Seats hurting back

[GA Cowboy]

My dad and I now have 2 72's and the bench seats hurt his back. I know he is not the only one with lower back issues. What have you guys done to make it comfortable? We are looking at getting our latest truck restuffed as there is a dip in the drivers seat.

[gmc684x4]

The dip wont help
Possibly a broken spring or two
I seen lots of ppl putting 88 and up seats in there trucks

Is your seat any better shape ? You could try swapping with your dad to see if that helps

I have an 92 bench with the arm rest i am going to try when i get my rolling 2 wheel drive chassis this week

[mr48chev]

Best I can offer if you are bent on keeping the original seat is go to a good upholstery shop and ask them if they can rebuild the seat so it is comfortable but still looks like it is an original seat.

I've Got a 89/92 silverado Split bench in my 71 GMC and that was the best move I ever made. I don't know what year it is but it is grey velour and I think it came out of an extended cab. Actually I think it came out of a truck a friend of mine owned a few years before I bought the seat. There are a few grades of those 88-90 something Chevy truck seats and the plain flat bench Is harder than a wood church pew during a long Sunday Sermon. A buddy of mine gave me one of those, actually his wife gave it to me as he was thinking of a price when she said "give the thing to him and get it out of here". It was indeed a thing even though it looked great. I ended up giving it away to a guy desperate for a seat when I got the grey one.

[68panelman]

My utility buckets in my blazer were redone by the po, and man they are like a sofa chair, super comfy. Look into rebuilding your bench

[special-K]

I broke a vertebra when I was 31 and have had back pain ever since. I also kept doing labor, so work makes it hurt. Days I'd spend mostly running in my truck it would hurt as well. But I go a week or so without work and it feels fine, unless I sit funny or carry heavier stuff.

So when we planned our trip to the SW from Maryland in the '71 Custom Camper I was concerned what that long drive would do to my back. Two week vacation and I came home feeling the best I had since before I fell.

We with back issues have a variety of reasons they hurt. But in my case it's the work I do that makes it hurt, not the truck seat. When my back is pretty bad, it hurts to do anything (stand, sit, lie down) for too long. I'll hurt from sitting in the most comfortable chair on the planet... after a while.
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I wish I had a picture of my buddy buckets. They were redone and are so so very comfortable. They are sort of '68 style but the bolsters are more pronounced and it has real roll & pleat. What I really liker is the upper back/shoulder area is scooped out. The guy who had them done for himself was a very big man and I guess that's why it was done. But for my size it makes the seat hug my back with just the right support. Factory seats can be made to be very comfortable.

[palallin]

Odd how things are different for each person. The bench seat in my '69 is the only car seat I've ever owned that does *not* irritate my back.

[HO455]

Everyone has different issues with their back (If they are unlucky enough to have back problems) so it is hard to get good information on what may help you. I have had back surgery and suffer on and off from sciatica. For me being active is the key to less pain. That being said driving for more than 30 minutes in most vehicles causes me discomfort. The list includes the following vehicles 91 S10 Blazer, 95 Lexus SC400, 09 2500 Ram, 16 Nissan Maxima, 17 Toyota Camry and a 51 GMC.
However the bench seat in my Burban is the best seat I have found as I can drive for hours in it without pain. So I am quite apprehensive about reupholstering the seat in it. I am building a second seat now to try out the changes i have planned for the truck and I will drive it for a month or so before I have it recovered. The last thing I want is to have an expensive restored seat that is painful.
The best recommendation I can make is to drive other vehicles to get a feel on how they affect your body. Pay attention as to how you sit in the vehicle. In other words if you find the seats in a 2018 Camaro work well be aware that once installed in one of our trucks you will be siting in a different position. The wheel, pedal, and seat geometry in your test vehicle should be similar to your truck. The angles of your knees and hips as well as how straight your spine is will make a difference. Sometimes small changes make a big difference.
Another thing I can say is with back issues it is best to avoid lowered vehicles as the reduced suspension travel puts more stress on the back.

