firming up a bench seat

[dougs69c10]

When I sit on my bench seat it nearly colapses all the way down, is there a way to firm them up or do i just need a new bench?

[al's71gmc]

I'm waiting to see what folks say. Mine doesn't collapse all the way, but my left cheek sits about 2 inches lower than the right. I don't know if there's a fix. Might have broken springs, or just flattened springs. My foam is in good shape and when no ones sitting in it it sits level.
Al

[qksilver]

go over all the metal parts, see if anything is broken. Mine sags even though nothing is broken, but I weigh 300lbs. There are quite a few types of foam you can use. I put about a 2 inch thick firm foam, then covered it with glue and burlap then put a 1 inch softer foam on top of that. Works pretty good but if your foundation is right ie: the seat, the rest is a waste

[72 Money Pit]

LMC Truck (lmctruck.com 800-LMC-TRUCK) carries a lot of repair and rebuild parts for seats. They have got a lot of my money. There are two designs, but it sounds like yours is the same as mine...a spring base with a foam-covered spring cushion. Look underneath the seat for individual springs that are deformed or broken. Replacements springs are $3-4.00 each. You still have to replace that foam-covered spring, but you can purchase some really dense foam from an upholstery supply place. The other style is just a solid foam cushion for which they want more than 2 c-notes. There are other places besides LMC, but whoever you go to, it is worth getting a hard copy catalog. The illustrations and breakdowns of detail parts are very helpful, and you can get quite a bit through them.

[dougs69c10]

Yeah i weigh in at about 315, If the bench seat stayed at the level its at when im not on it, it would be perfect, Im almost sure the top metal loops that runs the whole seat is broke,

Is there a bench seat out of like a later model truck that bolts in easily, my seats torn to hell too

[pebbleboy]

Mine had a sag in it too when I bought it but I think my problem was the seat foam. I just bought a pillow from wally world cut the rings and slid the pillow in. Then made my own rings to hold it down with a old coat hanger. It was a little lumpy untill it all settled down and I bet you can't tell now.

[71-longbed]

what i hate is when .. your passenger is shorter than you .. but there riding higher in the cab than you .... mine saggs on the left cheek too .. i have a full foam bench .... i would love to get new foam in it .... just dont know how to do it ... and i dont really wanna pay someone ... any tips .. someone should write a FAQ about restoring bench seats .... share the wealth

[johnnyp]

It is more than likely a broken spring (or two). Mine had a broken spring on the driver side when I bought it. It felt like I was going to fall out the door everytime I made a left turn. I didn't want to go to all the trouble of trying to find a new spring so I took it to a local uphostery shop to see what it would cost for them to do the work. For $65 they installed a new spring, put in some new foam, and installed the new seat covers I bought from Jim Carter.

I know you said you didn't want to pay someone to do it, but it might not hurt to check and see how much they would change you.

[72 Money Pit]

Another owner installed a powered 60/40 split bench out of a newer GM truck. He says the outer bolt holes line up, and he only had to make provisions for the mounting bolts in the center. If this is true, you should be able to take any other GM truck bench seat and go right in with it.

[al's71gmc]

I checked mine and the outer spring is broken/missing half. My foam is in good shape. Luckily I have an extra bench with good springs and bad foam. So hopefully I'll get a round tuit, and GETERDONE soon. On replacing the foam..You have to remove the cover. Take all the hogrings out and then reinstall after the foam. PITA. An upholstry shop will do it for under $100. $$ well spent in my book. BTW, there's a brand new full foam for sale on the parts board for $75 shipped. Can't remember the seller's name, but I'll check it and edit post.

Edit- seller is bowtie67

[vtblazer]

I used a pizza box top once...

Check the springs, sometimes they can be repaired/saved.

[68C15]

I have a question for ya. you say you dont want to pay someone to do it. is this because you (like me) are self-sufficient and want to do it yourself or funding issues (again, like me)?
the replacement of a whole seat assembly can get expensive. I paid $100 for a used 89 F150 seat and some of the later model ones are even worse.

[RICHARD MORGAN]

Heres everything you need to know....Its a great article..

http://www.fourwheeler.com/howto/51159/


RICHARD MORGAN

[rauto13]

Originally Posted by 72 Money Pit

Another owner installed a powered 60/40 split bench out of a newer GM truck. He says the outer bolt holes line up, and he only had to make provisions for the mounting bolts in the center. If this is true, you should be able to take any other GM truck bench seat and go right in with it.

I have a 40/60 bench in mine, easy to install, check around at salvage yards, paid $75.00 for mine and easy to put in, I think it's more comfortable than the factory bench.

The seat was out of about a 92 Chevy

[Castiron9]

No more seat problems here...New Seat cover with new top foam layer..........