front seat selection

[SHAMELESS]

Just bought and 55 210 sport coupe and was wondering what car seat could you use to replace the factory bench
I don't want to use buckets just a bench that folds for rear seat access that i can have covered to match interior in car now. not nos

[567chevys]

Hi Shamelsss,
As a guy who has restored nearly 30 vehicles in the past 10 years or so I can tell you this....you have several options, all with advantage or disadvantages. For the money the cheapest way to get decent seating into your ride is to buy seating out of a late model vehicle. Say...front bucket seats out of an 06 Pontiac Solstice (we just fitted a pair into a 77 Charger!). You'd be looking at around $500 + the cost of any special brackets necessary to mount the seats. Mounting can be interesting but in most older cars it's not too difficult...the floor pan on a 55 Chevy is pretty flat. My favorite seat choices come from the new Solstice or believe it or not the Toyota Celica (2000 and up). The mounting brackets are pretty flat and require very little "persuasion" to get them to fit right.

Keep in mind you'll have to either install a new belt system or cut the old one, install the late model buckles, and have the old belt sewn back up.

This is the cheapest way but also only gets you front seats...finding rears to fit your vehicle is...well...impossible. There are no late model seats that will "bolt it". If you wanted to go real custom you could put late model buckets in the back as well and build a custom center console...this is what I would do.

Your next option is to have your old seats recovered. This can be done at a local upholstery shop. If you're looking for leather I'd estimate around $1,500 - $2,200 for the new covers, foam, etc on the front and back. The price will depend on the quality of the stitch and the quality of the material of course. This is great for original restorations and sometimes is the best option for custom rides...depends on how much time you want to spend figuring out how to get late model seats into a 52 year old car

Sometimes figuring that out is the greatest challenge. If I had your 55 in my shop I'd do 4 late model buckets and some custom built consoles. Material will be cheap, labor will be high...the outcome? Beautiful!

Hope this helps!

[SHAMELESS]

As stated i don't want to use buckets.
The car is a semi custom and has been complete interior recovered and arm rests on frt door panels and rear side panels.
the car has seat belts that have shoulder belt coming down and across your chest.
I'm looking for a flatter seat that has some side bolstering so i don't slide around.
Then i can take the rear bottom and back out a have then covered and pattern alike.
The factory padding in the front seat has it rounded and not flat across bottom.

[567chevys]

The biggest problem with using a seat from a later vehicle is the distance it sits off the floor. Try something from a current "big car" like a full size Chevy or Buick or Olds. Just hit the boneyards and have your tape measure in hand.
One of may friends put a 60/40 set from a mid eighties Olds midsize directly into a 36 Chevy 2dr Sedan (a little bitty car inside)). He just cut out the armrest from the 60 side, used all all the electric seat jazz too. Anything can be made to work, just be sure it's secured properly to the floor.

[asbicca]

You can see if you can find a power front seat from a 60's Cadillac, Buick, Olds, Etc. Coupe or Convertible. I have used a 65 Coupe Deville in one of my cars. 6 way power and no headrests, and the backrests fold forward.

[chevynut]

I have a seat that came with my 56 Sedan but I don't know what it's out of. It looks like a late model bench seat, and it's power. I would sell it pretty cheap, but don't want to ship it. I'll probably list it locally on CL.

You guys need to put your location in your info so we know where you are.

[eldon454]

if you have a seat in your car already but don't like the way it feels then you could have it modified to sit the way you like. my wife and i have been doing upholstery for 25 years. any decent shop should be able to build the seat foam for more support and cover it in anything you like.