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Classic Car Seats: Finish Your Interior Restoration In Style

Driving a classic should be comfortable, not a pain from worn-out seats. Rebuilding those seats is labor-intensive. Here, we offer a variety of OEM-style reproduction seats.
Classic Car Seats: Finish Your Interior Restoration In Style
Classic Car Seats Variety

When you’ve got an unrestored classic car, it’s almost par for the course that the original seats are worn out structurally, if not visibly. You may have gotten used to the sagging, pinching, and squeaking that comes from tired or broken seat frame components, but the point always comes where you just can’t take any more. Maybe it happens one day when you realize you can tell exactly where the seat frame or springs are just by feel. Or maybe you realize that sitting in a lopsided hole is causing you real physical pain. Driving a classic should give you deep-seated comfort, not a pain in the butt. Something needs to be done about your seats, but what?

Dishelved Old Seat
Old seats need not be this disheveled in order to be uncomfortable and embarrassing to look at.

Repairing and rebuilding seats is a complex, labor-intensive process that’s very difficult to get right without practice and experience. For example, even if you’re able to successfully remove the old seat cover without damaging it, you may find the perimeter of the seat frame has cracked and needs to be welded. Removing the multitude of old springs and attaching new ones correctly is easy to get wrong, resulting in rips and damage to any new foam cushioning and seat covers. Simply put, repairing is not the best option unless you’re good at it already, or know someone who is and will work for free.

Old Seat Springs
Seat repair is complex and requires thorough know-how and experience to get right.

Maybe you simply have a bench seat you've always wanted to replace with individual bucket seats. Or, you've wanted to swap vinyl for leather. Or maybe you need to replace your seat assembly, but want to add your own custom seat cover fabric.

We’ve got solutions to all these problems! In this article, we’ll look at the variety of replacement classic car seats that are faithful to the construction, strength, and styling of classic American and European cars, trucks, Jeeps, and even vintage cars used for racing. The seats we offer are built with one-size-fits-all dimensions, but are offered with sliders and anchoring frames that are specific to individual vehicles. So they’ll fit right, offer full safety, and be extremely comfortable. In fact, most of the seats we offer can be successfully installed in new cars as well as older ones dating as far back as 1908 Ford Model Ts.

Seat Anchoring Frames
Seats we offer feature tracks and anchoring frames that are specific to a large selection of vehicles.

Seats With Classic And Retro Style

If you’re shopping for a true classic look, we’ve got it - with four choices from Procar. The Classic Lowback Sport Seat (no headrest) and Classic Sport Seat (with headrest) both feature identical shapes, materials, and design - with horizontal ribbing. Should you prefer vertical ribbing, there’s the matching Pro-90 Lowback Sport Seat (no headrest) and Pro-90 Sport Seat (with headrest). In the Product Options field for all of these Procar seats, you’ll be able to choose surface coverings of leather, velour, vinyl, or vinyl with velour inserts. Color choices will vary depending on material selected.

Classic Lowback Sport Seats
From L to R: the Procar Classic Lowback Sport Seat, Classic Sport Seat, Pro-90 Lowback Sport Seat, and Pro-90 Sport Seat.

For a more contemporary appearance, take a glimpse at the Procar Rally series of seats. These offer a sporty look, with supportive side bolsters on the seat backs and seat cushions. If you prefer a version without a headrest, there’s the Rally Lowback Sport Seat that’s great for creating a nostalgic muscle car look. The Rally Smoothback Sport Seat features the same contours, but with a headrest and less ribbing coverage on the seatback area. The Rally Sport Seat also features a headrest, and it comes with vertical ribbing on all surface areas. It’s even available with a houndstooth pattern center insert for those that really crave an authentic retro appearance.

Rally Sport Seats
From L to R: the Procar Rally Smoothback Sport Seat, Rally Lowback Sport Seat, and Rally Sport Seat.

For a more contemporary appearance, take a glimpse at the Procar Rally series of seats. These offer a sporty look, with supportive side bolsters on the seat backs and seat cushions. If you prefer a version without a headrest, there's the Rally Lowback Sport Seat that's great for creating a nostalgic muscle car look. The Rally Smoothback Sport Seat features the same contours, but with a headrest and less ribbing coverage on the seatback area. The Rally Sport Seat also features a headrest, and it comes with vertical ribbing on all surface areas. It's even available with a houndstooth pattern center insert for those that really crave an authentic retro appearance.

