More AD seat info

[47 Fasttoys]

OK, so I know there a few threads on which seat is best for the AD body style. Well here's my input. Why not rebuild the original? cost, and at 6'2" I needed maximum leg room.
First off I have been running a '90 Chevy Silverado 40/60 bench in my AD for the last 49K miles. This seat fits very well, and in good shape it makes for a good replacement for the original. Issues with the Silverado 40/60:. If installed in the normal configuration the driver is positioned to the left of the steering wheel, if you reverse and go with 40/60 this eliminates that part. The second issue is recovering, the seat seat foam is vacuumed to the seat material when built new, this makes it next to impossible to remove the old material for replacement. If you can find a shop who has done it your looking at $500 to start. Not in My budget. My third issue with the Silverado seat: in my case the foam was collapsed to the point that I felt a support bar against my back while driving. On long trips this became an issue. If your just tooling around town, no big issue.
The Astro seat: I just finished the install of an second row Chevy Astro van seat in my AD. I found a pair of matching 2nd and 3rd row Astro seats from a '87 model, the only difference is the 2nd row has an arm rest on the right side. I got lucky in that both of these seats are in great shape and had basically been setting in a garage for years, they are also the correct color for a future repaint of my interior. The width is narrower the the Silverado. This puts the driver centered on the gauges and steering wheel. I was able to modify my seat adjusters from the Silverado so the Astro seat is now adjustable. Comfort? not sure on this yet, I'll give a report on this after a few thousand miles. I will be running up to the Charlotte Auto Fair tomorrow (300+ mile round trip) so I'll get a good idea. The seat cover on these appears to be removable which is a plus. I will build some side covers later hide the mounting system. In my case the whole seat mount tilts forward for panel access (mid engine).
Rob

[Advanced Design]

I never thought of switching the Silverado seat 40/60 to 60/40 on the install. I put one in the black truck and didn't like sitting to the left of the gauges. Didn't think outside the box did I?

Good seat swap. Keep us posted on the Astro seat.

Oh, I am amazed (and impressed) with the miles you are racking up!

[oldman3]

Looks like a nice set-up, will wait for your review on comfort...Jim

[av8tr33337]

Perfect timing. I have the Astro Van/Safari Van 3rd seat ready to put in my 51. Coincidence is that it is the exact same fabric and color as your 40/60 seat was. It is in very good shape as well because it hardly got used. It came out of a 96 GMC Safari Van we drove for years. It's going to be a while before I am ready to actually mount it but I think its a good fit for me (6 foot 2) as well.

[Jesse Z]

Darn - just took my new-condition Astro 2nd and 3rd seats to the dump after hauling them from house to house for the last 20 years :-(

[47 Fasttoys]

Yeah, that seems to be the case with most rear seats for the Astro van. I was able to find 3 or 4 with only 2 hours of searching. I only paid $50 for the pair. Heck, I can't buy a seat cover for that.
Rob

[nvrdone]

ive got a 3rd row astro van seat in my '49. installed it about 3 years ago & am very happy with it. much better that the old worn out stock seat

[joedoh]

looks great! I like using the bench 88-98 ck seats, not the 60/40 or 40/60. I saw one guy use two 40s! my upholstery guy just made new covers with new styled foam and didnt even bother peeling the stock cover off. its still under there!

[72Mountaineer]

I was at a show this weekend, saw a nice '53 with a '77 Cutlass bench seat with a center fold-down console that fit perfect, looked great.

[47 Fasttoys]

OK, so the first test was a fail. I spent about 6 hours driving the truck Sunday. The seat was mounted a little to flat which didn't sit right, that was the minor issue. The biggest issue was the adjustment sliders. I had them mounted 1 inch below the cushion. It turns out with my weight, 220 pounds, the bottom of the seat was resting against the adjuster, not so bad for me, but terrible for the passenger. My wife goes about 145 and it was still an issue. The adjuster for the passenger was right under the left cheek which was not a good thing for a long drive. Started working on a remount last night.
Rob

[47 Fasttoys]

OK, 1000+ mile update: I ended up removing the adjusters, so now the seat is no longer adjustable. I cut the Astro mounts up and welded a piece of 3/4 inch square stock which I then welded to the original seat surround. In my case, I have other gussets close to the "3/4 stock so flex is not an issue. So how does it sit after 1000 miles? Very good. it took a couple of different mount tests to get it right but it was worth it. The seat cushion is firmer then the Silverado but the support is also better. leg room is fine, I,m 6'2" 220# so leg room is important. I still need to build some covers for the side.
Rob