Putting later seat cover on '68 bench seat...

[AllGoNoShow]

Looking to get my factory '68 c10 bench seat re-upholstered with a new cover. I like the houndstooth pattern of the later seats and while there are notes in the LMC catalog saying the later seat covers work with any year bench seat, I also saw that 67-68 seat foam is different than 69-72.

Can anyone confirm that I can use a later cover on an earlier factory seat? If the foam is different (thinner from what I gather), I don't understand how they can all fit (but I also don't see any covers listed for just 67-68).

If anyone can suggest a manufacturer/vendor, I would appreciate it as well (using a search function brings up Truck World but it appears he is no longer selling them). I see Brothers has the blue houndstooth in stock, but don't know what makes the ones they sell.

[72c20customcamper]

67-68 Seats tilt forward so no vynle covering the bracket . Later had a tab on the seat back that covered the bracket. I dont see why a later seat cover wouldn't work if your okay with losing the tilt function .


USA1 67-68 cover

https://www.usa1interiors.com/1967-6...yl-center.html

[AllGoNoShow]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

67-68 Seats tilt forward so no vynle covering the bracket . Later had a tab on the seat back that covered the bracket. I dont see why a later seat cover wouldn't work if your okay with losing the tilt function .


USA1 67-68 cover

https://www.usa1interiors.com/1967-6...yl-center.html

Just the seat covers I was looking at after I posted…any experience with them? I already removed the tilt feature (it interferes with the aftermarket 3-pt seat belts), so that’s no big deal for me.

It just seems odd that everyone agrees the seat foam is different and more substantial in the later years, but then the manufacturers/vendors claim all seat covers work for all years, which would seem contradictory.

PS- I literally can’t believe how much some companies are charging for the seat foam! Any reason the OER seat foam for $190 isn’t fine compared to the nearly $500 seat foam from American Cushion?!
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[LockDoc]

-
Read through these two threads. I'm sure there are more if you do a search.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=162002

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=98169

LockDoc

[Grumpy old man]

Post a picture of the seat your working on , How did you remove the tilt function ? 67 and some early 68 had the tilt FORWARD feature with the wingnuts to hold them in upright position so they wouldn't fold forward , The later 68-72 seat frames bolted together to prevent the seat back from folding ,they had one stationary position and only moved forward and back , there are spring suspension seats and as an option some were "full foam " 2 different animals . The seat covers you posted a link to are made in China as are most replacement covers , Junk , The vinyl is thin and no where near the quality of the original seat covers that came in these trucks which were made with Naugahyde vinyl . Post a picture of what you have .

[pjmoreland]

Ouch. The price of that foam has gone up $100 in the last year. It was painful at $400. Based on the current price, I would have gone with OER or PUI. The only reason I went with American Cushion was because I was hoping it would squish down more than the PUI foam when sitting on it. My seat is a bit higher than I'd like. Even with a 15" steering wheel, there isn't much room between the wheel and the seat (I'm slender), and the top edge of the windshield is kind of low when sitting on a tall seat (I'm 6'). In the end, I don't think the American Cushion foam squishes all that much when I sit on it.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

The seat covers you posted a link to are made in China as are most replacement covers , Junk , The vinyl is thin and no where near the quality of the original seat covers that came in these trucks which were made with Naugahyde vinyl .

I installed an upholstery set from USA1 on my folding seat a year ago, and I have to say I'm quite happy with it. It happened to be the only pre-made upholstery set I could find that was designed for a folding 67-style seat frame and had houndstooth inserts (not a stock combination, I know). One year is still extremely early days as far as telling what the long-term durability will be, but it is holding up just fine so far. Here's a description of my installation:

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=818035

[AllGoNoShow]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Post a picture of the seat your working on , How did you remove the tilt function ? 67 and some early 68 had the tilt FORWARD feature with the wingnuts to hold them in upright position so they wouldn't fold forward , The later 68-72 seat frames bolted together to prevent the seat back from folding ,they had one stationary position and only moved forward and back , there are spring suspension seats and as an option some were "full foam " 2 different animals . The seat covers you posted a link to are made in China as are most replacement covers , Junk , The vinyl is thin and no where near the quality of the original seat covers that came in these trucks which were made with Naugahyde vinyl . Post a picture of what you have .

