Frank Wallic begins by rolling...
Frank Wallic begins by rolling vertical beads into the seat-face panel. Note that he already drilled the perimeter rivet holes and attached a narrow vertical doubling plate. It rivets exclusively to the face panel.
You’d almost have to go out of your way to overlook the work our pal Frank Wallic does. He’s an editor’s dream come true: he has a way with the tools, cameras included. And for the past five years he’s trained that camera on tasks that most deemed impossible or at least improbable by mere mortals. Among the many things he does, he crafts seats that are spitting images of the ones in World War II–era Fairchild PT-19 trainers.
Even luckier for us, he’s not content with leaving well enough alone. Though the seats he crafts look the part of old aircraft seats, they’re usually not in the exact same shape. Because he’s starting from scratch he can make ’em as wide, tall, or deep as necessary to fit just about any automobile and its occupants.
He rolls horizontal beads...
He rolls horizontal beads into the seat-back panel. Note the beaded horizontal doubling plate. Note the absence of perimeter rivets and how much taller this piece is than the front panel.
This proved especially appealing to Editor Brennan; in case you haven’t noticed, he’s building a Model A pickup—the stretched version from Nostalgia Speed & Cycle. And in case you haven’t occupied one before, their cabs are quite cozy—some say too cozy for bucket seats. Like houses built on community property to skirt easement regulations, driver and passenger often occupy the same space in a Model A pickup cab. (Although the Nostalgia Speed & Cycle cab is stretched 6 inches.) Sharing a ride in one is reason enough to choose attractive passengers, since two adults in those cabs can look like they’re starting a family.
Rather than a nuts-and-bolts tutorial on how to make a seat from scratch, this is a general information exercise fortified with a reprisal of at least two articles. To learn in greater detail how Wallic builds these seats—including a pretty comprehensive outline on how to rivet together panels—we suggest referring to the following articles: “Cockpit Confidential” (July ’07) for seat construction, “Thinking Inside the Box” (March ’08) for seat risers, “Let it Slide” (April ’10) for seat sliders, and “Well Heeled” (June ’10) for riveting basics.
Or if bucking 1,500 or so rivets doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, give Frank Wallic a call. If he can find as much room as he did in Brennan’s pickup cab, chances are he can eke out a few more inches from your cockpit.
Wallic bent the rearmost seatback’s...
Wallic bent the rearmost seatback’s lowermost strip to form a lip (compare the holes in it with the ones in the last photo). Note that the vertical beads cause the seat-face panel to arch.
To make the panels lay flat,...
To make the panels lay flat, Wallic first drills and rivets the seatback face panel’s lowest edge to the corresponding strip of the seatback backside. The tool against the panel is a countersink cage that attaches to the drill motor.
As noted in the June ’10 article,...
As noted in the June ’10 article, “Well Heeled”, Wallic flattens most rivets with a rivet gun, a set, and a bucking bar. The method requires the most coordination but uses the least expensive tools and works in pretty much every application.
For this application Wallic...
For this application Wallic used flat-head rivets. He used a flat bucking bar on the face and formed the head with a rounded set. He also tapes the tool faces to protect the aluminum.
Wallic created the transition...
Wallic created the transition from seat back to side with a 90-degree flange. Before he clamped it and the seatback panels together and drilled the rivet holes he shimmed that flange away from the seatback’s edge. He used scrap to set the gap.
Wallic drilled and riveted...
Wallic drilled and riveted the panels together at the top and bottom of the edge flange. He then clamped the seatback panels between a steel tube and his welding table and drilled and riveted the panels together around the perimeter.
Once Wallic riveted together...
Once Wallic riveted together the seat back he attached the base panels to the back panel’s flange. They span the width of the seat but consist of two sides riveted together at the center. Wallic doesn’t double-wall the base as the risers support it.
Wallic created the transition...
Wallic created the transition from base to side once again from a strip bent into a flange. Note that he shrunk the edge to create the lip. And again note how he used scrap to shim the flange from the seat base.
Here’s why Wallic shims the...
Here’s why Wallic shims the flanges from the seating surfaces: the seat sides fit in the gap. Butting the sides against the seat surface would require tedious fitting but the seating surfaces’ thickness hides imperfect fit.
To support the seat sides...
To support the seat sides Wallic made this gusset. Note that it has beads rolled into it that match the beads in the seat sides.
The two seat-base sides meet...
The two seat-base sides meet at a doubling strip along the bottom of the center.
Wallic borrowed another aircraft...
Wallic borrowed another aircraft practice: he doubles the seat corners where the belts pass through. The greater thickness makes the corners stronger and reduces the likelihood of chafed belts.
Also, as revealed in the “Well...
Also, as revealed in the “Well Heeled” piece, Wallic uses a rivet squeezer. It’s a more expensive piece of hardware and it works only near the edge of flat panels but it reduces fabricating time significantly when working with so many rivets.
Wallic opens the belt slot...
Wallic opens the belt slot by first drilling a series of holes and then connecting them with a rotary file in a die grinder. Round off any sharp edges to further prevent the side panels from chafing the belt.
Wallic creates the base-to-back...
Wallic creates the base-to-back gusset by splitting the seat back’s angle in half and bending each flange to that dimension. Note that the gusset also ties into the seat sides to control another axis of motion.
A tripling plate fit to the...
A tripling plate fit to the top of the seat base lends the seat another level of integrity if only by preventing the seam from opening. Note that the temporary fasteners stabilize the seat as Wallic bucks the rivets.
As the saying goes, the devil’s...
As the saying goes, the devil’s in the details. Wallic’s secret edge molding lends the seats a more finished look and takes off the sharp edges.
Wallic’s also got a sense...
Wallic’s also got a sense of humor as testified by this ID tag. For those of you who don’t recognize it, Hughes Flying Boat was the official name of the Spruce Goose.
Once completed, Wallic’s seats...
Once completed, Wallic’s seats practically bristle with rivets. And they’re not just for looks; each rivet point increases the seat’s integrity by dispersing the load over a greater area.
Whether bent from tubing or...
Whether bent from tubing or riveted together with sheet, a seat doesn’t stand alone. Brennan and the crew mocked up the seat on various boxes to approximate the general angle and position.
Wallic offers optional risers...
Wallic offers optional risers with his seats, something he did for Brennan. This one was for a bucket seat in the July ’07 piece, “Thinking inside the Box” (as part of it Wallic made a battery box as well).
A seat doesn’t sit flat, either;...
A seat doesn’t sit flat, either; even a modest amount of riser angle offers welcomed thigh support. In this case a tapered-foam cushion would increase the support and improve comfort considerably more yet.
Last but certainly not least...
Last but certainly not least Wallic found an ideal means of adjustment in the form of a Sparco seat slider. He installed this on the flat floor but mounting it atop an angled riser will lift the seat as it moves forward, a touch that benefits drivers of all sizes.