Suggestions on building 32 Ford seat frame

As usual, I have to find a way to save money on my '32 build. I had intended to use the original seat frame and springs, but the springs are pretty bad. The set of springs will run $400+ and new frame $650+. I think I can fab a frame from 7/8" round tubing (smallest dies I have), but need some help with the "how to's" such as mounting zig zag springs and figuring their length before and after mounting. Also need help with what to use to hinge and lock/unlock back of seat. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I really need to make this work. Thanks

At least as a stop-gap until I could do better, I would be looking in the boneyards for one of the middle or rear seats out of a minivan of some type. It'll at least get your duff up off the floor until you can figure a way to make the seat that you want.

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Originally Posted by Deuce4dad

As usual, I have to find a way to save money on my '32 build. I had intended to use the original seat frame and springs, but the springs are pretty bad. The set of springs will run $400+ and new frame $650+. I think I can fab a frame from 7/8" round tubing (smallest dies I have), but need some help with the "how to's" such as mounting zig zag springs and figuring their length before and after mounting. Also need help with what to use to hinge and lock/unlock back of seat. Any suggestions will be appreciated. I really need to make this work. Thanks

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Ya shoulda have told me when you were up lookin @ my 32.
I've got the cushions/springs that i took outta mine I'll sell you
Give me a call 580-786-2005

Well, I had intended to stay with the original bench seat or build something similar, but I ran across a really nice set of Buick Lacrosse bucket seats while I was chasing down other parts, and they measure out to be small enough to fit and were almost a perfect match for the interior color I wanted to use. And I think they may not look too out of place. Now, if I can just get these things bolted in and get the doors to shut LOL. Thank you Don for the offer of the seat springs. Much appreciated.

Had a pair of tan leather Buick Lacrosse seats in the 40. Best seats ever for the long haul, 8 way power and comfort every mile. Only problem was they would not fold forward enough for back seat access. Hated to see them go. Good Luck.

Can these seats be wired for the power option? I have the seat harness only; no connector from the power supply side. And I did notice that I could not fold the seat forward enough to store things behind them. Bummer!

Deuce, I'd be really surprised to hear that the Buick buckets are going to be narrow enough to fit in your '32, even when they're butted together in the middle; and I'd also think that they would be pretty tall, too. I really expected that you'd get some help on your basic questions about how to measure & mount the zig-zag springs to your custom frame, and what kind of hinge & latch work best for that application. Sorry that I cannot help you.

On the wiring, yes they can be wired by adding power and ground to a couple of terminals. Send me your email address to scooting@flash.net and I will send the complete wiring diagram for the car and seats. I bought it from an online wiring place when I got the seats. You will have to ignore a couple of things that sent messages to the computer but it is not hard to figure out.

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Originally Posted by Deuce4dad

Can these seats be wired for the power option? I have the seat harness only; no connector from the power supply side. And I did notice that I could not fold the seat forward enough to store things behind them. Bummer!

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Auto Zone has wiring diagrams on their website. If you have a junk yard, preferably a pick and pull, and know the year of the seats you should be able to find the end of the harness you're missing.

With the later model cars using seat designs built up with varying density foam layers and no springs, couldnt you use the same idea on a custom seat? WalMart sells electric knives that work really good on foam. You need to find a source for the foam material.....use stiff stuff around the perimeter and softer stuff in the butt zone. Stiff stuff keeps seat shape and helps support the thighs. You can use plywood for the bottom plate and cut that out in the butt zone and staple straps from a lawn chair in the opening to support the foam. The foam layers glue together with 3M spray adhesive. Using this concept, you should be able to assemble a seat for a nominal amount....the foam is the highest cost component.

Deuce, on another forum my friend Denny from Texas just posted his glide frame from his 32 for $300. If it is the one from his car, It is beautiful. His number is: "Call 940 594 9072 will help with shipping"

I think I am going to stay with the Buick seats. I have started mounting them. Now if I can figure out the wiring harness with Scooting's help, I think these will make a really nice, comfortable ride. Gotta figure out how to remove the head rests too. Roger the plastic switch cover just touches the inner door frame with no panel installed. I think I can work around that.

When trimmed out the interior will look like ya got a couch in it. Not hotrod/streetrod looking. Yer car -yer way

Deuce, are the seats like this seat cover picture?