Pictures attached- from what I gather it is just the normal stock 68 seat (but not the cheap basic one with the super thin foam on the bottom). Between adding the 3 pt seat belts and lowering the seat with those aftermarket brackets, the tilt forward mechanism was interfering with the retractors for the belts (not to mention one of the brackets on the seat was broken off), so I just removed the tilt mechanism which was welded on horribly, and put an additional bolt on the arm as you can see so it doesn’t tilt anymore. Cover is obviously not original as well (you can see some of the remnants of the original one on the back).
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[SkidmoreGarage]

You can make any cover fit, but your happiness with the end result will depend on your expectations. It takes a lot of skill and time to fill out the shape of the seat to remove any wrinkles and bulges from 67/68 to later model covers.

I have done it (you can check my build thread), and I wouldn't recommend it. Once you put in the time and add up the cost of foam and miscellaneous stuff to make it work- you will be about even to just buying what you want the first time- and the right parts will make the job much easier.

If you don't care about the seat back movement, just buy a later model complete bench seat and new cover. Or, just order a custom cover from one of the smaller upholstery shops.

[TKCR]

The difference with the 67-68, is the seat back foam, from what I remember. It takes a sheet of foam for the back. The seat bottom foam is the same up to 1972.
Now the cover, the 67-68 does not use hog rings like the later seat covers do. They use barrel clips. I’m not sure if that’s what they are actually called, but they are different, not hog rings.
I bought foam for this seat, and the seat bottom foam is the same. The reason why they say the 68-72 foam is different, is solely because they sell it as a set, back & bottom. The back will not work on the 67-68, because it takes just a sheet of foam.

[SkidmoreGarage]

Originally Posted by TKCR

The difference with the 67-68, is the seat back foam, from what I remember. It takes a sheet of foam for the back. The seat bottom foam is the same up to 1972.
Now the cover, the 67-68 does not use hog rings like the later seat covers do. They use barrel clips. I’m not sure if that’s what they are actually called, but they are different, not hog rings.

While well intentioned, this info is not totally correct.

The lower foam is thinner on the earlier seats. If you attempt to use a later foam, if the cover can fit, you will sit about 2 inches higher when you are done.

The 67-68 seat back is a bit of material (burlap/jute) and foam sheet. The seats are constructed more like a coil spring mattress than an automotive seat. You need to protect the foam from the coils, or it will disintegrate.

The OEM cover does attach with clips on the front, but I've never seen an aftermarket cover that did this. If you end up using hog rings, you will need to be creative in how you clip to the frame in the front. If I had to guess why they went to hog rings, it was to make the cover more form-fitting and look better.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by SkidmoreGarage

While well intentioned, this info is not totally correct.

The lower foam is thinner on the earlier seats. If you attempt to use a later foam, if the cover can fit, you will sit about 2 inches higher when you are done.

The 67-68 seat back is a bit of material (burlap/jute) and foam sheet. The seats are constructed more like a coil spring mattress than an automotive seat. You need to protect the foam from the coils, or it will disintegrate.

The OEM cover does attach with clips on the front, but I've never seen an aftermarket cover that did this. If you end up using hog rings, you will need to be creative in how you clip to the frame in the front. If I had to guess why they went to hog rings, it was to make the cover more form-fitting and look better.

Sorry I left out the part about the burlap needing to be used also on the seat back, but I did say it just used a sheet of foam. The cover from USA1 was made to use these clips, the 67-68. The rest used hog rings. I went back thru my records on purchasing the seat bottom foam. It was just for the 67-68. My bad for assuming it was the same as the later seat bottom foam. I was told by someone that it was the same.

