Seat Swap

[Raul Pino]

Hi. I'm new owner of an 85 Avanti. Factory seats in bad shape and due to low budget prefer to swap them out.  I welcome input on what other cats with leather seats also would be good donors for front and rear seats that fit and what modifications wete necessary.  I'm looking at 2014 Mustang GT seats but prefer to get input first.  Thank you.

[Avanti83]

The rear would be difficult due to the unusual shape of the back rest. You might want to price getting it recovered or dyed if it's not torn.

I used Pontiac G6 leather seats in my 74. I also looked at earlier Mustangs 05 -08 or so and liked them. I never checked fit but most newer car buckets are pretty close to the correct size. The biggest issue is are or can they be made low enough to provide head room. The 14 Mustang is worth a long look.

Because they generally need to have a custom base made you can generally make them fit the Avanti setup. I used the seatbelt mounting spots because they thread directly into the frame and are much stronger than to original mounts at the rear of the front seat.

Here are some shots of my install.

Seat mounted in car

Mount in place that uses G6 track and Avanti seat belt rear mounting position

An here's a video of the completed interior of the 74 with the G6 seats, 89 custom built and upholstered dash and the remainder of the interior dyed from a cr@p tan and brown to a glossy and satin black combination. I will eventually have the G6 seats reupholstered to match the rear.

 

Edited February 9, 2019 by Avanti83

[Raul Pino]

Great info thank you.  I bought 2013 Camaro SS seats and also Cadillac CTS V seats to see which option I prefer, most likely the Cadillac due to comfort.  Others will go on my 74 Camaro big block car.  Your engine sounds awesome.  What digital gauges did you use, aftermarket or from which donor car?

[Avanti83]

9 hours ago, Raul Pino said:

Great info thank you.  I bought 2013 Camaro SS seats and also Cadillac CTS V seats to see which option I prefer, most likely the Cadillac due to comfort.  Others will go on my 74 Camaro big block car.  Your engine sounds awesome.  What digital gauges did you use, aftermarket or from which donor car?

Thanks for the thoughts. The dash is an Intellitronix setup I bought many years ago and saved for a project, obviously the 74 Avanti. Good luck with your seat choice and keep us in the loop on your installation.