Making Seats with Shock Absorbers Reusing Parts of a Disused Car! 2026

Making Seats with Cushions Reusing Disused Car Parts, these are fun and quirky seats that would fit well in any home or workshop. I always love playing with different materials and parts of old or broken machinery, appliances, etc. to see what I can do with them.

⚠ Warning, these coil springs were not under compression. If you are trying to do this and are not sure what you are doing, make sure the springs are secured as they may be compressed and can cause serious injury when opened. Also before welding it to the base, drill a small hole in the shock to release the gas inside. Although it must be an inert gas, it is advisable to do so to prevent gas pressure from building up due to the heat of welding.

Step 1: Materials: (For 2 seats)

• Two shock absorbers and coil springs
• 2×1″ steel: 2 @ 20 inches, 4 @ 9.5 inches
• Flat steel: 2 @ 6 x 8 x 1/4 inch
• MDF
• Painting
• Screws and glue
• 8 plastic caps

Step 2: Shock absorbers

The shock absorbers were taken from an old car. The shock absorbers and coil springs were taken from the rear of the car.

Step 3: Disassemble

I started by separating the unit. Warning that these springs are not under compression! If you are trying to do this, make sure the spring is attached before opening it. I removed the nuts that released the coil spring and then removed the bits of foam that were inside. They wouldn't be needed again, so they were discarded. Then I save all the small parts that will be needed later. Using an angle grinder I cut the knuckle that was on the bottom of the shock.

Step 4: Base

For the base I used some 2 x 1″ steel. I cut two pieces at 20 inches and 4 pieces at 9.5 inches. (The quantity is for two seats)

Step 5: Continue with the base

After cutting to length, I loosened all the edges with an abrasive disc and then placed the pieces on a flat surface. I studded them by soldering them into place after checking they were square. Then I finished all the welding on each of the pieces

Step 6: Circles for the base

To keep the base slightly off the ground, I decided to cut out some circular feet. I marked a 2 inch circle on 1/4 inch flat steel. Using a grinder, I roughly cut out the circle shape before finishing the circle with an abrasive disc. I placed them in place and then welded them to the 2x1 steel base.

Step 7: Cleaning the shock absorbers

I used a flap disc to clean the dirt, rust and chipped paint off the shock. The fin disc made short work of removing all this material.

Step 8: Welding to the base

Warning, make sure the shock absorbers are not under pressure before welding as serious injuries may occur!

I placed the clean shock on the base and then welded it into place. When I was happy with the position, I completely welded it to the base. I did this slowly and a little at a time, as I didn't want to burn the metal of the shock. Then I cleaned the joint with the grinder and applied a few coats of paint.

Step 9: The seat

I wanted a seat thickness of about 1 1/2 inches, so to get this width I glued together some cuts of 1/2 inch MDF I had. I applied plenty of wood glue to each piece before clamping it together and letting it dry.

Step 10: Steel Plate

While the glue was drying, I cut two pieces of 1/4 inch x 5 inch steel. These plates are how the seat and shocks come together. I marked the center of the plate and drilled a 1/2 inch hole. About an inch from each corner I drilled a 1/4 inch hole and countersunk them. These 4 holes are for screws to attach the seat

Step 11: Cut the seat

After the glue had dried, with a compass I drew a circle on the MDF and cut it out with a jigsaw. The edges were a little rough so I sanded them with my belt sander that was attached to myworkbench. To ease the edges of the MDF I rounded the edges with a 1/4 inch round on my Router.

Step 12: Indentation for the plate

Instead of just screwing the plate to the seat, I decided to remove some material so it would sit flush. To do this, I marked the position of the board on the MDF seat, and then using a straight bit on my router I removed the material to the depth of the board. Before removing the material I drilled a 1 inch hole in the center of the seat. This is for the locking nuts when the seat is assembled.

Step 13: Painting

I gave the seat three coats of gloss black paint. For the coil spring, I applied a coat of primer and a few coats of orange spray paint. Having a contrasting color really shows off spring. At this stage I also applied a few coats of black paint to the metal cover which was initially removed when I was removing the shock absorbers.

Step 14: Assembly

I slid the coil over the shock, placed the cover and bolted the plate on with nuts and washers. I used two nuts to lock the plate in place. There was excess threaded bar sticking out at the top, so I cut it off with an angle grinder.

Step 15: Plastic caps

To close the holes at the ends of the 2 x 1 steel base I inserted some plastic caps that I purchased. These are simply hammered into place and give a more finished look.

Step 16: Screw the seat

To place it on the seat, I placed the plate in the hole I took out earlier and then secured it with some screws.

Step 17: Soil protection

To protect the floor from any damage I put some felt pads on each of the four feet. The pads I used were self-adhesive, so they were very easy to apply.

Step 18: That's all

The seats are finished! Let me know what you think of them and if you would do them differently or change anything. Thanks for watching and comment what you thought.

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