Attachment 62075

Without the console they look pretty narrow so they might fit side to side, but they sit really, really high on the OEM brackets and I expect the power operator feature takes a lot of that space so dropping them down might be difficult. Also that side piece on the outside is big & bulky. A shot of a manual passenger seat that only had a seat back release looks cleaner, but still tall! At 6'3" they'd never work for me, and maybe not even if they were bolted straight to the floor without brackets and no sliders. Test fit your butt in the seats in the car before you go too far. That Glide seat that Scooting posted sounds like a pretty good deal to me..... but like Don says, it's your car, your look, and only has to make you happy. ;)

Roger, they don't look like those. The image you posted look like the Silverado seat which is larger. These are definitely smaller and sit low. They are incredibly comfortable. The back of the seat does sit higher than an original seat. This is the only issue I have with them. The head room is adequate as is leg room. All but two mounting brackets bolt in, so these can be changed out later if needed. These will get me going much sooner and at less initial cost. They most definitely don't look like a couch, and was a concern for me also. Only took one "look" with them in the car to end that concern. I'm not above driving this thing with no other interior work. As Tech said, these will at least get my duff up off the floor LOL.

Sounds like the seats are fitting decently. Where are the pics? :LOL:

Ryan, I will try to post a few tomorrow. Working on the wiring harness to see what I need to power them up.

The man from Oklahoma is offering good advice. Also, sit the seat on the floor. Measure from the floor to the seat cushion....for a deuce hot rod, this measurement needs to be in the 4" range....you might get away with a smidgen more but high seats will make you look like you are sitting on a plastic bucket. A rule of thumb that I use is that the top of your shoulder should be level with the window sill. IF your pocket protector is showing, you're sitting WAY too high. If your girlfriend is sitting on your lap, her shoulder can show above the window sill. If she is sitting on your lap facing you, forget the rules.

I always give great consideration to all advice, even that given on girlfriends. "The man from Oklahoma" I believe is a Californian and my family here in Oklahoma goes back well before the Sooners got here. Great, great grandfather was buried on Wichita tribal land due north of Don in 1902. Don is a most welcome addition to the state's population and is living on Kiowa, Comanche, Apache land. He lives in a town where there is a bank on nearly every corner. Oil money in every one of them. LOL. Thanks for the advice.

OOPs, maybe I should have said "man IN Oklahoma" not from
Big difference. Thanks for the info about a bank on every corner, he must have moved there to sell more deuces!

The bank on every corner sure don't hurt the economy here !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Land is cheap and the livin is good.
Every thing is OK in O.K.
Like it here better than I did in AZ

Robot, I dropped the rear of the seats one inch after reading your post. That is all I could get. They sure sit great. Now, back to the wiring. I will try to post a photo soon.

The Buick seats will power up and down, tilt forward and rearward. You should be able to find a perfect spot for the old tush.

In my 39 coupe, we had to work on the Glide seat quite a bit to get it to sit lower....bugs me to sit too high in a vehicle. I also think that back and down is more comfortable position. My wife's Escalade seat position sucks.....all the way back and all the way down still has my shoulder top about 4" above the door sill. I look like a 7' tall person sitting in it.....not cool.

Trying to post photo, but can only access forum page. Won't let me go to home page. Am trying to create album so that I can import photo, just get there from forum page. Any ideas?

Why are you trying to access another forum page, or the home page? Simply go to the "Quick Reply" box at the bottom of your thread, click "Go Advanced" in the lower right corner, then on the new page scroll down to "Additional Options" and in that big box, click "Manage Attachments". Once there click "Add Files", then "Select Files" to get to the picture files on your computer. Once you pick the picture you want left click it to highlight that file, click "Open" and it will be named in the file box. Click "Upload File", and "Done". Click "Submit Reply" and you're done. Sounds like a lot, but it's very straightforward once you get in the groove.

Roger, when I try to upload photo I have an icon pop up that shows file is too large

deuce try irfanview software. works great for re-sizing pics and its free and easy to use.

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Originally Posted by Deuce4dad

Roger, when I try to upload photo I have an icon pop up that shows file is too large

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Yep, the file size has to be down in the KB range to post. In my default Windows picture viewer I simply open a picture, click "Edit, Organize or Share" in the upper left corner action bar, and once open select the picture or group of pictures that I want to resize and open the "Edit" tab. If "Resize" is not on the bar then it's in "Properties". Click "Resize", select "1024" or "Medium, for attacking to e-mail, etc" and it will save a new copy beside the first. Simple and easy, no additional programs to open.

Thanks for the photo posting help.

Good job! You can also use PowerPoint to compress your photos, then "save as" back into your file.

Those look very nice!

Thanks again for all the help and comments. Scooting, I have the seats temporarily wired so that I can adjust them for best fit position. Wasn't as bad as I expected. And the doors do close!

Deuce, I think that I would paint those lower side panels to match the interior color as close as possible, and they will tend to "disappear" a lot more than being charcoal gray. Totally your call, but that's the way I'd run with it. They are good looking seats.

Yes, I will probably make a wrap around piece that will go all the way down to the carpet that can be covered with upholstery fabric. Thanks