1972 Convertible Seat Foam

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Old January 5th, 2009, 06:05 PM
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Question 1972 Convertible Seat Foam

I am getting ready to start an interior makover to a recently purchased 72 convertible and I have a few questions. First off, can anyone tell me if the Year One cover kits are a good quality option? They appear complete and I have had good luck with them so far. They have some pricing specials going on now that make them attractive. Second, I am having trouble getting anyone to tell me which seat foams I need. I have a split front bench with a center armrest. This seems to be a challenge to find an original fitting foam set. Further, the listings I have seen for "bench" are asking with or without springs in the backrest. How can I tell without tearing it apart? The rear bench "feels" like there are springs in the backrest but the split fronts feel like all foam.

Any thoughts on any or all of this would be very much appreciated.
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Old January 5th, 2009, 09:24 PM
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First---it's not the vendor name (ie Year One, etc) that determines the quality of the seat kit...it's the manufacturer of the seat kit. Year One, etc don't manufacture much...they are the resellers or retailers. There or two primary brands that most vendors offer:

>Kits manufactured by Legendary Interiors

>Kits manufactured by PUI

By and large, Legendary gets better feedback in terms of quality and materials. May cost slightly more but their stuff IS better quality. Especially when it comes to door panels...particularly the woodgrain and chrome mylar on the door panels..better stuff and better glue to keep it nice and smooth and not "puckering" after a short time.

You need to call Legendary quick on the chance that their "year end" sale is still going on. I think they were offering something like 25% or more off on products THEY MAKE and 10% off on stuff they don't make but sell.

I have installed both brands and I think Legendary makes a much superior product.

Warning...if you buy seat foams DO NOT buy the cheaper brand called Sagaro Products. These foams are made WAY TOO THICK and it's almost impossible to get the covers on over this brand foams without A LOT of trimming on the foam. There's another, better, brand again here called American Seat Foam. Now, I think Legendary may still sell both brands (Sagaro being a cheaper price) but again, IT PAYS TO PAY A LITTLE MORE here.

So...Legendary is a manufacturer (their own seat kits and door panels) as well as a reseller (seat foams made by others as well as carpet sets made by Auto Custom Carpets--ACC). I would try calling them direct first and see if they'll give the the year end deal. It was advertised by Legendary on a couple other Abody sites...Legendary's people put up the post so tell them you have an Olds and would like to see if they'll give you an "extension" here.

Good luck.
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Old January 5th, 2009, 09:52 PM
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Lady72nRob71 has done a very detailed interior renovation on a 72 Cutlass with a bench seat. It is about 3-4 threads below this on in the interior section. I think it would be very helpful to look at it.
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Old January 6th, 2009, 05:16 AM
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As RedOldsMan mentioned, I just went through with this...

See this post for all the details:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-makeover.html

As for a seat foam KIT for the 72 vert bench seat, there really isnt one that I could find.

I had a good upholstery shop do mine and he just used standard sheet foam. It came out great and the foam cost to me was only 35 bucks, not 200 like some of these kits you see for other cars. Nice thing about sheet foam is that YOU can specify the firmness level you want.

As for seat covers, I would pay the extra bucks and get the Legendary brand. The feel and sewing quality is supurb. And if you find something you do not like, they WILL replace it, no questions asked with no hassle.

Look through my makeover thread and let me know here is you have any other questions....

BTW, I would like to see more pictures of your car... (We love pictures here...)

Best of luck to you!

Last edited by Lady72nRob71; January 6th, 2009 at 05:20 AM.
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Old January 6th, 2009, 05:09 PM
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Guys, thank you all for the replies on this. It is good to know that I am not losing my mind trying to find these foams. Rob, I actually did find and read your posting several times this past weekend. It is a good writeup. I am going to attempt this myself I think and see how it goes. I have more time than money on this project . At the same time I am very into it being "right.

Patton, thank you for the recommendation on the pricing at Legendary. I called them this morning and they did honor the pricing. Saved me almost $200. I placed the order and they are shipping in early February. I feel very good about getting the parts from them. I will let you know how it turns out.

I attached a couple more pictures here that were taken in front of the seller's house when I picked the car up. I will take some more good ones and get them posted. It is a very clean car overall. Since the photos it has received a new Rallye Steering wheel and teh original single exhaust has been exchanged for a very nice sounding FlowMaster American Thunder system.

I will post some interior pictures when I start tearing it down. I need to figure out to add them so they look nice like the ones on the prior thread...

Thanks again for the feedback!

Jay Oades
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Old January 6th, 2009, 05:24 PM
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Joades, give us the beans on the car. Price, and story?
Looks like a cherry!

Orginal paint code is on the "body by fisher" tag on the cowl under the hood. The number will be right next to the word "paint". Post the number and someone will help to find a name. I like orgingal color myself what ever that might be.