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by AllGoNoShow

Just the seat covers I was looking at after I posted…any experience with them? I already removed the tilt feature (it interferes with the aftermarket 3-pt seat belts), so that’s no big deal for me.

It just seems odd that everyone agrees the seat foam is different and more substantial in the later years, but then the manufacturers/vendors claim all seat covers work for all years, which would seem contradictory.

PS- I literally can’t believe how much some companies are charging for the seat foam! Any reason the OER seat foam for $190 isn’t fine compared to the nearly $500 seat foam from American Cushion?!
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I used USA1cover on my 72 fit perfectly foam i got was PUI from Summit shipping was much more reasonable .

[AllGoNoShow]

I think I've worked my way through this, but there is seemingly a lot of conflicting opinions. I did call USA1 interiors and they said that the 67-68 covers are the exact same dimensions as the 69-72 (which is in conflict of what some say here), its just the 67-68 covers don't have the additional small piece that covers the hinges where the seat back attaches to the bottom. Also, the vendors/manufactuers claim the bottom cushions are the same from 67-72 (contrary to what is said here), and that the reason for different part numbers is because the back foam is vastly differently between 67-68 and 69-72 as already mentioned. PUI even lists the same part number cushion bottom for all the years.

I've continually heard good things about USA1 and there current lead times are better than anyone else, so I'm going to give them a try. My stock foam may be acceptable, but I'm just going to buy the OER foam to have on-hand, which is half the price of some of the other options. I'm 6'3 and can't afford to have a super stiff seat that pushes me into the headliner!

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by AllGoNoShow

I think I've worked my way through this, but there is seemingly a lot of conflicting opinions. I did call USA1 interiors and they said that the 67-68 covers are the exact same dimensions as the 69-72 (which is in conflict of what some say here), its just the 67-68 covers don't have the additional small piece that covers the hinges where the seat back attaches to the bottom. Also, the vendors/manufactuers claim the bottom cushions are the same from 67-72 (contrary to what is said here), and that the reason for different part numbers is because the back foam is vastly differently between 67-68 and 69-72 as already mentioned. PUI even lists the same part number cushion bottom for all the years.

I've continually heard good things about USA1 and there current lead times are better than anyone else, so I'm going to give them a try. My stock foam may be acceptable, but I'm just going to buy the OER foam to have on-hand, which is half the price of some of the other options. I'm 6'3 and can't afford to have a super stiff seat that pushes me into the headliner!

If you do get foam, I suggest CJ Pony, that’s where I got mine. It wasn’t stiff. And CJ Pony offers free shipping.
That’s the info I got also, that the foam is the same. And the covers are the same, except for the back. But your right, it seems conflicting by what others are saying. I only wish I had both seats and both foams, then I would have been able to compare them for myself. But where I got the info about everything I stated in the above post came from a pretty reliable source, they haven’t been wrong yet on anything.

[SkidmoreGarage]

I have had both OEM foams side by side, 67 and 72. I was planning to swap out my foam with the later model that was in a bit better condition. They are not the same because the frames are not the same. I ended up resurrecting my old foam with some upholstery foam and glue. You can look at my build thread for the process.

I am curious if the vendor has made a universal size that splits the difference, or, if they don't care about the difference in thickness. It will look great when it's done, it will just make you sit really high up and closer to the steering wheel.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by SkidmoreGarage

I have had both OEM foams side by side, 67 and 72. I was planning to swap out my foam with the later model that was in a bit better condition. They are not the same because the frames are not the same. I ended up resurrecting my old foam with some upholstery foam and glue. You can look at my build thread for the process.

I am curious if the vendor has made a universal size that splits the difference, or, if they don't care about the difference in thickness. It will look great when it's done, it will just make you sit really high up and closer to the steering wheel.

