Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area Interiors Seat swap

I am going to be building a 51 five window. I was wondering what kind of bench seat makes a good swap for the orginal? I am going to relocate the gas tank so I would like to place the seat a little futher back and maybe a little lower than the stocker because I am a big guy. Thanks!

This is a new forum, so please bear with us -- somebody should be along soon to give you a good answer. I, on the other hand, will give you a half-baked answer ...

In my '49, I have the seat all the way back and it's against the back of the cab as it is. A different seat may not give you any more room than what you get now (the gas tank is low enough that the top of the seat clears it.

Also, something to think about -- later bench seats have their own supports -- so if you take out the riser (involves cutting the truck which I am not personally in favor of), you can put just about anything that fits width-wise.

Hope this info helps.

Regards,
John

I didn't realize you had to cut anything to change the seat. I am not in favor of this either but it has already been done on my truck. It has two old bucket seats in there so I guess the damage has been done. Thanks!

If you can find an original seat and have it reupholstered with a shallower back, you will fit in there fine. I am 6'2 and have size 15 feet and I am just fine in my cab with original seat.

Hey, rather than starting a new thread I'll bump this one up.

I'm a big guy too with a big ol'gut and I'm looking for anything that will give me some more breathing room. Any seat suggestions or tips and tricks that you've discovered?

The answer is to find a replacement seat with a back that is as thin as possible and then raise the seat up as much as you can and still be able to see out of your rear view mirror. A lot of guys seem to think that moving the gas tank from the cab will give them more cab space for seating but that results only in an increase in storage space behind the seat. Unless you have a very low seat back (uncomfortable) the seat meets the back of the cab above the gas tank recess. If doing a resto-mod you will also gain some room by using a smaller diameter steering wheel.

Another option, is to shorten the steering column, or install a tilt column. Do a search, it's been done by other bolters.

I'm 5'10" and the original seat is just fine. I plan to recover it. Vinyl is hot in the summer

I used a seat from a 1990 full size Chevy pickup. I had to do a little modifying, but it was worth it. I got a lot more leg room and head room and it's a lot more comfortable than an original seat.

The full size pickup seats fit good in the 1950 and up trucks. For anyone happening upon this thread, I thought I would add that the full size pickup seats are much too wide for the earlier cabs, but the S10 seats fit good in those.