1956 Buick Special/Century Manual Seat Skirts

[SpecialEducation]

We have looked high & low for seat skirts for our '56 Special Riviera, and finding a perfect set seems to be impossible.  Even very low mile survivor cars show cracks on these panels because they just weren't very durable.  When the extremely rare nice set is found, it's at a pretty steep price.  While that might be okay for a show car, we drive ours quite a bit and it seems likely that we'd probably crack them out in short order.  Reproductions would be preferred for a variety of reasons.

 

We can easily come up with something that looks nice and is fairly durable, but we want it to look correct.  Is there really nobody out there that makes seat skirt reproductions?

 

[Fr. Buick]

I thought these were made of aluminum in '56, plastic in 54-55. 

 

I have aluminum, for a manual or a power seat, your pick.  They will need a little work, but they are respond very well even to my very basic skills in straightening, painting and polishing.  I was thrilled to be done with the plastic ones on my '54 when I upgraded to a '56 power seat mechanism...

 

PM me a cell phone number, and I can text you some pics.

[SpecialEducation]

Nope, I believe they were all aluminum for '57, but in '56 the 40 series manual seats still had plastic - unless they made a mid-year change I'm not familiar with.  Investing in old, degraded plastic doesn't interest us much, but I'm not sure how my dad would feel about changing to aluminum.  If they are essentially a bolt-on fit, it would certainly be easier than the alternative:

 

Years ago we were an OEM that made parts like this for several automakers, and we've kicked around the possibility of making reproductions ourselves, but that's no small task.  These are not going to be easy parts to make because of the way they lock onto the mold.  It will cost us quite a bit to make the tools and we aren't looking to compete with anyone who might already be making them.  If we did make repros, we might use heavier material to make them a bit more durable, otherwise we would mimic the process in which the originals were made.

 

With all of the repro parts out there, the fact that I can't find these really surprises me. If the standard fix is to swipe an aluminum skirt from a different year (or just swap in power seats), that probably explains why nobody has bothered to reproduce them.

[old-tank]

If you have old sagging or broken seat springs and foam, sitting on the edge of the seat will break any repaired or new skirt.  And no, reproductions are not available until you supply them .

[JohnD1956]

There is a void on Buick parts in the reproduction market. As such chances are some people don't even look for them and wind up with something from the tri five Chevy catalogs. I'd direct you there to see if anything is already done and similar.  Otherwise, if you have the talent and time, then I'm sure folks would appreciate the effort.  You can advertise in the Buick clubs monthly magazine The Bugle, to see if there is enough market to make it worthwhile.

[Long Roof]

You are a step ahead of me. I am working on the interior of my Century wagon and will soon need the seat skirts repaired or replaced. I have a couple of sets in various stages of ill repair. I had thought about trying to fortify and beef up the skirts from behind and then covering them on the outside surface with vinyl that matches the seats. 

Surely somebody has already dealt with this problem. What fixes have been done in the past? 

[dons56]

Friends.  Matt (SpecialEducation) is my son.  I am new to the forum.  I read the pervious posts and thought it good to explain a few things and perhaps get some additional input.

 

My father incorporated his business in 1963, I was 12.  The main product we made was thermoformed plastic.  That is to say we took flat sheet, heated it in a oven and formed it over a mold.  Now that is a simplified explanation of a process that can be done using many techniques. I worked for him during my summer, Christmas, and spring breaks from school.  After graduation from high school I proved that I did not need my dad to get and hold a job and then later went to work with him and my older brothers.  A secondary product we produced was tooling for our customers who were going to be buying molded plastic parts from us.  I got my hands into all facets of the business before we sold out in 1981.  That was a long time ago.

 

These fender skirts are actually a quite complex part to make, both tooling wise and molding.  We did things many shops would not.  The production of these parts were within the capability of our company.  While we had expensive machines to do most of the molding, these parts would have to be made by hand with the potential of a very high scrap rate.  One of my older brothers stayed in the plastics industry while I got out in 1989.  I spoke with him about these and he was amazed at the thought that GM bought 120,000 sets of these in a year.  Believe me, I have scratched my head for years wondering if I could reproduce them in my wood shop without machinery that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 

Here is what I am thinking.  While making these as close to original as possible would be nice, cost has to be a factor.  I think I can make these out of fiberglass in low quantities.  Advantages would be price for sure.  Also, they would be stronger though not fracture proof.  Disadvantage, I could not make them with the texture the originals had unless I could find a pristine pair to take an impression from.

 

Some have wondered if hard core restoration people would go for fiberglass.  Two years ago, Matt and I build me a new wood shop.  unfortunately, with car shows, church duties, and work around the house, the shop is still not done which means I don't have time to start this, yet.  I will retire in 12 months.  i have that long to decide what I want to do.  An engineer friend has inspired me to do some playing with thermoplastics but as I said, this is a real challenge.  I guess the real question is, if people are substituting incorrect aluminum skirts for the correct plastic ones, will they substitute fiberglass?

 

I am not really looking for this to be a money maker, rather, making for others would allow me to recoup some of the considerable expense my set will cost.  That and there will be the pride of knowing I helped others restore their car to a more correct appearance.

 

I hope I didn't get  too far into the weeds explaining my background, how these were made, and the challenge in reproducing them.  I am sure this is why no one is making them.  It would take someone like myself who really wanted to make this happen who also had the capability such as, working in or owning a facility that could produce them.  I expect tooling alone to take me months to build, playing with it a little at a time. 

 

I would love to know what you think.

[JohnD1956]

I would think the potential market needs to be examined.  Is this a one year part? Or is it virtually the same over the 3 year run of this body style ( 54-56 ).

