gearhead Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I am restoring a 57Roadmaster convertible. The car obviously sat outside for quite a while since the whole top and interior have long sense deteriorated. I bought a 57 Super 2 door hardtop for a parts car.My question is whether or not the rear seats from the hardtop will fit my convertible. The seats in the convertible were just about totally gone, so I (probably mistakenly) sent the remaining few scraps of remaining springs to the scrap yard. If the seats are interchangeable, I am home free. If not, I will need to have the hardtop seats cut down to where they fit.The convertible has the open well on the sides to house the top mechanism when the top is down. I am thinking that this may result in the convertible seat being somewhat narrower than the hardtop.Please, please, please - someone tell me they are interchangeable. Please!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caballero2 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 (edited) Absolute not. I was faced with the same dilemma. If you can salvage the back rest back frame, you can reconstruct that seat back from another seat. I used the back from a Special four door hardtop. You might be able to use the Super one. The seats are approximately four inches wider than the Convertible. The attached thumbnail illustrates just how much wider the two door ht bottom unit is compared to the convertible back rest. I forced my two door ht to work. This gave my upholsterer fits, so I recommend you do whatever is necessary to reconstruct it.Dan '57 - 76C '57 - 56R Edited January 27, 2011 by Caballero2 Added Photos (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 The convertable rear seat is about 4" narrower. And I beleive the back has a different profile. It's really not a big deal to modify HT seats into convertables. Your trim shop should have 6' long straight lengths of seat wire. An abrasive cut off wheel, a mig welder, and hand tools was all I needed to do the deed...............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rob McDonald Posted January 28, 2011 Share Posted January 28, 2011 DAN, that back seat looks like one fabulous place to lounge in! Buick really had the occasional knack for an upholstery home run. They had a real Roadmaster double play in 1957 - your convertible, then the 75. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caballero2 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 (edited) Rob and others interested:The red leather has yet to be tested, but after finding the dealer tag, all corroded and pitted from Harrelson Motor Co in Moline, there as evidence of a lively history of the old upholstery. The ol' convertible had a faded KU Jayhawks parking sticker on the vent window. One can only imagine the stories that could be told if upholstery could speak.Dan Edited January 30, 2011 by Caballero2 Added Photo & Correct dealer name. (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Speaking of rear seats. After the restoration the rear seat of the 57 had never been sat in. Last fall, at a local show, a big ole mutt of a stray dog showed up. My animal lover wife decided the dog was local and was lost. So we left the show early and spent about an hour driving around with my wife and the dog in the rear seat looking for his home. He seemed to love it.Happy ending. We found his home and the seat was no longer a virgin........Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caballero2 Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Hence the handle Bhigdog?Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I have a Dodge PU truck. I was picking up a load of curly Maple lumber in a snowy field from a guy in northern PA. He told me up there they called Dodges "Dogs".After I loaded up I put it in 4 wheel low and drove right on out, uphill, through about 12" of snow. The guy remarked " Humph, that big dog just climbed right on out". We loved it. The next day I ordered vanity plates but had to settle for the spelling I have. So the Bhigdog actually refers to our truck, not me.................BobIf anyone needs pix of modifing HT to convert seats I think I have a couple...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearhead Posted January 30, 2011 Author Share Posted January 30, 2011 Great story, bhigdog. Yes, I would very much appreciate if you could send me any pictures you have of the seat conversion.Perhaps I was too hasty in scrapping my convertible seat frames. Believe me, however, there wasn't much left of them. I,stupidly, thought the hardtop and convertible seats were the same so I didn't think there was a need to keep them. In retrospect, how could they be the same? The convertible has the wells along the sides of the seats for the top mechanism to reside in. Dumb me!!If you could, please send the pictures to my email address: gearhead46@centurytel.netThank you for all of your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I'll look tomorrow and scan them. Mine were for a Century but the process is the same............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1957buickjim Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Bob, Great story on the moniker and the testing of the rear seats of your convert! Just like this thread, once you think that the things are pretty much the same you find out that guess what, not quite! The biggest problem is that you need to keep all the old rusty junk as well as the new parts as you progress in your dissassembly and reassembly of your vehicle, thus doubling the space necessary for the project..what was only to fill shelves in the garage, now fills those, and any available space in your basement, attic, on and on.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 After I was done with the 55 I cut up the HT parts car frame and what was left of the body and other left over convert pieces and threw them in my woods. Over the next 2 years I must have went back a dozen times to scrounge parts for my 57 project and even sent sections of the frame to a guy that needed to fix his. I must have a ton (literally) of left over/extra Buick and Olds parts. I just gave a guy a 55 Olds hood I had extra. I keep thinking I ought to get rid of the junk but every time I do I or someone else needs a part..............Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KdFwagen Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I'm faced with the same problem. The seats from my 50 Roadmaster Convert were missing when I got it. (Later Caddy seats were in it's place). So I did my resarch and found that the front Seat was the same as a Buick Super, 50 Cadillac and 50 Oldsmobile (2Dr Only). The Rear Seat from the 2Dr cars mentioned however were narrower and a section would need to come out. One interesting note was that the Roadmasters of 1950 had a folddown center armrest in the back seat. The Convertibles did not however due to the seat being too narrow. Too bad, as I like those fold down center armrests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bhigdog Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 There were lots of interchange possibilities back then. When I restored my 55 Olds S-88 I realized the floor was the same as my buick, so were the doors and trunk lid. The drive train however was night and day different.........Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KdFwagen Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Bob, Lucky for us that so many parts interchange for so many years to help us all restore this stuff.Not like today where they make parts fit 1 model and for only 1 year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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