Seats

[Blue90]

When I bought my ragtop I knew I had to repair/replace the driver's seat (photo # 1).😕

I found a tan seat in a PnP from an '88 Reatta (photo # 2).😊

The original seat is a 16-way.  The seat from the '88 is a standard 6-way.  After I installed the '88 seat in the 'vert I realized the bolster (the cushion under your knees) was different from the passenger seat, also a standard seat, and the 16-way seat.  I thought maybe the "small" bolster was specific to '88s.  I have since looked at phots of two '90s for sale.  Both had 6-way driver's seats with "small" bolsters; and standard passenger seats with "large" bolsters.

Is this standard?🤔

 

[Y-JobFan]

I think what you are seeing is the drivers seat crushed down from more use, both sides are exactly the same in style and shape on standard seats then the same on 16 way except the passenger one doesn’t extend.  The front under-leg booster is definitely bigger on the 16 way seats over the standards.  You can see in the picture of a low mileage one both sides are the same.  In my opinion for the overinflated cost of the Reatta when new they all should have come with the superior 16 way seats as standard, the standard seats are barely adequate for s car of that cost and status. 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Y-JobFan (see edit history)

[DAVES89]

You now have enough matching leather to have your 16 way seats redone. Another thing I do is take the headrests off Reattas I find in the yards. The front of a head rest is leather and the leather is real supple because of all the oil in peoples hair. The headrest is also a size big enough for the side bolsters of our seats.

 Another thing to consider, the seat back is vinyl and can be used for the console tops. Having material that is a perfect match helps reduce the charge at the upholstery shop.

[Y-JobFan]

Spending money to have the seats repaired with old used leather is throwing money away, if you are going to pay an upholsterer to rip them apart, get them totally done.  The old leather especially in either of those seats is going to be bad before you know it anyway.

 

[DAVES89]

Head rest leather while old really isn't. It is very supple. And the vinyl from the seat back is always like new [for the console arm rest]. 

 Also my thought is that all my cars in my opinion are daily drivers and maybe not worth much, so I am not spending $1000.00 or more for new seat covers.

[Blue90]

11 hours ago, Y-JobFan said:

 

 

11 hours ago, Y-JobFan said:

I think what you are seeing is the drivers seat crushed down from more use, both sides are exactly the same in style and shape on standard seats then the same on 16 way except the passenger one doesn’t extend.  

 

Here are close-ups of the bolsters.  The first photo is the '88 driver's seat.  The second photo is the '90 passenger seat.

They sure look different to me.🤔

[Blue90]

8 hours ago, DAVES89 said:

Another thing I do is take the headrests off Reattas I find in the yards.

Dave, How do you remove the headrests?  I tried and broke the plastic holder that the metal arms fit into.🙄

[Ronnie]

18 minutes ago, Retired w/Reatta said:

How do you remove the headrests?  I tried and broke the plastic holder that the metal arms fit into

 

You need to take a pin and push in the hole to pull the headrest all the way off (one on each rod). You can see the tiny hole in the photo below. 

 

One interesting feature of the headrest that a lot of people don't know is the headrest will tilt forward as well as well as go up and down.

 

[Blue90]

Thanks Ronnie.😊

[Barney Eaton]

Stanley........not sure what your question is.........the passenger seat on a car with 16 way option is made to look like the drivers seat but the bolster does not move like the drivers seat.

The passenger seat has power recline but none of the other features that the drivers seat has.  

On standard seats.....the drivers and passenger seat are pretty much identical except for the lever that reclines the seats......the lever is on the outside of each seat, otherwise you could easily

move a passenger seat to the drivers side.

 

For any new Reatta owners.........what I call standard seats have normal power features (up - down - forward - back)  and the controls are on the door.

