Shall I remove the clear plastic seat covers have been on my 38,000 mile '65 Electra since it was new? The orginal seats are mint, however the plastic covers are split and no longer look nice. In some ways it is neat to say its had the plastic on the seats since in was new.

I would like to hear a couple of opinions on this, please.

Sheldon Rody

I would replace those plastic covers with another set of clear plastic covers.

Then you can say "Those seats have had clear plastic seat covers on them since they were new."

Good God! OFF............Bob

Can they be taken off and put back on without them falling apart? Take them off and when you get to a show or cruise nite put them on for show so you can enjoy the car with nice seats and still be able to stand there and brag about still having them!


38,000 miles? WOWWW!!!!!

I had a friend that put plastic seat covers on his seats and put some plastic over his rugs to the point of removing the sill plates to be able to put it under them to hold it in place. His reason for doing so was so that he would get more for a trade in or more when he sold the car.

?????????????????????????????????????????????


Oh, take them off!



stevo

Is this the custom interior ( vinyl) or the standard cloth interior.

I would think the vinyl would be okay without them, but I'd look for new protection for the cloth, in case it got cooked being under that plastic so long.

BTW, please post some pics of your car. I love (and miss) dad's 65 Electra.

For the sake of info,

My mother also bought a 65 Electra four door hardtop in 65. It was the really dark blue with a blue cloth interior. My brother cracked it up.


stevo

Your killin me with this Stevo.
My dad bought his 65 electra in 67. It became my car by default. 4 dr hardtop maroon with a black vinyl top and interior. Can't recall the original miles but when it got close to 100K he took it somewhere to have the odometer turned back. If I recall correctly it was around 49K at that point and I begged him not to sell. He started looking for a replacement but decided to wait it out. We brought it back up to 130K and he had had enough. Several broken motor mounts ( guess why) and a transmission, several master cylinders, tires, brakes. He just could not imagine why it was costing so much. But I took that car everywhere, and loved every minute in it.

The highlight was around 1971 or so, my parents went out with some friends. When my dad picked them up his friend said "hey, when did you get the new car?"

This was just another Buick that cemented my relationship with the brand.

OFF, OFF, OFF!

It's high time someone enjoys sitting on those beautiful cloth seats, it may as well be YOU!!!!!

My vote is to take em off and start enjoying your car. By the time ya part ways for one reason or another, those seats will still be mint.

Take them off and leave them off! You should enjoy the car and if it's a hobby car, you won't use it enough to put any appreciable wear on the seats anyway. You'll also take better care of them as an enthusiast. Having seat covers since new has given you a brand new interior for your car. You should enjoy the benefits of such a thing without having to sit on sticky, sweaty plastic. Seat covers since new is one kind of bragging, but telling everyone that your flawless interior is 100% original is much more impressive.

Ditch 'em.

stevo,
What's wrong with covering the floor carpeting with plastic? Ever see what four guys and their dogs can do to an interior while getting in an out of a Suburban over now 10 years of hunting seasons?
Used the 36" wide clear plastic carpet runner material, putting it under the seats by unbolting the buckets and middle row bench seat. Carpet was totally cherry until I borrowed the vehicle to friend's son and he dumped a 32 oz. coffee which got between the trans. hump cover and the driver's side. Carpet went from basic grey to the other available stock offering of basic tan. You can't win.

Uncle Fogey,

There you go, grey carpet........way too light especially for a bunch of guys running through the mud with wet dogs. On top of that you were probably throwing bleeding ducks, deer, moose, caribou and who knows what else onto and into that poor abused Suburban. Heck way up there in North country you were probably also hunting beaver, wolves, bear, wolverines and tiny rabbits. After all of that, a cup of coffee did it in. All the spilled beer never did it any damage, that will teach you....I bet you won't lend your prized possession to someone unless they put down a pretty hefty security deposit.

Oh well, live and learn.

Stevo

Bob's right...OFF!

Remember, such covers were NOT factory-installed, nor were they GM accessories. They were usually fairly generic, inexpensive covers, installed by nearby trim shop or the dealer's service department.

It's great that they've PROTECTED the seats, but there's nothing "original" about them....at least no more so than a Western Auto spotlight installed by the original owner (and I'd remove THAT too! )

Let the damn seats BREATH for the first time in years! Get some white cotton towels, and lay them over the cloth when you drive, so you don't sweat on, or soil, the cloth.

Might as well enjoy the cloth seats, as the NEXT owner probably will!!

Greg, with all due respect, that is not always true, I can't speak for what was available for the '65 Electra, but I bought a set of clear seat covers off of Ebay for my 59 Invicta that are genuine Buick accessories.





The Buick Accessories pamphlet for my 63 Electra also lists "Cushion Topper" seat covers as available for dealer installation, but these were "rayon backed with Thana-Foam rubber" and not clear plastic. It's entirely possible there was some type factory authorized seat cover option available for the '65.

Now for my opinion, I say leave them on. I bought the set for my '59 specifically to protect the original interior, not only against wear, but since they fit fairly snug to maybe help lessen the odds of split seams. I also never have to worry about going to the DQ for some ice cream. I can enjoy it while sitting in the car and not have to worry about dripping on the seats.

They are also an instant conversation starter as almost everyone that looks at the car who is of the age where they were common, can tell you a story about how some family member had them in their car and what memories they bring back.

From what I've heard, although the plastic "Fingerhut" style covers, whether smooth plastic or "patterned", will keep the base seat fabric looking pristine (while the plastic is still clear enough to see through it), the fabric can have a tendency to dry rot under the covers and still look nice. When, as was mentioned, the seat covers start to "breathe", and be used for their intended purpose, the fabric's structural integrity can very possibly significantly decrease.

IF the clear plastic seat covers came off while the car was a few years old (at the normal trade-in cycle, back then), then their use could increase the vehicle's value . . . but on a 40-something year old vehicle, it might be best to put another set on to replace the existing ones. I would consider them "a period accessory" that, as mentioned, can start many a conversation about their use.

Just some thoughts,
NTX5467

Today was the day, the Custom Cloth interior in my '65 Electra finally breathed fresh air! It took longer than I expected to remove the plastic seat covers. I was lucky that the installers hog ring holes do not show. As I removed the upper rear seat cushion I found the covers protected the cloth from a tar like substance from some old orginal sealing tape used under the seat. I replaced the black tape. I found a 1971 dime, and the orginal GM job tags were still attatched to the lower rear cushion. Its neat to see someones writing on the 43 year old tags.
Thanks to all who replied,
Sheldon