Rear Tire: 275/60R15 are the largest your going to get to fit. Might rub once an a while.

Last edited by hamm36; January 6th, 2009 at 07:20 PM.
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Old January 6th, 2009, 05:31 PM
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Like the color, Emerald green? Is this an original Olds color? Nice ride
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Old January 6th, 2009, 06:23 PM
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Here is the story on the car....

The green color is claimed to be original and from what I am told was a special order factory option. The paint job itself was redone several years ago by the previous owner. I am still researching the validity of the color, but I do like it and have seen a few rare other cars in this color. The white interior sets it off.

I am a long time fan of the Cutlass and I have been looking for a good 70-72 convertible for some time. My two girls are interested in sharing in my hobby so I put the word out for a Cutlass Convertible. This car was found through a body shop contact. The prior owner brought the car in to be buffed out as he was "thinking" about selling it. The body shop put us together and the rest is history. Picked it up this past November.

The previous owner took pretty good care of it and very much loved this car. It has 83,000 original on a 350 4BL. He put 10,000 miles on it in the last 20 years of ownership. It had new paint, top with glass window, tires, brakes, some bushings, and a few chrome pieces. I replaced the steering wheel for the look and added the Flowmaster system to make it sound like it should, but I plan to keep the overall look stock. One exception will be the Ken Harrison kickplate speakers and radio that are going in once they arrive. I want to have a "close to original" radio that I can actually hear. Another that I am considering are 15" SSII's or Torq-Thrust wheels, but still looking into the right 15" tire size to full the well and look right....we will see...lots of $$$.

The most immediate change will be the seat covers which are still solid but are just plain tired after 36 years. I am just looking forward to some warm weather so I can get the top down and drive.

I would be curious to know if anyone has any info on this color. Also curious if anyone can make a recommendation for a 15" tire size on a 72.

Jay
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Old January 6th, 2009, 07:04 PM
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Sweet looking car! I do not recall seeing that color anywhere before...

That looks to be "Radiant Green", color code 36. Look at the cowl tag on the left side and see if you can find 36 for a paint code.
It was a "special" color for intermediate cars (not available on full size cars), and was new for 1972.
I sure like it!

Take pictures as you go (post some), and take your time. You only want to do this once.

Last edited by Lady72nRob71; January 6th, 2009 at 07:10 PM.
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Old January 6th, 2009, 07:21 PM
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Excellent color combo...cool car.

What Rob mentioned....a good upholstery shop will be able to use their own foam to
"rebuild" that area....some of those guys are magicians.

Glad to hear you saved some $$$$....always nice to do as it frees up $$ to spend on something else cool for the car.

Thanks
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Old January 7th, 2009, 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by joades
Here is the story on the car....

The green color is claimed to be original and from what I am told was a special order factory option. The paint job itself was redone several years ago by the previous owner. I am still researching the validity of the color, but I do like it and have seen a few rare other cars in this color. The white interior sets it off.

I am a long time fan of the Cutlass and I have been looking for a good 70-72 convertible for some time. My two girls are interested in sharing in my hobby so I put the word out for a Cutlass Convertible. This car was found through a body shop contact. The prior owner brought the car in to be buffed out as he was "thinking" about selling it. The body shop put us together and the rest is history. Picked it up this past November.

The previous owner took pretty good care of it and very much loved this car. It has 83,000 original on a 350 4BL. He put 10,000 miles on it in the last 20 years of ownership. It had new paint, top with glass window, tires, brakes, some bushings, and a few chrome pieces. I replaced the steering wheel for the look and added the Flowmaster system to make it sound like it should, but I plan to keep the overall look stock. One exception will be the Ken Harrison kickplate speakers and radio that are going in once they arrive. I want to have a "close to original" radio that I can actually hear. Another that I am considering are 15" SSII's or Torq-Thrust wheels, but still looking into the right 15" tire size to full the well and look right....we will see...lots of $$$.

The most immediate change will be the seat covers which are still solid but are just plain tired after 36 years. I am just looking forward to some warm weather so I can get the top down and drive.

I would be curious to know if anyone has any info on this color. Also curious if anyone can make a recommendation for a 15" tire size on a 72.

Jay
What is the color code ...

I have a - in place of a number or letter and my car is "Rally Red" ...
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Old January 18th, 2009, 03:36 PM
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Sorry for the delay in replying...been traveling, but got back on the car this weekend. The color code is a 36. I am not 100% sure if the repaint is the exact same shade or not, but it is very close. I have seen a couple other cars on the web with what appears to be the same color.

I got the seats out, the stereo and speakers replaced with the Ken Harrison unit, and the carpet replaced this weekend. Pictures attached...went well so far. There was no rust on the floor which was a welcome sight.