The 16 way power option added power recline, power lumbar, and power thigh support and those controls were mounted on the door side of the drivers seat (see Stanley's first picture, you can see the box with 3 toggles near his FILA socks )

The 16 way option was $695  and was not actually 16 ways.....marketing carried that over from a Riviera seat that is in the parts book and called a HOOVER seat and it had a power up-down headrest that got the movements up to the 16 number.

You can easily add 16 way seats to any Reatta.....the plug is already under the seat.

Also, 30 years after the Reatta was made,  you may see pictures or an actual Reatta with a passenger seat that has all the 16 way drivers seat features....several Reatta owners have modified a drivers seat and used it on the passenger side

so the passenger seat has the same features as the 16 way drivers seat..........those were never offered from the factory.

[Y-JobFan]

4 hours ago, Retired w/Reatta said:

 

Here are close-ups of the bolsters.  The first photo is the '88 driver's seat.  The second photo is the '90 passenger seat.

They sure look different to me.🤔

If you reread my post I said there is a difference in the bolsters between standard seats and 16 way seats.  If the ones you looked at had one seat with regular bolster and one with standard seat then they have been changed out at some time, you either got regular like your first photo or the larger one on the 16 way.

[Y-JobFan]

21 hours ago, Ronnie said:

 

You need to take a pin and push in the hole to pull the headrest all the way off (one on each rod). You can see the tiny hole in the photo below. 

 

One interesting feature of the headrest that a lot of people don't know is the headrest will tilt forward as well as well as go up and down.

 

 

If people try to tilt the headrest which is a wonderful feature especially for traveling, the first time it will be really tight and you feel like you might break it then they finally give, do it a few more times and they are then good to go 

[Phils38cpe]

I was just wondering if the Reatta seats are similar to Fiero seats. The Fiero seat bottoms are interchangable from side to side

[DAVES89]

On 8/9/2019 at 2:11 PM, Retired w/Reatta said:

Dave, How do you remove the headrests?  I tried and broke the plastic holder that the metal arms fit into.🙄

 

 I just remove the material leaving the head rest behind. It is just held in place with velcro. Cheaper at the counter too. And I always ask at the counter before cutting up the back of the seat to get the vinyl. I explain that the seat front is tore up and I need the seat back material for repairs.

[Blue90]

On 8/9/2019 at 12:07 PM, Retired w/Reatta said:

 

Here are close-ups of the bolsters.  The first photo is the '88 driver's seat.  The second photo is the '90 passenger seat.

They sure look different to me.🤔

 

I'm returning to my photo of the seats in the 'vert.  The top photo is from a 1988 Reatta driver's side; the second photo is the 'vert's passenger seat.  The seat in photo # 2 is NOT 16-way.  The bolster does not move.  It is hog-ring connected to the seat.  These two seats have different bolsters.

And Barney my question is:  Were there two different seats made for the Reatta?  

[Y-JobFan]

2 hours ago, Retired w/Reatta said:

 

I'm returning to my photo of the seats in the 'vert.  The top photo is from a 1988 Reatta driver's side; the second photo is the 'vert's passenger seat.  The seat in photo # 2 is NOT 16-way.  The bolster does not move.  It is hog-ring connected to the seat.  These two seats have different bolsters.

And Barney my question is:  Were there two different seats made for the Reatta?  

It is still styled to match the 16 way seat on the drivers side, if you put a standard seat on the passenger side it would then look different than the 16 way. While it does not have the same function as the driver 16 way it IS the seat that cane on the passenger side of cars with the 16 way option 

[Y-JobFan]

Either of those seats styles were NEVER mixed from the factory, they bother looked like your drivers seat for standard or they both looked like your passenger seat for the optional  16 way, it’s pretty simple 

[Blue90]

13 hours ago, Y-JobFan said:

Either of those seats styles were NEVER mixed from the factory, they bother looked like your drivers seat for standard or they both looked like your passenger seat for the optional  16 way, it’s pretty simple 

Thank you for the explanation.  So there were two different seats made for the Reatta depending on whether the driver's seat was 16-way or standard.