I got these seats with an old Buick. The seller said he thought they came out of a '35-38 Chevrolet panel truck, or maybe a sedan delivery. Can anyone provide verification? I've tried to search the net but couldn't find many stock panel truck and the few images I found didn't have good overall pictures of the stock seats.
Hi Bobj, Welcome to the Stovebolt. Pull up a chair and have a seat. Feel free to go to the Welcome Centre Forum and introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about your Stovebolt!! And a quick tip, if you make a signature for yourself, you can add the vehicles you are working on so it will be listed on every post you make. This way, if you forget to mention it, you won't have to repeat yourself or have people ask you what you are working on. See my signature as an example.
I'm not familiar with the '35-'38 Panel truck, but I'm sure someone will come along who can verify your question. It sure looks like the panel seats I have seen in the past.
I have a 100% stock 1938 3/4 ton panel truck, and the seats in your pictures look very much like mine. They attach to the floor with brackets like those in your top picture (on the driver side). The holes on the back are, of course, not visible because everything was originally covered with a sort of leatherette. The passenger seat was an option, and mine, like yours, has slightly different mounting brackets from the driver side, but the dimensions are the same and should fit with the brackets on the floor.
So, it looks pretty much like you have original seats from a panel, ca. 1937-38. If you measure the distance between mounting brackets on the bottoms, I can check with mine to confirm that these would fit.
As you might imagine, original seats like these are rarer than rare--VERY difficult to find in any shape. I have no idea what they might be worth on today's market, but if someone is looking to restore a panel to original, these would be a very nice find.
What would be the reason for the backs to fold down on a panel truck seat? The seats I have for my "37 panel are rigid. I think those seats are from a 2 door sedan.
What would be the reason for the backs to fold down on a panel truck seat?
Mike
I had a 1953 panel for many years. It had correct seats and the passenger seat folded forward and then the whole seat pivoted again, putting the whole seat ahead of its original position. It gave excellent access to the cargo area.
I wish I still had the pics, the seats were almost identical to the ones shown. The driver seat slid ahead and back on rails but the passenger seat had pivots at the front where it attached to the floor while the back was just two wooden blocks. This was a 1953 panel.
I've had many 55.2-59 panels with similar seats. Although the backs were metal. Sometimes known as Bomber seats. Fold then tilt forward after that. For Access to passenger side. To confirm, spend time on the internet and you will be able to confirm if they are. Can't imagine what else they would be. Maybe some old coupes had those, don't know.
Last edited by bartamos; 04/21/202110:10 PM. Reason: More to the point of question
Coupes have a bench seat. 2 door sedans have folding seats for access to the rear seat. Any evidence of present or past cloth upholstery would indicate passenger car origins. Seats like these, with holes in the back, are on eBay regularly. Sometimes they have crazy opening bids or "buy it now" prices and rarely get a hit. If they were real panel truck seats, I think they would sell, given their rarity. My '37 panel seats have smooth, solid backs. I will check to see if the passenger side has a folding backrest, but I don't believe it does. I think they have original covering.
Coupes have a bench seat. 2 door sedans have folding seats for access to the rear seat. Any evidence of present or past cloth upholstery would indicate passenger car origins. Seats like these, with holes in the back, are on eBay regularly. Sometimes they have crazy opening bids or "buy it now" prices and rarely get a hit. If they were real panel truck seats, I think they would sell, given their rarity. My '37 panel seats have smooth, solid backs. I will check to see if the passenger side has a folding backrest, but I don't believe it does. I think they have original covering.
Mike
Back in the 30's they had a 5 passenger coupe with tilt seats.
The seat for a coupe with a back seat would still be a bench seat with the backrest in two sections to fold forward separately. I have never seen any coupe with bucket type seats. Bogarts photos match the panel truck seats that I have. They have metal backs that are not covered in upholstery material. The seats which are the subject of this post are passenger or perhaps sedan delivery seats from '35/'36 or earlier.
