The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk arm rests

can u put arm rests outta a diff car in a 1961 chvey apache.. id like to have bigger ones then the stock

The question is if they'd line up with your original mounting holes. However, if you'd like bigger ones, then use your old ones for a model, build yourself some frames and have an upholstry shop cover them for you. Be a nice trick set up, and you could include the old stockers when you sell the thing.

I have seen many aftermarket and/or different year armrests in the '60-'66 Chevy trucks. Although not all trucks of this era came with armrests from the factory, the panels can be drilled to receive the armrest of your choice. If you want to use the factory holes, you can fabricate armrests from glued up wood stock, ie oak or maple. I did a pair of custom armrest from red oak. With a bandsaw and an orbital sander you can make about any size or shape you want. If you use a tight grain wood like maple they can be sanded smooth, coated with sanding sealer and painted to match your interior. Good luck with your armrest project.

On my '60, the p.o. never put in the armrest so I have virgin panels and I'm unsure if I want to add them. The only deciding factor thats' on the table is the fact that to close the door you need to pull the door latch handle or the top of the door frame. These ideas are not pleasing to me as I figure the handle will get weak or someone (read "me") scratch the paint on top of the door frame.

Jake

The armrests in the factory locations serve two very important needs. One, they provide a pull point for closing the door from the inside in lieu of using the window crank or door handle. Second, they are a good place to rest your left arm while driving in lieu of draped out the window, especially when you have the window up. The Factory Assembly Manual gives the exact dimensions for drilling the unmolested factory door panels. Some are equiped with the capture nuts affixed to the inside of the panel. They can be viewed by removing the panel. If the capture nuts are not attached to the panel, a hole can be drilled and a bolt and lock washer used to affix the armrest of your choice.