 

Then, as a member of the BCA you can simply look in the Roster for a list of those who own the target cars and either send them an e mail to judge interest, or possibly advertise in the Bugle for interest.  Depending on how hard the part is to find may determine how acceptable other materials may be. 

 

Also you may want to try and scout the other GM makes to see if a similar part was used in multiple lines.  That may increase the pool of potential customers. Not everyone with a 56 special is a member of the BCA, but not every 56 Special winds up going the restoration route either.  So there may be too small a pool to work with to accomplish your goal.

 

I also wonder if this is not a part that could be printed on a 3 D printer.  I don't know the parameters of what can be scanned and printed.  I also don't know where I'd start in researching that. But if a form could be made to support the back of the plastic face, then maybe the part would last longer? 

 

Good luck

[buick5563]

Welcome aboard Don. This is a cool idea and you certainly sound like the right guy to tackle it if you felt like doing so. I don't have a book that would show whether 54-56 would be the same, but I do know there are differences between large series and small series, as well as power seat and non power. It is definitely a desired product as even good versions are split in some way. The biggest problem I see is that unless you get your product in a catalog or go the eBay route (my suggestion) is that they will be hard to sell. I have had some AC brackets made up for the early nailhead engines and I did it (much like you desire) for he good of the hobby and to recoop my costs. I have only sold a few, so just don't plan on quick return on your investment.

Good luck.

[Bhigdog]

I'm FAR from an expert in thermoforming but wouldn't these be a good candidate for ABS vacuum bagged over a form? They are flexible enough that form release might not be a problem. Just asking here..........Bob

Edited February 28, 2016 by Bhigdog (see edit history)

[dons56]

Matt has talked about rapid prototype.  We have some interest there.  I don't think they would be acceptable for use in a car but could be used for tooling purposes.  I must admit I am not very familiar with durability of that material.  I suppose you could put the parts in the trunk and drive where you are going, then apply for the visual while on display.  (not how I would want to do it)

As for ABS plastic.  There are many grades of plastic, even different types of ABS.  I am not sure what was used in 1956 but I suspect it was actually a quality material even by today's standards.  It was just too thin and not attached in a way to help with durability.  Consider the thin material, sitting on that little steel bracket right where you would pass over it, now add cold temperatures when most plastics get brittle.  Another factor on originals is UV.  Heat and ultraviolet radiation over time would make parts more brittle.  I have one set that someone tried to beef up but the glue they used actually attacked the thin plastic and distorted it.

 

The last job I had in the industry was producing parts for aircraft interiors.  Weight is a factor there.  They would typically mold using the thinnest material they thought they could get away with.  If an area dropped below the minimum thickness they would apply fiberglass to the back side to add strength.  If a pristine set could be found they could be beefed up but that is just one set.  If you can mold the plastic you can just make it thick enough to be strong.

 

As the day approaches I will change my mind many times I am sure.  Before I have to commit to what they will be made out of, Matt may have beat me to the punch with rapid prototype but I am not going to hold my breath.  I just hope I live long enough to see the first set of reproduction parts.

[dons56]

let me add one more thing.  Your responses encourage me.  Thank you.

[JohnD1956]

Checked the 1961 parts manual.  Naturally, for the 40/60 series,  the 56 is a one year only seat panel.  The 54/55 share, but the 56 is a different # as shown below:

 

Manual section 11.362

54/55 Left 1392298

Right 1392297

 

56 Left  1392688

56 Right   1392687

 

The parts manual says "paint to match interior"

[dons56]

John.  Thank you for that information.  That surprises me not.  It seems that 1956 was a transition year for a lot of things Buick Special.  As far as paint to match, I have black and black interior.  If they were only made in black and painted to match it would make perfect sense.  Matt and I ran some numbers and the 40/60 series had a total non-convertible production of just under a half million.  We would have no way of knowing how many were power seats.  Still, that is quite a number.  I wonder if there is any way of knowing how many survive?  Now If I could find a dozen or two people to help share the cost of tooling it could really soften the blow.  beyond that we can only dream.  I think what we have to focus on is the realistic potential.  Perhaps even more basic than that.  Build for myself and then see what happens.

[Bhigdog]

"Perhaps even more basic than that. Build for myself and then see what happens."

That's likely the MOST realistic scenario. A person who had GIVEN me a set of very rare tail and parking lenses for my 56 Chrysler needed a set of retaining clips for a 56 Chrysler windshield molding. I made him a set of 9 clips. It took most of a month to make the die, tooling, and to actually make a few sets.

I gave him the first set, gratis, and then sold only one set on EBAY.

Oh well. I did it as a favor for him as a thank you for the lenses.............Bob

[old-tank]

Whether you repair or replace, they will break at the top again if you don't refurbish the seat springs and/or foam (or lose weight).

[SpecialEducation]

Whether you repair or replace, they will break at the top again if you don't refurbish the seat springs and/or foam (or lose weight).

 

Well, we've got all new foam and dad & I aren't as heavy as we used to be, so it seems like a good time to address this issue!  

[dons56]

And we never were all that heavy.  

[NC-car-guy]

If you do this and need a 55 pattern, I have a few un broken, but faded from a manual 1955 seat I've been hoarding.....

[dons56]

I don't know how the 1955 differ from the 1956.  It is an interesting idea.  Thanks for the offer.

[dons56]

Matthew, do yo think you could share a photo?

[NC-car-guy]

Yes I'll take some this weekend

[DJP1956]

It looks like a few years have gone by since this post, has anybody come up with something yet??