Seat cushion re-install?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
Seat cushion re-install?
I have tackled some tough projects on my Vette but putting in the lower seat cushion back in my car is getting the better of me. There is a metal wire handle on the bottom of the cushion that you are supposed to pull through the hole in the section where is fits in to. After I replaced my seats with Al Knoch replicas I just left the lower part loose for a about a year since I gave up last time I tried. Is there some trick to getting that handle to snap in?
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,629
Likes: 28
From: FL
I have tackled some tough projects on my Vette but putting in the lower seat cushion back in my car is getting the better of me. There is a metal wire handle on the bottom of the cushion that you are supposed to pull through the hole in the section where is fits in to. After I replaced my seats with Al Knoch replicas I just left the lower part loose for a about a year since I gave up last time I tried. Is there some trick to getting that handle to snap in?
Remove foam. Look at the back of your old seats and you will see where the new ones are too thick.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,629
Likes: 28
From: FL
I'm telling you what I did to make mine fit, the decision was based on the difference in foam thickness observed between the new and old. I still have the old ones, if you PM me with an e-mail address I'll shoot some pictures of the seat backs.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
That would be great, Thanks!
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 7
From: Chewelah Wa
I bought used Al Knoch seats on E-Bay, and the foam on mine has already been scalped, mostly on the edges. The foam is way too thick, and my head is about an inch away from the Targa top. I removed some more, but it is still too thick and I am going to chop off some more (i'm 5-11). My 5-3 wife likes them as is. A very sharp razor blade is the appropriate instrument for this task.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
After I recovered new foam in new leather last year there was NFW that I could force the seat cushions down to latch the wire loop.
Sooo, I got some 75lb test braided wire, hooked it over the wire loop on the bottom of the cushion, brought it down and out under the seat frame round rod and tied it over a length of 1"x18" dia steel tubing.
I then sat in the seat, dropped the steel tube over my legs just above the knees and used the force of my legs against the steel tubing to draw the seat cushion down so that I could then easily move the wire loop over the seat retainer tab. Then I untied the braided wire from that seat and moved onto the passenger seat to use the same technique.
Sooo, I got some 75lb test braided wire, hooked it over the wire loop on the bottom of the cushion, brought it down and out under the seat frame round rod and tied it over a length of 1"x18" dia steel tubing.
I then sat in the seat, dropped the steel tube over my legs just above the knees and used the force of my legs against the steel tubing to draw the seat cushion down so that I could then easily move the wire loop over the seat retainer tab. Then I untied the braided wire from that seat and moved onto the passenger seat to use the same technique.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,455
Likes: 2
From: East TN
After I recovered new foam in new leather last year there was NFW that I could force the seat cushions down to latch the wire loop.
Sooo, I got some 75lb test braided wire, hooked it over the wire loop on the bottom of the cushion, brought it down and out under the seat frame round rod and tied it over a length of 1"x18" dia steel tubing.
I then sat in the seat, dropped the steel tube over my legs just above the knees and used the force of my legs against the steel tubing to draw the seat cushion down so that I could then easily move the wire loop over the seat retainer tab. Then I untied the braided wire from that seat and moved onto the passenger seat to use the same technique.
Sooo, I got some 75lb test braided wire, hooked it over the wire loop on the bottom of the cushion, brought it down and out under the seat frame round rod and tied it over a length of 1"x18" dia steel tubing.
I then sat in the seat, dropped the steel tube over my legs just above the knees and used the force of my legs against the steel tubing to draw the seat cushion down so that I could then easily move the wire loop over the seat retainer tab. Then I untied the braided wire from that seat and moved onto the passenger seat to use the same technique.
