Folding Bench Seat for '69 C/10 ?

[VWNate1]

O.K. , I'll give it a whirl .

Truly , not a lot to tell about the cross country trip , get up , wash windshield , check oil , coolant & tires load truck , hit the road , stop for coffee & breakfast then drive some more , stop for gas every 200 miles or so , add one or two quarts of oil as necessary , wash dead bugs from glass and press on .

This trip I didn't stop for many junkyards like I usually do as my big Brother was riding shotgun and he had to be back in The Land Of Fruits , Nuts & Flakes for a trial .

The few I did stop at were in TEXAS (did I mention how much I love to visit The Great State Of TEXAS ?) and they'd ALL been cleaned out in the last two or three months by a traveling crusher who'd come in and offer a set price per pound for everything ~ they did it all , including cleanup and Haz-Mat disposal..... what toothless bubba 150 miles from nowhere with 5 acres of rusty scrap all 1974 or older , wouldn't jump at that ? and so they did .

I passed many a rusty old fence with pretty much nothing behind it , every junkman told me the same sad story .

We stopped in at The White Sands National Monument and Missile Park , it was really nice and loads of history there but we only had three hours before hitting the road again , the sun fell as we drove west up and over The Sacramento Mountains , I nearly hit a BIG Elk rounding a narrow corner in the pitch dark , luckily I was only going 45 or so so I was able to slow enough to let it bound out of our way .

It was the size of a Volkswagen ! .

As is my wont , I was driving only the tiniest two lane back roads I could find , eating in diners and occasionally in the big truck stops that dot America .

OOPS ! dinner calls , I gotta go .

[VWNate1]

O-Kay then ;

It's been a while , I had promised to post pictures and here they are ~

Note the nifty storage pockets I had the Trimmer add ~ they're deep and wide so I can stuff all manner of maps , windshield shades ,umbrellas and whatever else I need to (but not the work gloves ~ they go in the corer of the cab right above the gas tank so nothing gets dirty) .

I hope these pix come through O.K. .

It appears another Old Trucker will come pick up the removed bench seat next week , I looked at it last night , it's still in VGC , no rips nor tears , will need a serious vacuuming before use .

I *think* I've figured out how to download pix so expect to see some underhood 250 CID L6 pix soon ! .

.

[RenoKeene]

Looks like a very good job, might have to do something similar on my 67. I also love a good paper map, alot of youngsters these days have never seen one
How is your back holding up?

[Dano69c10]

Hey Nate, r u going to join us in Burbank on May 20th?

[VWNate1]

Uh ;

Maybe ~ I'm supposed to be on a two wheeled ride that day .

Will there be any Dog Dish hubcaps for me ? .

Should I have my Brother drive the Hearse ? .

[JonnyC10]

I know this is an old thread but was just curious. How do the seats fold forward? I know, probably a dumb question...

[VWNate1]

NOT a 'stupid ' question ! .

Some folks will tell you to remove two bolts from the back rest but that doesn't actually work very well .

You're going to have to hunt up a seat from a slightly new truck , they're everywhere and dirt cheap as Hot Rodders and Show Rig folks prefer buckets .

Resist the urge to add soft foam when re building the seat , plushy seats are not comfy after an hour or so .

I added some nice pockets across the back of the '71 folding bench seat I put into my '69 C/10 , the photos are in here some where if you look up my older posts .

[JonnyC10]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

NOT a 'stupid ' question ! .

Some folks will tell you to remove two bolts from the back rest but that doesn't actually work very well .

You're going to have to hunt up a seat from a slightly new truck , they're everywhere and dirt cheap as Hot Rodders and Show Rig folks prefer buckets .

Resist the urge to add soft foam when re building the seat , plushy seats are not comfy after an hour or so .

I added some nice pockets across the back of the '71 folding bench seat I put into my '69 C/10 , the photos are in here some where if you look up my older posts .

Oh, I thought I read that 67's had folding seats.

[VWNate1]

The guys will tell you but I *think* only '71 & '72 had them , they're easy to find and bolt right up using the same holes and so on .

WELL WORTH the effort ! .

[Grumpy old man]

the '67's came with a folding seat back ,no other year folds forward and yes you can bolt one in all 67-72 seats are interchangeable .

[JonnyC10]

Lol. Thanks for the info! Its neat finding stuff out like this. Especially like yesterday, I thought my exterior door handle was broken because it wouldn't stay locked when I shut my door. So I pulled the latch mechanism out and it looked fine, so I then came on this site and learned it was a convenience feature, that you had to use your key to lock it.

[Grumpy old man]

Remember to a lot of us these were BRAND NEW trucks when we were in high school .

[JonnyC10]

That's true. Lol. Looks like mine isn't folding. Doesn't have that bolt.

[72Straight6]

Hi All,

So, I'm a new C-10 owner, and new to this forum...such a great resource! Found this thread, which is what I'm needing information on.

To recap, it looks like if I want a folding bench seat to 'bolt in' to my '72 C-10, I need a bench out of a 1967. Sounds like the best place to look is at local scrap/car yards, unless you have any other recommendations?

Aside from that, the other part of this topic that interests me is the foam versus spring question when I do the upholstery. My current bench (which has been re-upholstered) is super bouncy going over any bumps or rough road surfaces. My back is not completely shot, but I definitely get low back pain from time to time; so, I don't want my new driver to add any more back pain.

