avanti II seat parts?

[kellyavanti]

63R-1880 has had the seats replaced. I think they are out of a mid-70s Avanti II. They are the high back Recaros. They have been reupholstered, but the fabric has rotted (it's from the desert). The passenger seatback was really leaned back. I decided to reupholster them before the foam rots, and when I took that cover off, discovered the fiberglass seat base, which holds the foam and material is badly broken (I suspect) from people leaning back against it. It has been repaired badly, with metal plates (the kind you would use for house rafters!)

I have repaired fiberglass but this repair would take lots of stress, and I would worry about having to take apart a freshly upholstered seat to deal with a failure.

Anyway... I wondered if anyone might have a source for one of these bases. I don't care about the whole seat, though I would be willing to buy one (or a pair). I really just need the fiberglass base "bucket". I'm hoping someone on here might part out Avantis...

Thanks for any help, Kelly

[Gunslinger]

Without seeing them it sounds like it might be more cost effective to simply find replacement seats. You can buy brand new aftermarket seats and reupholster them to match your interior and seat bases for the Avanti are available...the seat makers generally have the Avanti pattern in their database and can make them on order.

If you feel its better to repair your seats, check with Myer's Studebaker or Nostalgic Motors. Either or both may be able to help you. If nothing else check eBay for Recaro seats and parts...maybe Hemmings as well. Recaro doesn't make the model used by Avanti Motors anymore and probably won't be much help but they might have parts for discontinued models.

Something else...it makes sense to replace the foam at the same time. Kinda like buying new shoes and using the old shoelaces. Do it once and do it right.

[kellyavanti]

Thanks for the suggestions. I already have an email out to Recaro. After market seats I have found up to now just don't impress me. Those Recaros are insanely comfortable. I have a bad back and drove that car 12 hours straight through from Albuquerque to Palm Springs and felt great. The seat foam is in excellent condition and as it is very high quality latex foam, I think it will be fine. Finding replacement foam of equal quality is nearly impossible. I just did that on a 63 Valiant v-200 hdtp. it cost over $300 and still wasn't as good as the original latex had been.

Maybe you recommend some aftermarket makers I'm not aware of. I appreciate the advice!

Kelly

[Gunslinger]

Take a look at Procar seats http://procarbyscat.com. Their Elite line looks a great deal like the Recaro seats used in Avantis. I have no personal experience with them but considering what my Recaro seats cost to upholster this would probably have been a less expensive way to go if I had known about it at the time. That being said...the Recaro seats are definitely the most comfortable and supportive I've ever used.

[JavierB]

curious if there are any updates on getting Avanti II recaro seats?  Or another matching seat  that would allow for shoulder belt harness.

[studegary]

16 minutes ago, JavierB said:

curious if there are any updates on getting Avanti II recaro seats?  Or another matching seat  that would allow for shoulder belt harness.

Not a "matching seat", but many use Chrysler Sebring convertible seats due to their built in shoulder belts.    

[Avanti83]

21 hours ago, JavierB said:

curious if there are any updates on getting Avanti II recaro seats?  Or another matching seat  that would allow for shoulder belt harness.

I'm not sure what's the model year of your car but if it has the three point harnesses for the front seats you can use any number of newer bucket seats and possibly aftermarket like Procar as some suppliers offer Avanti seat tracks that bolt in.

While the Sebring seats are a decent call for Studebakers, I'd be very Leary about mounting then in an Avanti with out providing rear mounting points to the frame. The Avanti floor is fiberglass and if you hit something it's not only your weight but the weight of the seat and the lever action of the seat height bearing directly on the flimsy mounts under the floor.

When I put the newer seats in my 74 Avanti, I built a seat mount that incorporated mounting to the frame mounts under the seat as the driver's right side clasp of the seat belt is mounted to the side of the seat.  That way both attachment points of the 3-point harness have 7/16" grade eight bolts holding my fragile arse in the seat which also has 7/16" bolts holding the seat frame in place also. That's the bolt size used in most contemporary cars for seat installation. 

Remember the Avanti represents safety designs of the early 60's so whatever one can do to make them safer is worth the time. 

Edited June 28, 2020 by Avanti83

[silverstude]

Hard to find now, but 1998 Pontiac GTS(?) had blow up lumbar & side wing supports, multi facet adjustable seat and thigh cushions.