Console/standard seats

Topic: Console/standard seats (Read 1476 times) previous topic - next topic

Console/standard seats

December 02, 2005, 02:02:40 PM

In my car I have the standard LX seats with power and the short, stubby little console. I am wanting to do a 5-speed swap :hick: (I'm collecting parts slowly) and already have a turbo coupe center console ready to go. My question is will this center console work with my standard seats or do I need to find TC seats for it?

Console/standard seats

Reply #1 – December 02, 2005, 02:37:50 PM

You have two choices:

1) Find buckets and install them; or
2) Hack the consolette off your driver's seat frame, and sew up the material to look good.

Console/standard seats

Reply #2 – December 02, 2005, 02:41:37 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats

You have two choices:

1) Find buckets and install them; or
2) Hack the consolette off your driver's seat frame, and sew up the material to look good.

what material was that? if i rember correctly... (3years ago) i cut the consolett off and put in a tc one and it didnt look bad. but like i said it was 3 years ago, and eventualy i did put tc seats in it.

Console/standard seats

Reply #3 – December 02, 2005, 02:44:48 PM

So if I'm planning on having the seats recovered anyway it will work? I thought I'd read somewhere that the bracketry or mounting points were different in some way.

Not to get side tracked but Eric what did you ever find out about the plastic seat belt "sheaths". I knew you were looking for possiblities on other model vehicles that would retrofit. Mine are battered pretty bad and so are all the ones at the junkyard. A friend of mine does upholstery so I can get a deal of getting my seats redone...I'd just hate to have those nasty seatbelts sticking out and ruining the whole look.

Console/standard seats

Reply #4 – December 02, 2005, 02:46:45 PM

If you use the standard seat again, there will be a hole in the material where the consolette bracket was. I usually recommend just sewing the hole shut. You could have a new panel sewn in, or replace the seat with a bucket...but for most people, in a spot where you'll never see the repair, sewing it works fine because it's f-r-e-e.

Console/standard seats

Reply #5 – December 02, 2005, 03:22:06 PM

Quote from: EricCoolCats

You have two choices:

1) Find buckets and install them; or
2) Hack the consolette off your driver's seat frame, and sew up the material to look good.

There was a seat with a console attached? :wtf: Anyone have a picture of this?

Console/standard seats

Reply #6 – December 02, 2005, 03:59:21 PM

Quote

Not to get side tracked but Eric what did you ever find out about the plastic seat belt "sheaths". I knew you were looking for possiblities on other model vehicles that would retrofit. Mine are battered pretty bad and so are all the ones at the junkyard. A friend of mine does upholstery so I can get a deal of getting my seats redone...I'd just hate to have those nasty seatbelts sticking out and ruining the whole look.

I haven't been to the boneyard for any comparisons. It looks like Mustang ones will be too short to be of any good to us. Probably Mark VII only. I have also found a few companies that sell complete aftermarket seat belt systems for cars and trucks. One of them has what I consider to be nice belts at very reasonable prices, and I'm leaning toward them for the convertible. In other words...I gave up on repairing the seat belt sheaths. :)

Console/standard seats

Reply #7 – December 02, 2005, 04:17:56 PM

Cool. I think I remember you mentioning the company making aftermarket belts. It would be nice if there were some companys to emerge and start making interior resto parts for our cars. It sucks having to pick through junkyard to try and find something mint...its almost impossible to find anything half way nice.

Console/standard seats

Reply #8 – December 02, 2005, 04:42:02 PM

Quote from: oldraven

There was a seat with a console attached? :wtf: Anyone have a picture of this?

You mean to say you've never seen a base model? I can get you a picture, but you must have seen it before. It's not like a full console, just the seat, window, and mirror controls...

Console/standard seats

Reply #9 – December 02, 2005, 04:45:19 PM

This isn't mine, but here ya go:

Console/standard seats

Reply #10 – December 02, 2005, 04:47:55 PM

Quote from: oldraven

There was a seat with a console attached? :wtf: Anyone have a picture of this?

All 1985-1988 T-Birds and Cougars with the base "consolette" had it attached to the seat. It's not just bolted on, either - that sucker is welded on with a bracket almost half the size of the seat bottom.

When I installed the console I removed the upholstery from the seat and cut the bracketry off with a diamond wheel. When I reassembled it I simply folded the material up so that the hole was hidden - I didn't bother sewing it becausde I knew I was going to be recovering the seats anyway.

Oldraven: Here is a pic of the console attached to the seat (pic taken moments before it was hacked off for the full console install):

Console/standard seats

Reply #11 – December 02, 2005, 05:36:40 PM

I never knew those were part of the seat. Thanks. :)

Console/standard seats

Reply #12 – December 02, 2005, 07:04:48 PM

Before i put TC seats in my car, i cut the bracket off as close to the frame as i could without cutting the fabric, folded it, and taped it