I am leaning towards having a local upholstery shop do the work. I bought this truck as my 'new' daily driver, so trying to create a comfortable ride. Installing new springs/shocks/sway bars within the next week or so with a buddy. But, also not sure how to proceed with the bench seat. Do I do a foam back? Replace springs?

Thanks for any and all help on this matter.

Cheers,

Joe

[ho70]

my 68 folded and my 72 doesn't-same bolt pattern

[Clavo106]

URL=http://s76.photobucket.com/user/Clavo106/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20141229_152722_zpsoqlo6xjw.jpg.html][/URL]URL=http://s76.photobucket.com/user/Clavo106/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20141229_152645_zpsts4bzea2.jpg.html][/URL]post red68 shows the slide bracket.nice seat (btw) / this one is non mod on a factory seat not shure if it was swaped or special order. unfortunately this are the best pictures I have of the seat.

[Clavo106]

the 71 at my yard had one maby have been swap at one point. but it was a 71 c10 cab. have some picture of it for reference.

[VWNate1]

Hi Joe ;

WELCOME !

You'll find a folding back seat in some old junker , so check EVERY ONE at the local Junk Yards as many have been changed .

'67 does not have it from new as far as I can tell .

I have a shattered spine , fused neck and broken skull so I understand your pain needs .

I use black foam from the Furniture Upholstery Supply house , the Auto Trimmers simply cannot get real firm foam , I don't know why not .

ALWAYS lay burlap or muslin over the bare springs before adding the hard foam or cotton padding , then the cover .

How about some photos of your truck ? . doesn't have to be shiny or even running .

[72Straight6]

Trying to post photos...we'll see if this works...

It's a good driver, and photos show the 'good' side. Have a dent on the passenger side bed, and on top of tailgate. From what I can tell, truck has 3 layers of paint unfortunately, now back to original color scheme; but in between the original paint layer & current chipping away paint layer, someone painted in a metallic blue color. It's just going to be more to "clean up" at some point in the future to do it right; not that it will ever be a show car

It's a very mellow inline 6 with a single carburetor...both new to me. The inline 6 is slow-going uphill, which is my only gripe...so I downshift and it gets me through. I've only had some experience with a 283 & a 350 in my past. Just replaced the radiator, and also added a power brake booster that the seller had but never installed.

Next up....springs/shocks/sway bars

[72Straight6]

Nate thanks for the information on the bench search & foam supplier...I'll be checking into that!! Definitely need to find a folding bench sooner than later.

[VWNate1]

'72 :

Of course it's a ' good driver ' ~ it's a CHEVROLET (duh) .

If that 250 6 is wheezy going up hills , get a pertronix Ignitor or stock GM HEI and install it , open the spark plugs up to .035" and set the ignition timing to 10° BTDC @ 700 idle or better , 34° BTDC @ 3,000 rpm , vacuum hose connected . timing lights are cheap these days , get one with the advance dial and inductive typ ~ once you feel the unleashed power of that thinwall i6 , you'll love it and the vastly improved fuel economy and longer engine life too .

DO NOT forget to jack it up until the front wheels dangle and then shoot new grease into the myriad Zerk fittings so it'll ride smoother and quieter .

As far as Black Foam , you have to go find your local furniture upholstery supply place ~ they're every where and typically small store fronts .

-Nate

Originally Posted by 72Straight6

Trying to post photos...we'll see if this works...

It's a good driver, and photos show the 'good' side. Have a dent on the passenger side bed, and on top of tailgate. From what I can tell, truck has 3 layers of paint unfortunately, now back to original color scheme; but in between the original paint layer & current chipping away paint layer, someone painted in a metallic blue color. It's just going to be more to "clean up" at some point in the future to do it right; not that it will ever be a show car

It's a very mellow inline 6 with a single carburetor...both new to me. The inline 6 is slow-going uphill, which is my only gripe...so I downshift and it gets me through. I've only had some experience with a 283 & a 350 in my past. Just replaced the radiator, and also added a power brake booster that the seller had but never installed.

Next up....springs/shocks/sway bars


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[72Straight6]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Hi Joe ;

WELCOME !

You'll find a folding back seat in some old junker , so check EVERY ONE at the local Junk Yards as many have been changed .

'67 does not have it from new as far as I can tell .

I have a shattered spine , fused neck and broken skull so I understand your pain needs .

I use black foam from the Furniture Upholstery Supply house , the Auto Trimmers simply cannot get real firm foam , I don't know why not .

ALWAYS lay burlap or muslin over the bare springs before adding the hard foam or cotton padding , then the cover .

How about some photos of your truck ? . doesn't have to be shiny or even running .

Nate, do you have a website address for Furniture Upholstery Supply Warehouse? Couldn't find it through a Google Search. Thanks in advance.

[72Straight6]

Originally Posted by Clavo106

the 71 at my yard had one maby have been swap at one point. but it was a 71 c10 cab. have some picture of it for reference.

Clavo106!

If you do in fact have a folding bench seat, please post a few photos and/or send me a message/email with a link. I'd love to check it out.

[Clavo106]

its was at my local yard.1971 i boght the chassis and bed the cab whent to hes friend i believe look at the my photo archive but I dont have a shot with the bench down witch I should have also pick up. I know for a fact it fold because I fold it. I took lots of shot witch I will post later today. I bought the chassis 5 months ago.. I got pic of the truck year vin and seat / no glove sticker becomes it was missing but the seat matched the paint and it looked stock.il post pic.