Worked for me.
How to remove seat cushion
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 191
Likes: 1
From: MONTREAL QUEBEC
How to remove seat cushion
Can't figure out how to remove the seat cushion (on the backrest section) from the solid plastic backing on my 82 vette. Please let me know, and thanks for all your help.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 2,125
Likes: 9
From: Crescent City, CA
There are clips in the back. You need to compress the cushion over an inch to get it to clear. Clips are at the bottom and about 3/4 + up.
We are talking some muscle that inch needs to come in at the center.
Hope this helps.
We are talking some muscle that inch needs to come in at the center.
Hope this helps.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,562
Likes: 2
From: Spring Texas
You can see the clips in this seat photo. Heavy wires imbedded in the cushions lock into the clips to hold in the cushions. It is difficult to tell from this photo, but the clips point toward the center of the seat back. People usually make a tool from a wide flat blade screw driver by cutting a "V" in the middle of the blade. The "V" is used to catch the wire while the screw driver allows you to apply some force to press it out of the clip. Once you have freed up one corner, it becomes easier to free the other corners as you can now see what you are doing at least to a degree.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 2,030
Likes: 363
From: Lubbock Texas
I have '79 seats in my '73 and recently went through this when I replaced the seat cushions with a set from Willcox. Here is a link to a repair diagram on Willcox's site that may help: http://willcoxcorvette.com/instructi...re%2079-82.JPG
Note that on my seats a couple of the clips seemed to face a difference direction than showed in these diagrams.
This was not an easy project and installation was harder than removal. Before I have to do it again I will make a tool to help with the leverage needed. I was actually able to see where the wire goes into some of the clips by pulling the seat cushions back far enough but still had trouble getting the new ones installed. The tool I am thinking of is to take a long skinny flat blade screwdriver and use a small round file to make a circular notch in the end of the blade. That should allow the tool to be used to push the wires enough to get them in and out of the clips. Good luck.
DC
Note that on my seats a couple of the clips seemed to face a difference direction than showed in these diagrams.
This was not an easy project and installation was harder than removal. Before I have to do it again I will make a tool to help with the leverage needed. I was actually able to see where the wire goes into some of the clips by pulling the seat cushions back far enough but still had trouble getting the new ones installed. The tool I am thinking of is to take a long skinny flat blade screwdriver and use a small round file to make a circular notch in the end of the blade. That should allow the tool to be used to push the wires enough to get them in and out of the clips. Good luck.
DC
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
From: Wichita Falls (Lake Arrowhead) Texas
I just did the seats on my '82. And yes, they are so much easier to disassemble then the reversal. The seat backs (for removal): pull HARD on the cushion itself towards the center of the seat itself and they will pop out of the notches in the bucket. Once you get the two unhooked from one side, unhook the other side, and the cushion will just pull out.
The bottoms have only one "pocket" per side near the back, and a wire bent into a "V" shape that hooks into the square openings in the bucket near the front of the seat.
And like the other posts, I too, took an old screwdriver and ground a "V" into the blade to grab the wire when reinstalling the cushions. Just be careful that you don't grab the hemp(?) twine that snugs the seat cover to the foam. There is a wire there that needs to be hooked into the pockets.
The first seat I did took me about 5 hours to complete. The second took about 45 minutes. I got faster with experience.
Good luck to you. You can do it. Just have plenty of brewskis on hand before you start.
BTW: My seats buckets don't look like the picture. Either my eyes are bad, the picture is distorted, or they are out of a different year car than an '82. Oh...also, my age could have something to do with it too.
The bottoms have only one "pocket" per side near the back, and a wire bent into a "V" shape that hooks into the square openings in the bucket near the front of the seat.
And like the other posts, I too, took an old screwdriver and ground a "V" into the blade to grab the wire when reinstalling the cushions. Just be careful that you don't grab the hemp(?) twine that snugs the seat cover to the foam. There is a wire there that needs to be hooked into the pockets.
The first seat I did took me about 5 hours to complete. The second took about 45 minutes. I got faster with experience.
Good luck to you. You can do it. Just have plenty of brewskis on hand before you start.
BTW: My seats buckets don't look like the picture. Either my eyes are bad, the picture is distorted, or they are out of a different year car than an '82. Oh...also, my age could have something to do with it too.
Last edited by Andy1982; Dec 10, 2008 at 07:49 PM. Reason: Clarification
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
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