Technical cheap bucket seats

Those should be easy to find....

 

looks like lots of aftermarket support

 

Early Mustang seats seem cheap on craigslist. I pass over them from time to time 200ish

 

Steer clear of the poly buckets if you intend to keep the car. Mine disintegrated to flakes. Never stored outside, had seat covers on them. Got in one day to move it and they crumbled. The covers are still good Stuff apparently has a lifespan. After which they return to the granules they started with. The matching rear seat was fiberglass and is like new. Good hunting, Mike

 

New jeep seats $153 each.
Rugged Ridge Low Back Front Bucket Seat for Jeep CJ CJ5 CJ7 CJ8 1955-1986 | eBay

There might be cheaper available. Just a quick look.

 

Get after market Fiber glass seats that came in Dune buggy`s. Shouldn`t cost much, plus light weight for shipping. PLEASE, no foreign car seats. This is the HAMB.

 

Chevy Cavalier around 2000 has a narrow bucket seat that is super comfortable.

 

Older BMW works out nice, a friend put them in 2 different cars he built. Less than a $100 at a Pick and Pull.

 

I bought these same seats from California Import Parts Ltd (CIP1). They were cheaper than Speedway and their website says that they are in stock.

www2.cip1.com/searchresults.asp?Search=empi+seats

 

But Speedway has a really cool museum. Sounds better than buying from an IMPORT place. Even thou they might be the same seat.

 

In 1950 almost 400,000 British cars were imported to the US. In 1958 we imported more cars than we exported. With their world renowned reliability (joke), I'm sure there were plenty of imports with narrow seats in the yards of the day. They didn't all get HAMB-friendly gasserplasty surgery. Mike

 

I`m talking about post 65 like the 90`s.

 

'93 Pontiac Grand Am, removed headrests & had covered in buckskin leather. Speedway runners bolted to bottom of seat frames.

 

I used a pair of center bucket seats out of a 2000 something Chrysler Mini van in a 39 Dodge truck cab. They fit fine with about 4" between them and 2" -3" between the doors and the seats. I think I paid $40 for the pair, removed the head rests and made my own seat brackets.
Take your seat measurements and go to a pull a part and start measuring seats. Gene

 

Early Mazda Miata seats have a pretty flat track (easily modified to flat), have head support, intigrated seat belt,, are not hideous to look at, cheap and plentiful
Chappy

 

1971 Dodge van bucket seats look great.

Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I always thought these looked like an early racing bucket.
I saw some similar chairs at a thrift store about 2 years ago for $20 each.

 

They actually do don't they

 

But if you really need them you really need them and if Speedway is out of stock... I am building a 48 Austin gasser so technically I have an import.

 

I agree with "Chappy444" on the Mazda Miata seats, I have used them in the Model A sedan I built, I had the upper head rest area cut off and upholstered in white pleats, looked perfect era correct when done.

 

1960
Hello,

When we were ready for the interior modifications of our 1940 Willys Coupe, we had to make some decisions. The motor was already set back 10% as per street legal rules for the Gas Coupe and Sedan Classes. So was the new firewall. Now, the interior got its share of aluminum panels and the LaSalle transmission was given a new cover plate.

So with this in mind, we wanted some old Corvette bucket seats, but they were too large to move back as far as we could to make up for the 10 percent set back and less room inside. After several hours at the local scrapyard searches, we found a small set of bucket seats, from a small sports car. The measurements were within reason, they were comfortable, the surface was still a nice black and the cost was minimal.

Back then, there were plenty of bucket seats at most scrapyards. Something about sports cars, non mechanical/knowledgeable drivers (men/women/teens) made this section larger than most. Good, but, not too good...

We brought them home, and sat them in the farthest position with the low back almost touching the rear wall under the split window. Once we both sat in the seats, the mounts were put in. This was not going to be a fully adjustable front/rear sliding seat. The room inside of the Willys Coupe was small anyway and with the 10 percent set back, it even got smaller, so the move to the rear of the small cabin was necessary.

The pedals were still easily pushed and since we installed the interior Moon Tank and Pump, the room for the passenger was minimal, but doable. (if we pushed the small bucket seats back as far as it would go)

Jnaki

I am not sure if you are big and tall or not. So, your motor and firewall may be in the stock position. But, since the interior was on the small size anyway, compared to a larger sedan, adjustments must be made to accommodate the driver and passenger. Ours was a street legal 1940 Willys Coupe with a 283, then a 292 SBC motor with a 671 supercharger. It was street legal and licensed for such driving.

We did take it on the street on several weekends, which was outstanding, but it was our entry into the highly competitive Gas Coupe and Sedan Classes. At first, the 283 put us in B/Gas. Then when we rebuilt a larger 292 c.i. SBC motor and added all blower spec parts + the 671, we were still in B/Gas until we welded in some steel plates to support the trunk area and place the necessary weight over the rear axle for better traction.

But, our bucket seats were not cheap, just smaller than most. They were comfortable for our weekend road trips around our favorite cruising grounds. Why would you want to buy some “cheap” seats, unless you plan on modifying the seat pattern and give it some new upholstery bolstering. Cheap does not always mean comfort. Comfort is necessary for short or long distance road trips and especially if it is a daily driver. YRMV

 

Before I bought the seats I posted above I searched for a old pair of British sports car seats for a long time. In the rare instance a pair would pop up the owner thought they were made of gold. They might be a good option, but definitely not cheap, poor availability, IME, yours may vary....

 

Any high back seat doesn't jive in a traditional hot rod. A lot of the early seats like the Dodge A 100 are impossible to find now.
We used to have a motor home plant close to here that sold the transport seats out of their motor home conversions real cheap but that was a long time ago. A decent but very plain seat that fit a lot of older rigs and didn't look bad.
I'd agree that if you want cheap you just go to the wrecking yard with your tape measure.

 

Cheap or period correct, you can only pick one. With skill and perseverance you can find the latter and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

Sent from my SM-J337V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Not period correct but not spendy might be a pair of high back boat seats.
eBay item number:
254916748182
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.

Or Amazon.com : Guide Gear High-Back Folding Boat Seat, Fold-Down Comfortable Padded Cushion Seating for Boats, Sand Brown : Sports & Outdoors

 

stanlow won't like these, but '76-91 Jaguar XJS seats are a good choice IMO...



Not as nearly bulky as most 'period correct' US buckets, lose the headrest and they look a lot like early Mustang or earlier Brit sports cars; Jag kept 'traditional' interiors far longer than most. Low profile, thin backs, designed for a low seating position and most importantly, comfortable. The seat track mounts to a flat surface. No idea what they're getting for them these days (I've got a personal stash), any you'll find used will need reupholstery but DIY kits in both vinyl and leather are readily available. The one thing to watch for is these don't use a conventional metal lower spring but rather a rubber 'membrane' as a spring. Make sure this isn't bad, although they can be repaired.

The '89-91 versions have larger side bolsters that can be cut down, the '92-96 versions have taller backs and integrated headrests.

 

The only problem with Fiero seats is they are made to seat you on the floor. If you mount them higher I found the side bolsters roll your knees together.

 

Add a bomber seat high back and canned ham [butt] you'd have!

 

X2 ^^^ I got a pair for my Crosley.

 

Thank you very informative