Owners of 1964-67 Ford Mustangs and 1967-69 Chevy Camaros can also select the Procar Rally Sport Seats in a 4-seat Rally Interior Seat Kit package, with a custom-fit rear bench seat that bolts in place without modification. Vinyl is the only choice of cover material, and all mounting hardware is included.

Procar Rally Interior Seat Kit
The Procar Rally Interior Seat Kit.
Bare Procar Seat
All Procar seats are available in "bare" form with no cover.

If you prefer to add your own custom seat cover material, all Procar seats can be selected in "bare" form with no cover. Depending on the model of seat you select, sliding tracks may or may not be included. You'll be prompted to select a seat adapter bracket assembly, which will be fitted to your specific year, make, and model.

Classic British Sports Car Look

Modeled after designs seen in original British sports cars of the 1960s and ‘70s, we’ve got three distinct styles of Cobra “Roadster” series seats. These come with tubular steel frame 1-piece construction, and are not adjustable. First, the Roadster SR Race Seat has a narrower configuration on the seat back and cushion. The Roadster SS Race Seat offers a wider seat back and less restrictive side bolsters. And the Roadster XL Race Seat features the widest seat cushions and seat backs, along with a more sculpted out seat bottom area.

Cobra Roadster Series Seats
From L to R: Cobra "Roadster" series seats in SR, SS, and XL trim.

Seats Designed For Racing

We’ve got three one-piece, non-adjustable seats made by Cobra - designed with high strength tubular steel construction along with maximum lateral support for those who plan to use their vehicle in track competitions. Based on European seat design from the early 1970s with styling cues taken from German and Italian exotic sports cars, the Cobra Classic RS Racing Seat features an adjustable headrest and is available in all-leather. This seat also offers the distinction of a corduroy fabric center area that comes with a choice of leather or vinyl edging.

Cobra Historic Racing Seats
From L to R: Cobra Classic CS, RS, and FIA Historic racing seats.

The Classic CS with Headrest and Side Grommets Race Seat also includes a height-adjustable headrest, and features side ports that allow the use of 4-point safety harnesses. This seat is designed to meet ECE R17 safety standards. And the Cobra FIA Historic GRP Race Seat is purpose-built for owners who race historic vehicles that need an FIA 8855-1999 homologated seat. It can be used with a 5- or 6-point safety harness, and is the narrowest FIA-approved seat on the market. This allows it to fit in tight spaces on small sports cars that may also be equipped with a roll cage.

Seats For Jeeps

We know any replacement seats you install in a Jeep CJ or Wrangler need to be particularly durable. Because these vehicles are often driven and left with their tops off, cover materials must remain resistant to water, sunlight, and other airborne pollutants for the long haul. And because there's a high likelihood you'll be bouncing around off the pavement, such seats also need to be well-padded and comfortable.

Rugged Ridge Replacement Seats
The Rugged Ridge Replacement Seats.

To this end, we've got the Rugged Ridge vinyl Replacement Seats for Jeeps from 1955-2003 as well as some Suzuki Samurais. Once you select year, make, and model, you'll see the applicable style that's a replica of your vehicle's OEM seating. If your original seat featured a headrest, so will the Rugged Ridge replacement. In the Product Options field, you can select the front seats and/or rear seats that you need. Depending on application, you may be given a choice of seat rests and reclining/non-reclining seat backs as well.

Black Mountain Classic Seats
The Black Mountain Classic Seats.

We’ve also got the Black Mountain textured vinyl Front Reclining Seat for Jeep CJs and Wranglers from 1976-95. Note that all Black Mountain replacement seats feature built-in headrests.

Classic Car On Road

Once you're sitting properly and comfortably on new seats in your classic, you can truly focus on enjoying all of its benefits and pleasures. Your back, hips, and knees will thank you, and you'll now be able to imagine more of what it was like to ride in your car or truck during the year it rolled off the assembly line new.

To us, the biggest advantage to these "ready to install" seats is the pleasure in avoiding the hassles of rebuilding/reupholstering old worn-out seats. You will significantly reduce the amount of time your ride is "down", and once these new seats are bolted in place, you'll be ready to roll in style - isn't that what it's all about?

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