Thanks for the clarification. Thats what I wishing I could do, is compare the 2 side by side, but haven't had that opportunity yet. And since then, I sold the restored 67-68 seat frame and foam to someone. I'm just glad I did purchase 67-68 seat bottom foam. I did double check my records on that, and it was in fact 67-68.

[pjmoreland]

Here's a measurement of an American Cushion 67/68 foam and a USA1 cover on a 67/68 frame. It's about 9-1/2" tall at the tallest point. The cover does have a foam pad sewn to the inside of it. I don't remember how thick it is, but it's probably in the range of 1/2" to 1". I discarded the original foam because mice had been living in the seat, and I didn't think to take measurements of it. If anyone reading this has an original full-foam-bottomed 67-68 seat, it would be great if you could take the same measurement for comparison.

[AllGoNoShow]

Originally Posted by TKCR

Thanks for the clarification. Thats what I wishing I could do, is compare the 2 side by side, but haven't had that opportunity yet. And since then, I sold the restored 67-68 seat frame and foam to someone. I'm just glad I did purchase 67-68 seat bottom foam. I did double check my records on that, and it was in fact 67-68.

Just curious…did you blast the seat frame before painting? I saw some post I think here talking about how blasting the springs can “change” their springiness but it seemed like a bit much.

On my current-worn out, what I assume is original 52 year old foam seat, mine is about 8 inches on the measurement above.

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by AllGoNoShow

Just curious…did you blast the seat frame before painting? I saw some post I think here talking about how blasting the springs can “change” their springiness but it seemed like a bit much.

I did sandblast the frame. But the springs only get a minor hit with the sandblaster at a distance. It didn't take much to get the surface rust off the springs.
I have had seat springs that were already comprised by the rust, and sandblasting only reveals how much. But the springs get replaced at that point.

[BASE]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

Here's a measurement of an American Cushion 67/68 foam and a USA1 cover on a 67/68 frame. It's about 9-1/2" tall at the tallest point. The cover does have a foam pad sewn to the inside of it. I don't remember how thick it is, but it's probably in the range of 1/2" to 1". I discarded the original foam because mice had been living in the seat, and I didn't think to take measurements of it. If anyone reading this has an original full-foam-bottomed 67-68 seat, it would be great if you could take the same measurement for comparison.

The seat on my '68 is missing the cover but the foam on the passenger side is in fairly good shape. It measures just over 8", maybe 8-1/8" at the highest point.

[pjmoreland]

Originally Posted by AllGoNoShow

On my current-worn out, what I assume is original 52 year old foam seat, mine is about 8 inches on the measurement above.

It appears that the American Cushion foam is taller than the original. I am interested to see if that is also the case with the OER foam. I should have cleaned and reused the original foam. Have you considered doing that?

EDIT - Never mind. I reread your earlier posts. Makes sense to have replacement foam on hand just in case

[AllGoNoShow]

Originally Posted by pjmoreland

It appears that the American Cushion foam is taller than the original. I am interested to see if that is also the case with the OER foam. I should have cleaned and reused the original foam. Have you considered doing that?

EDIT - Never mind. I reread your earlier posts. Makes sense to have replacement foam on hand just in case

I'll let you know in a week. Bought the foam from classic industries, which has it in stock. But USA1 covers are backlogged 8-10 weeks now (PUI is several months longer than that).

[TKCR]

Originally Posted by AllGoNoShow

I'll let you know in a week. Bought the foam from classic industries, which has it in stock. But USA1 covers are backlogged 8-10 weeks now (PUI is several months longer than that).

They are worth the wait. They are handmade right here in the US, North Carolina.

[AllGoNoShow]

Just in case anyone finds this thread while researching it- I had someone install the cover and foam from OER- looks and feels great. Upholster guy said the cover fit real good and, for comparison, between the OER foam and American Cushion foam as measured above, the OER foam is 8 1/2 at that point (so the American Cushion foam is an inch higher).
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