[Astro-Balls]

Take it to a Auto Upholstery shop, they can modify the foam to fit you.

[TwoFiftyShifter]

I put a 91 chevy split bench in my 71. It was very comfortable. Great option if you are not a purist.

[jfnar]

I have buckets from an '05-ish chevy truck. The ones with the built in seat belts. They're better than the worn out bench I replaced and in my '05 2500 extended cab they're great. The difference is that in my extended cab I can lean them back a little and I have more leg room. The room available in these cabs won't allow you to lean back and straighten your legs a little. I've day dreamed a lot about finding ways to get a couple more inches of space. One change I made that helped a lot was to put in a tilt column and slide it down as far as I could. Then I replaced the steering wheel with a smaller diameter wheel with no dish (offset). It allows me to put my arms in a position that's much more comfortable than having the steering wheel against my chest. It seems that any part of your body that is out of position will translate into back pain.

[siggyfreud]

The old bench seats are, in my opinion, terrible for back support. Look at how they curve. They start to curve away from the back right where you lower back begins to hit them. Not only that, but they end to push on your mid-back without supporting your upper back either. So you end up resting on one point in your back, vs. spreading out the load.

Get them refoamed and covered with a more modern design that supports you over the entire back, or get an aftermarket set. I know TMI now has seats offering adjustable lumbar support. You could also put in OE seats from another vehicle with better support and adjustability.

I couldn't have been happier ditching my factory bench.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Astro-Balls

Take it to a Auto Upholstery shop, they can modify the foam to fit you.

This ^^^

Originally Posted by TwoFiftyShifter

I put a 91 chevy split bench in my 71. It was very comfortable. Great option if you are not a purist.

Or this ^^^

I told about my custom done buddy buckets. I could have mentioned the high back cloth buckets that were in my '92 K3500. When I sat on that buddy bucket seat it was the same instant "ahh" feeling I got when I sat in the '92.

I thought I was being smart ordering the vinyl low backs because it was bought to work. Comfort was ok, about like utility buckets. Not really "buckets", fairly flat surfaced. What sucked about them is it only took about 20k miles to start seeing splits in the bottoms. I had the driver seat bottom replaced three times within the factory warranty.

I found the new take out high back cloth seats I should have ordered and let me tell you they were comfortable. I did quite a few 8-10hr drives in that truck, no problem. Great support in every way. So any seat can be made that comfortable

[Steeveedee]

I bought an econobox ('05 Corolla) for the long commute to and from work. That bucket seat cut into my right leg and did my circulation in. I could barely get out of the car after a 2 hour ride. I ended up getting a triangular slice of foam and carving it to shape, and pumping the seat to the highest position (I'm 5'-9" and with that foam pad, my head was close to the ceiling, and I had to crouch to get in). I put 180k miles on that little critter, and wanted to be sure to not suffer any more than I had to.

I'd recommend getting pieces of foam from different places (different shapes, thickness and stiffness) and putting them in positions where you have the least amount of (or no) pain. Once you get that figured out, you have good information to give the upholsterer on what will work for you. You might also work on the passenger's side comfort the same way. I can drive my truck for a long way without leg or back pain. It's a stock bench seat. I'm looking at getting the seat upholstered, since the cover is shot and the foam is falling out, but I'll buy the skin and take it to an upholstery shop for the rest of the work.

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

Have you ever seen a suspension seat? To me they are the most comfortable seat ever. They even come in truck bench seat sizes custom ordered for not much more then a quality job at the upholstery shop.

I did one on a C20 I built, and I ordered a wider seat to fill the whole cab up. Plus I could sit in front of the center of the wheel. Which to me was a big deal. It had head rests, and slots for the belts. On a quick overnight trip I did for money. Being cheap I slept in the seat laid down with my feet out the window. Much better then most bench seats I did the same thing in.

The only down side was my father in law God rest his soul. Found it a bit difficult to swing in over the raised edge of the frame.