The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Tilt Bench for a '51?

During the winter, I am working up the bench seat on my '51 3100. I wanted a stock appearance with refurbished padding and new vinyl cover. This week, I noticed in the new Custom Classic Trucks magazine (Feb. 04) a nice tech article on rebuilding a bench seat for a '57 3100. This seat has tilt back, offering access to the area behind the seat. As my '51 project includes a gas tank relocation, this appeals to me.

So here are my question(s):
-Were tilt seats available in '57 trucks or are they a custom modification?
-If they were stock, will the '57 tilt-back frame fit in a '51 3100 AD cab?

Let me know before I get in too deep on my stock, rigid frame bench seat!

I couldn't find the article you were talking about in Custom Classic Trucks. Was this tilt bench seat available for purchase somewhere?

Ms54GMC-

Article is on page 58 of the Feb. '04 issue (with the stellar silver-green '58 Sub on the cover). The stock seat back MAY tilt forward, that's the question#1 I asked in the first post. If it is not a stock feature, let's hope someone can let us know how to get one!

The 58 and 59 models I had, both tilted and were stock seats.

Were the tilt bench seats available on a 51 3100? Mine does not tilt, but I have seen some AD's that do. What is stock for 1951?
Thanks for the help.

Mark

Mark-

I should get scolded for initiating parallel threads.

See Lounge Thread on Tilt Benches for more info. The quick answer is no, they were not available until the late '50's and these are too wide for AD cabs '47-54. Shucks!

51PhatBoy-
I have seen a 52 or 53 3/4 ton that has the tilt bench seat. From the looks of the rest of the truck, I believe that it was original. This truck was not restored. I think that they were available before the late 50s. It may have been standard after 51, because mine comes forward with no tilt. I thought they all did that and mine was welded at some point so it would not tilt. Thanks for the thread. It is just another question in a long list.

Mark

Mark/51Bolt-

THANK YOU for this info. I wasn't aware of a tilt-forward bench seat in the AD era. I have come across boneyard trucks in my area, but most are missing the seats and/or frames. The frame I had found has a rigid back, but I WANT one that tilts forward, allowing my to take advantage of cab room vacated when the gas tank left. I will keep looking.

Perhaps it is time to list this in the Swap Meet-Parts Wanted category....

Keep on boltin'-

Mark,
Not challenging what you saw, but I have never seen any documentation that indicates there were tilt forward bench seats for any AD trucks. I would love to see a reference indicating such a beast existed. Would be a way cool original mod if it did.

Hey Jeff-
I'm pretty new to all of this but here is what I came across. I was in Central Illinois at my son's high school graduduation when we came around a corner and there was a 3/4 ton in a front yard that had a for sale sign. We stopped and looked it over. When I opened the cab, I move the seat forward and it tilted forward. I think it was a 52 or 53 because it had the vent windows on the doors and push button door handles. From that, I thought that all ADs had the tilt seat, but a couple of months later, when I bought my 51 3100, it would not tilt-just come forward. I thought that in its life somewhere, the tilt feature had broken and someone just welded it down. Now I'm really confused. Like I say, this is pretty new stuff to me.
Here's another question: When the subject of the seat comes up, there is mention of a tool box under the seat. Was there a box or was the whole space under the seat considered the tool box?
When I could not get mine to tilt forward, I found that the seat cushion removed and the tire tools and jack were still there, but not a "box". Is there such a thing?
Sorry for the long post.

Mark

Thanks, Mark. I could certainly be wrong (I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken ), but I think you will find that all stock AD seats are fixed. The one you saw was probably modified.

As for the "tool box", GM called the entire space under the seat, within the seat riser frame, the tool box. No separate box was there.

Hey Jeff and 51 PhatBoy-

Thanks for the info on the tool box. One of very many questions is now answered and checked off of my list.
I could very well be wrong.(It would not be the first time-just ask my wife.) It very well could have been modified, but I got to tell ya, nothing else had been modded that I could see. It was a work/farm truck, like most were back then.
After rereading Phats thread, I realized that he is looking for a bench seat BACK that tilts. This one did not do that. The whole seat assembly tilted and was hinged at the forward lower corner of the seat section once the whole assembly moved forward to the stop. There was no pivet between the back section and the seat section. The frame is one assembly. I think that Phat is right-there are not seat BACKS that hinge forward.
Man- this is a long thread on just seats. I got to say though that this is the best site for our trucks. Nothing that I have found compares.

Thanks again for the info.

Mark

Mark-

Yes, a long thread, but we're getting there, inch by inch. The collective knowledge of Stovebolters is pretty astounding and most useful!

Thanks for the clarification on the tilt-forward seat rather than a tilt-forward seat back. Perhaps this was an option in larger trucks, like the 3/4 ton model you came across. Also possible that some enterprising farm engineer added that feature without touching much else.

I was hoping for a modification or alternative that would allow me to get behind the seat. As I am adding seatbelts attached to the floor rather than the seat frame, an "entire" flip won't be possible.

51PhatBoy,
You might want to look into the brackets and tracks from Jeep wrangler seats. The seat backs fold forward and then the entire chair tips forward (towards the windshield) allowing access to the back seat. I was thinking of using something like that on my `51 burb on the front passenger seat.

BurbGirrrl-

Thanks for the suggestion. I have always been looking at a stock bench, as we are family of three and buckets were not an option. Modifying a bench with Jeep components could work. Great suggestion!