ghetto p-pad

I've been on the look-out for a real narrow/skinny sissy-bar pad preferably in distressed leather. After a few weeks of looking all I'd come up with was fat, overpriced old vinyl pieces of shit. So time for a little DIY home-ec.


Step 1: Cut a piece of ply-wood the shape you'd like the pad to be (preferably matches the lines of the sissy bar). Then plaster it with the old Elmers Carpenter's glue. (Note* Be sure not to eat any glue in the process no matter how tempting.)

Step 2: Borrow some stuff from your wife's sewing room while she's not looking and cut out some le3ather from an old weathered leather jacket from the thrift store or basement. Make one equal size to the plywood and the other the same shape, but an inch and a quarter larger all around. Glue the one of equal size to the prepared surface (sticky side) of the plywood.

Step 3: Cut out a piece of foam from your least favorite camping roll. (Note: Just one layer. Remember the goal is not to actually make this thing comfortable. God forbid she actually wants to ride back there all the time. Besides the goal is skinny and narrow).

Step 4: Assembly. begin folding the edges of the larger piece of leather over the back of the plywood and fasten them down with old screws that you salvaged from some other project that never worked out. See I told you you'd want hose someday.

Step 5: To really finish it off pull two or three of those buttony thingy's off of the roof liner of your van and tack them down to give it that pillowy look.

And BAM! you're done!! A custom sissy bar pad built just the way you want it.