2nd gen reproduction headrest quality?

[Ghoste]

What are the repop headrests like for quality and accuracy, is it better to spring for excellent originals?

[twodko]

I bought new from BE&A or........BA&E? Anyway they look great but they're not as soft as OEM headrests. Beyond that while spendy they fit the bill nicely. I think you might spend just as much on a pair of primo originals? 

[A383Wing]

I bought new from BE&A or........BA&E? Anyway they look great but they're not as soft as OEM headrests. Beyond that while spendy they fit the bill nicely. I think you might spend just as much on a pair of primo originals? 

I have had the same issue with the repro 13" front door arm rests...hard as a brick

[Ghoste]

I suppose as long as they retain their shape that's a good thing?

[Dino]

I bought new from BE&A or........BA&E? Anyway they look great but they're not as soft as OEM headrests. Beyond that while spendy they fit the bill nicely. I think you might spend just as much on a pair of primo originals? 

I have had the same issue with the repro 13" front door arm rests...hard as a brick

I thought they were supposed to be softer?  I can restore my headrests but didn't feel like doing so with armrests.  Guess it's time to find a nice used set!

Ghoste, this may not work for you if you want the exact same grain in the headrests, but I'm going to sand mine down and put a 1/8" thick layer of memory foam on it, covered in black leather.  That way they will be nice and soft and won't show that typical headrest 'wave'.

[Ghoste]

Good idea and I don't want the wave, but I do think I want the grain.

[Dino]

Good idea and I don't want the wave, but I do think I want the grain.

I think an old school upholstery shop will be your best bet.  If they can mimic the grain, they can make those headrests look better than ever before.

[twenty mike mike]

I got mine from PG Classic, which seems to be the same stuff both BE&A and Classic Industries have. The blue is a little off, but the grain is close enough and the shape is fine. Saves from having to deal with the chrome strip separately, too.

I had a '69 Dart GTS with the same headrest style way back when, and I specifically remember not ever wanting to actually have to use them in case of a rear ender, since they were so hard, so I don't know about all these "not soft enough" comments.  And the way these seats are designed, it's not as if you're going to drive around with your head resting on them anyway.

[Dino]

I got mine from PG Classic, which seems to be the same stuff both BE&A and Classic Industries have. The blue is a little off, but the grain is close enough and the shape is fine. Saves from having to deal with the chrome strip separately, too.

I had a '69 Dart GTS with the same headrest style way back when, and I specifically remember not ever wanting to actually have to use them in case of a rear ender, since they were so hard, so I don't know about all these "not soft enough" comments.  And the way these seats are designed, it's not as if you're going to drive around with your head resting on them anyway.

I agree that the headrests do not matter as much as the armrests, but I would like the latter to be nice and soft!

[twenty mike mike]

The armrests were a different matter. They were firm, but not nearly as hard as the head bangers.

[Ghoste]

Thats how I recall them as well.

[A383Wing]

The armrests were a different matter. They were firm, but not nearly as hard as the head bangers.

they are way too hard for my liking...I had to put a towel on mine for a 300 mile trip...if I could find a good set of originals, I would install those and toss these away that I have on the car now

Bryan

[twenty mike mike]

they are way too hard for my liking...I had to put a towel on mine for a 300 mile trip...if I could find a good set of originals, I would install those and toss these away that I have on the car now

Bryan

I have a set of new, uninstalled rear armrests, so I tested them for hardness. I feel your pain! Then I tested the original ones and was surprised that they are almost as hard. They must be an 8 on the Mohs hardness scale.  

I tested the front armrests...evidently, the vinyl and the foam have hardened over the years so they're almost as hard as the rear ones. Whoever decided how to make the repops must have used mine as a guide to how stiff they should be.  

Maybe you should just keep your towel handy. You might be disappointed in the originals.

[Ghoste]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

[twenty mike mike]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

Mine had a dent from my elbow after about a year. I doubt that my repops would flex enough to do that. 

[A383Wing]

I still have the originals from the front doors...if they weren't a little torn on the seam, I would put them back on...I do know the rear arm rests are harder than the fronts, maybe because of the size, or the ash try braces, or because they were not used like the fronts....

I just feel the $60 I paid for reproduction front arm rests were not up to the quality I thought they would be....plus, they are to "square" on the corners where as the originals were a bit more rounded...

but now that I have gotten off thread track here.....we can go back to head rest quality

sorry.....

[Ghoste]

Yeah I know what you mean, I have an 07 Nitro with 60,000 on it and there is a small dent in the armrest.

[Dino]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

My driver side pad is pretty compressed, the passenger side is semi hard but the rears are nice and soft.  The po had to remove the rear seat many years ago to do a small repair to the floor.  He removed the armrests and lost the bases so he kept the armrests in a box in his house.  Maybe that prolonged their life. 

[twenty mike mike]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

My driver side pad is pretty compressed, the passenger side is semi hard but the rears are nice and soft.  The po had to remove the rear seat many years ago to do a small repair to the floor.  He removed the armrests and lost the bases so he kept the armrests in a box in his house.  Maybe that prolonged their life. 

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

You're going to have to send those to me for evaluation.   

[Dino]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

My driver side pad is pretty compressed, the passenger side is semi hard but the rears are nice and soft.  The po had to remove the rear seat many years ago to do a small repair to the floor.  He removed the armrests and lost the bases so he kept the armrests in a box in his house.  Maybe that prolonged their life. 

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

You're going to have to send those to me for evaluation.   

Alright but be warned!  They're green.   

[twenty mike mike]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

My driver side pad is pretty compressed, the passenger side is semi hard but the rears are nice and soft.  The po had to remove the rear seat many years ago to do a small repair to the floor.  He removed the armrests and lost the bases so he kept the armrests in a box in his house.  Maybe that prolonged their life. 

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

You're going to have to send those to me for evaluation.   

Alright but be warned!  They're green.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0

[Dino]

Or maybe we remember them as being softer than they really were?

My driver side pad is pretty compressed, the passenger side is semi hard but the rears are nice and soft.  The po had to remove the rear seat many years ago to do a small repair to the floor.  He removed the armrests and lost the bases so he kept the armrests in a box in his house.  Maybe that prolonged their life. 

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

You're going to have to send those to me for evaluation.   

Alright but be warned!  They're green.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0