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1967 seat foam---Help!!!


thebiff

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I have a 67 Riv with the strato bench seat and I am going to replace it with console and bucket seats. I have a couple of questions that have come up. Does anyone know if the "A" body cars from 66-72 have basically the same seats, as far as the foam and size. I know the adjusters are different, but the seats seem pretty much the same. Has anyone here replaced their foam on your seats and WHERE did you get it??? I can't sem to find any except earlier and later models---also the rear seat foam will need to be replaced---If anyone else has experienced this same problem and can give me some direction ---I would appreciate it---Thanks in Advance--Jeff (newbie Riv owner)

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You might want to check on the GM full size cars rather than the A-body intermediates for bucket seat items. Like an Impala SS or Pontiac Bonneville which would have had factory bucket seats available (and for which you might find seats that will more likely bolt in where you desire them to without too many alterations).

As I recall, the "Strato Bench" and "Strato Bucket" seats were also nomenclatured for Chevrolet Impalas and Caprices too. I think it had more to do with their cushion contours than anything else, but they were unique and pretty neat for back then.

Unless these seats are "full molded foam", then there will most probably be a more normal "build" of the seats themselves. That would mean a basic metal seat frame, to which the springs are attached, then covered with a burlap-type fabric, and then the foam "build" on top of that, and then the final seat covers as the final addition to the assembly. In this scenario, the seat foam should be available at an upholstery supply vendor (possibly near where you might live). To me, a key issue would be that it be rated for automotive use rather than residential use specifically.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

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I had an upholsterer replace the foam on the driver's side of my '66 Riviera's strato-bench seat, and it was quite reasonable. I'm sure he used a generic foam and cut it to fit.

Does anyone know just how rare the bucket seat and floor-shift console cars are? My family owned a '66 new that I sure wish I had kept.

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Guest Riviera66

The Impalas et al did use the exact same size StratoBenches and StratoBuckets. I get a lot of the Impala catalogs because I find SOO many things that interchange to Riviera. www.carsinc.com and www.truckandcarshop.com (local to me here in CA) are the ones that stock the most stuff we can use. I keep finding dozens of little pieces I can use (and a few that look like they are right but aren't.)

The foam should be same size from '66 to '70...only very minor differences from the changed headrest etc. shouldn't really matter for foam. Or you can also get your upholsterer to just cut a new one from a foam block too. But the premouldeds are cheaper (I've only seen buckets so far, not the Stratobench bottom). But if you get 2 buckets, your upholsterer can cut just the center piece and glue the two buckets together for re-creating a Stratobench.

As far as 'rarity' of buckets go, they're not rare at all. 43.0% of '66 Rivieras had bucket seats...some of those so ordered were too cheap to order a floor shifter and got a center consolette instead... but still 36.3% of all '66 Rivieras were floor shifted buckets and console cars. (Stay tuned for upcoming "Options Not Included" articles in the Riview on seating for additional details).

Darwin Falk

1966-70 ROA Technical Advisor

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