

Your ass will thank you for it.

I read a post once where some guy used those big pool noodle type things and wove them through the springs. He said it worked.

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'85 300SD (formerly california emissions)
'08 Chevy Tahoe
'93 Ducati 900 SS
'79 Kawasaki KZ 650
'86 Kawasaki KX 250
'88 Kawasaki KDX200
'71 Hodaka Ace 100
'72 Triumph T100R

Brian, thanks.
VW--I hope to make a bit more permanent, ( and elegant) repair than the pool noodles.

Anytime.

BTW, missed both you and VW at the GTG.
It was a good show.

I am thinking it may be most prudent just to get another complete seat from the local pick and pull. ( The price sheet lists bucket seat-no tracks ---$15.)
I am operating under the following assumptions--please correct them if they are wrong:
1) Passenger and Driver's seat are the same in W126 models.
2) All W126 front bucket seat frames are interchangeable.
3) Leather and MB Tex use the same seat base--the differences are in the padding and seat material ONLY.

Instructions how to rebuid a seat

"more permanent, ( and elegant) repair than the pool noodles."

LOL... are you using CLEAR seat covers ? If not, how is anyone going to know that you used that " CHEAP " fix... pool noodles .... LOL

Once you get into this job you may wish you had just turned those upside down and slithered those noodles into there....

1) True
2) AFAIK
3) True

If you can find a passenger seat from the local pick and pull, the chances are very good that it will not have broken springs. Now the driver's seat on the other hand....................

$15.00 sure beats $200!

For a man who repairs things "by the book", I'm a little bit shocked that you believe a pool noodle can substitute for a proper seat spring.

BTW, the brand new seat spring is of a different design with additional wires positioned in the critical areas. It is far superior to the original seat spring.

Well that is true if the previous owner wasn't married to a very large woman who rode shotgun......

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Permanent? Well the original MB engineering on the seat springs has proven to be permanent! NOT! Wonder what the ½ life of a pool noodle is?

Elegant? Only in the pool noodle's economy and simplicity. Hope I’m able to get my $11.52 (I’ve done the whole car!) out of the deal. So far none of my elegant passengers have looked under the seat…….whew!

Here’s the link to my work. W123 Seat repair with Pool Noodles PIC'S

Not my original idea, but I would like to thank who ever I stole it from. Great out of the box thinking!

Please take all this with a pound of salt. Just fooling around late in the day . Whatever floats your boat is cool with me. You would be correct in saying that I took the cheap bas@#rd way out and I will always know it, even if no one else does.

Have a great day!

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2002 E320 Sedan 93K Designo Mocha Black Metallic!
1995 E320 Wagon 205K Black Wagon
1982 240D 183K SloPoke

I believe each of these cars are the final production year for that model.

........therefore, the passenger seat in the W116 is pristine.

A word of advice about the pool noodle thing. I recovered the seats in my wife's car this weekend. With the seat base on the garage floor, the pool noodles felt so great- screwed the ones into the corner springs, then a u-shaped piece along the front and sides , then a piece under the front. With the seat assembled and in the car- its TOO HIGH. You can't get your legs under the wheel. Finally had to remove all but the front corners. Still a big improvement , though

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

The seat pad certainly is.......

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche