Bench, bucket or split seat?

[68isgreat]

Originally Posted by A1971Blazer

The seat is the standard factory seat that was in the truck when I bought it.
I removed the upholstery and foam, then removed the springs from the seating part.
Next was cutting the back rest and welding in tubing that was bent to the same radius as the sides of the frame.
I cut out approximately 14 inches out of the center then welded in a support , and welded on brackets for the console.
This allows the entire back to fold forward when the console is up.
I separated the top section of the Tahoe console and modified those brackets.

My friend and next door neighbor does custom upholstery, so he made a bottom and back rests out of 3/4" plywood.
He cut out a section under both sides and put in the heavy elastic webbing for cushioning.
This lowered the seating height about 2-3 inches.
Next was making the custom foam for both the seat and back rest. He cut it all out of 4" thick foam and then shaped the bolsters in.
I sat down in the seat and he fit the foam for the back rest so it would provide lumbar support and also be thin enough at the top to allow more shoulder room.
Last was making the cover for the seat and console. He laid out the pattern and sewed it up.
The material is actually Allante vinyl rather than leather. Like any black interior, it does get hot. That's where the Vintage air comes in.
It was a pretty detailed project but the end result was worth it.

I always forget to document the entire project, but here are a few pictures along the way.
Attachment 2398452

Attachment 2398453

Attachment 2398454

Fantastic! Thanks for going to the effort of posting this. This helps a lot and gives me some ideas moving forward. One quick question though, you mentioned there is webbing underneath the plywood? So you got rid of all the springs and just used webbing, plywood and foam, is that correct? It sure looks comfy.

[A1971Blazer]

Originally Posted by 68isgreat

Fantastic! Thanks for going to the effort of posting this. This helps a lot and gives me some ideas moving forward. One quick question though, you mentioned there is webbing underneath the plywood? So you got rid of all the springs and just used webbing, plywood and foam, is that correct? It sure looks comfy.

Exactly, we cut a 14" x 14" hole in the plywood directly under the driver and passenger seating area. The stretch webbing was then attached over them in a crisscross manner. We used a fairly dense foam for the padding.
It's very comfortable and the extra shoulder and leg room is great.
I'm 6'2" and long legged, but I can stretch my left leg out completely straight on the toe board.
This is the foam as it was roughed in and shaped.