I have 2 weeks until Legendary ships the seat covers. From what I can tell the seat frames are in good shape. I am not going to tear them down completely until the seat material shows so I can keep some sanity and not forget how things went together.

I do have a short list of items that I don't see with OPGI, Year One, or Fusick....

The car has a power bench front seat:

1. There is a thin / narrow piece of black plastic that trims the very base and covers the track. One is broken.

2. The shaft that the seat backs pivot on is finished with a chrome button cap. The car is missing one of these and the other is marginal at best. OPGI has part number KR01009 which appears right in the photo, but indicates it is for 64-65 bucket seats.

3. The plastic mount for the headrests are badly faded. I doubt that I will ever have them up, but would like to find replacements.

Anyway, if anyone has ideas on where to find parts for a power bench seat - specifically #1 and #2 above, please let me know. I posted a few pics here including one of the items mentioned above. Threw one in of my head mechanic who was the only one of us with hands small enough to get the nuts on the rear speakers. She wired the radio after that!!!

I can't see how to get the photos all nice like Rob, so mine are attachments....
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Old January 19th, 2009, 05:36 AM
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Looken nice, Joades!

It is amazing at what only new carpet can do for an interior!
Looks like your radio install went well - how well does it work? How do those kick panel speakers sound? I have been contemplating what to replace my cheezy 1983 jap aftermarket unit with... I am thinking about not recutting speaker holes in my new door panels, either...

For pictures, host them on a site like flickr or photobucket. Call them up and copy the direct shortcut but right clicking your picture, properties, and copy the shortcut. In your post, where you want the picture, click the "insert picture" button on the little toolbar above where you are typing this. It is a square yellow box with a mountain and sun in it. Add the copied link and presto!

All these parts you listed ARE hard to find.
For the hinge caps, I might choose to get some axle caps from lowes for 1.50 each. They have em in the hardware section. Not sure if the 65 ones at OPG will fit. Call em and have them measure it for you. They do look like the ones you pulled off. Mine look more like axle caps - I bet mine were replaced before...
Used caps do not exist as they are usually ruined once pried off.

I never even saw that track cover before on any seat; I wish my car had 'em. Maybe they were just on the power seat... Epoxy glue can work miracles sometime!

The headrest mounts should be available from salvage parts. Maybe someone here will have a set for ya.

This will be a good time to overhaul, clean, and lube the seat motor mechanism!

Keep us posted - that car looks awesome as it is!

Last edited by Lady72nRob71; January 19th, 2009 at 05:40 AM.
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Old January 19th, 2009, 07:28 AM
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Here is the radio before I finished getting the wires tied up.
DSCN1232.jpg

It is the Ken Harrison 200Watt version. It has the jack for my Ipod in the front which is what I really wanted. I added a set of 6x9 Pioneer speakers in the rear (basic version) and it sounds pretty good. Of course I have no seats in it and the top is up....we'll have to see how it does at speed with the Flowmasters growling, but I think it will be pretty good. Has to be better than the original single speaker it came with!! The kick panels fit well and are tight against the new carpet. The clearance for the e-brake peddle is VERY close, but I think as long as I am careful it will be ok.

In the end, it is not original but it looks pretty close. I will keep the original radio and kick panels just case. I would definitely do this before cutting the door panels.

More photos of the interior rework coming...thanks for the tip on how to get these posted right, Rob. Still playing with the sizing!
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Old February 16th, 2009, 01:56 PM
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My seat covers came in this week and they have been delivered to the upholstry shop along with the seats. I chickened out of doing it myself as I looked closer at the split bench set up, plus I really want it to be right in the end. I don't want to mess with the seats again if I can avoid it.

It was a bit of a scare when I opened the box as the '72 white interior actually has a touch of off white in it. According to Legendary it is 230G off white. The top and boot are correct in pure white. They tell me that only '71 had a pure white interior. I have an uncle with a '72 white interior so we matched it up and it looks right. It was very hard to tell with my old seats having 36 years of fade on them....

More pics when it gets done. They tell me 1-2 weeks.

DSCN1241.jpg
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Old February 16th, 2009, 05:40 PM
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Glad to hear your seats are in good hands... The split front bench seat IS one I would recommend a shop to do - it is unique.

Did you get a chance to look at the covers yet? Make sure the headrests are just like the originals - mine got a wrong incorrect run without the piping on the edges.

My old seats faded negatively - they mostly darked up!

I think you will be very happy with the fabric quality. Let us know how they turn out!

My seats are finally ready to be put back in my car (after 4 short months)!
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Old March 10th, 2009, 05:53 PM
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The interior is finally done and back together. Here are some shots of the results. All in all I am pretty pleased. The shop decided to custom cover the headrests. I think that they turned out good. Thanks for all the advise.


DSCN1374.jpg

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DSCN1377.jpg

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