# Custom Interiors????



## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

I have a 1965 GTO that I am restoring. It will never be 100% original because the engine, transmission, and rear end were changed out long before I got the car. So as I restore it I am upgrading and improving it. One of the things my wife asked was if there was anyway to put in reclining bucket seats with headrest. I have found the ones on Original Parts Group but they do not offer rear seats so they won't match.

I have also seen where people take seats out of the newer GTO's, 2004-2006, and place them in the older cars for a custom look.

Does anyone know if there is a company out there that offers front and rear custom seats that match and would look good with stock door panels and dash?

Also, is there any information on how to modify newer generation seats to make them work in older GTO's?

Thanks,
Dale


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

I have a 1965 GTO that I am restoring. It will never be 100% original because the engine, transmission, and rear end were changed out long before I got the car. So as I restore it I am upgrading and improving it. One of the things my wife asked was if there was anyway to put in reclining bucket seats with headrest. I have found the ones on Original Parts Group but they do not offer rear seats so they won't match.

I have also seen where people take seats out of the newer GTO's, 2004-2006, and place them in the older cars for a custom look.

Does anyone know if there is a company out there that offers front and rear custom seats that match and would look good with stock door panels and dash?

Also, is there any information on how to modify newer generation seats to make them work in older GTO's?

Thanks,
Dale


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## KarLvr (Oct 28, 2010)

Thats a really good subject. I would like to replace the seats in my car with a more comfortable one and then there is the door line to be concerned. The 2004-06 seats are much better looking but I fear they are too tall. My car is also a 65---convertible.


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

I asked a similar question a couple months ago and there was a nice discussion about it, and I also got a lot of great information from looking at the more active chevelle forums. 
http://www.gtoforum.com/f50/non-vintage-seats-29444/


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

The 2004-2006 GTO bucket seats fit well and look very nice with minor modification ( floor mount brackets). The rear seats however are way too tall. They need to be shortened about 6-8 inches, and center/side fillers fabricated. I would suggest installing the front seats. Then having the rear seat (65) re-upholstered to match the fronts......would look great IMHO Eric


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

You could also change the interior to a '66 or '67 interior. It all fits. '66 and '67 offered reclining passenger side seat with headrest. Rare, but I've sat in 'em. I once had a '65 with a '67 interior, and it looked like it was born there. If you're not a GTO purist, you'll never know the difference. Also, with me, I can drive my GTO all day without back issues (especially my '67 with the rebuilt seat), but I can't drive most newer vehicles comfortably for a long time. The seats are too low, and I'm sitting on my tailbone. One reason I'm not into Mustangs or Firebirds. A lot of seating options out there, and they are a bolt in, so you won't bede-valuing the car if you hold on tho the original gut.


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

Thanks for all of the information. I had thought about the 66-67 interior but finding a reclining passenger seat would be difficult and probably expensive.

Has anyone tried the aftermarket seats from Original Parts Group? I was just wondering the quality and if they are bolt in without modifications. If they are that would be an option and have the rear seats redid to match. I also like the idea of the 04-06 front seats and having the back redid to match them.

The interior is still a ways off before I start on it. I just like deciding ahead of time what I am going to do so I can gather the needed items.

Thanks again,
Dale


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

58mark said:


> I asked a similar question a couple months ago and there was a nice discussion about it, and I also got a lot of great information from looking at the more active chevelle forums.
> http://www.gtoforum.com/f50/non-vintage-seats-29444/


I looked up the link you had with the Chevelle and those are the seats that Original Parts Group sells. Those are the seats that rap around and I was looking at the step below that is just contoured seats. I just wonder if he had the back seat made to match and if he had to modify his mounts.

Dale


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

I did some more digging and I found out who makes the seats sold by OPG. They are Procar seats and are made by Scat. When I went to their web site I found that they actually have a lot of different seats and material options to include leather and velour. They even have custom mounting brackets for a variety of vehicles that makes their seats bolt in capable with no modifications or fabrications. They even have rear seats and kits for VWs, Mustangs, and Camaros. I am going to contact them and see if I can buy their material in bulk to make a back seat for the 65. If I can, I might have just found a great solution.

Here is their web site.

Procar by Scat

Dale


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

I've always wondered if seats from any GM a body will fit other divisions, and thanks to that website, I found out that they do! 

I really like the Elite lumber in black velour.... No vinyl for this texas boy


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

I put both front and rear 06 GTO seats into my 65 hardtop- the fronts are all power and they fit great.I am 6' 1". BUT you do have to make custom mounts - I made VERY simple plates with studs and then welded them to the floor most of the time was spent lining the drivers side up to the steering wheel. You are able to use the front inner stud to position the seats and it centers the seat to the wheel then you have to work out the side to side heights with the other three mounts. The tops of the rear seats have to be cut down so you can see out the back window and since the rear of a 65 is MUCH wider than an 04-06 I split the rear set so they are positioned behind the front seats and am building a rear center console to fill that area in. A little bit of work but the seats are soooooo comfy


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

58mark said:


> I've always wondered if seats from any GM a body will fit other divisions, and thanks to that website, I found out that they do!
> 
> I really like the Elite lumber in black velour.... No vinyl for this texas boy


My wife likes the Elite Lumbar in velour the best as well, that comfort thing. I like the Pro 90 in velour because they look like they could have been stock in a 65 GTO. I am sure the comfort thing will win.


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

crustysack said:


> I put both front and rear 06 GTO seats into my 65 hardtop- the fronts are all power and they fit great.I am 6' 1". BUT you do have to make custom mounts - I made VERY simple plates with studs and then welded them to the floor most of the time was spent lining the drivers side up to the steering wheel. You are able to use the front inner stud to position the seats and it centers the seat to the wheel then you have to work out the side to side heights with the other three mounts. The tops of the rear seats have to be cut down so you can see out the back window and since the rear of a 65 is MUCH wider than an 04-06 I split the rear set so they are positioned behind the front seats and am building a rear center console to fill that area in. A little bit of work but the seats are soooooo comfy


I really like the looks of that, nice job. I have been doing some checking on the 04-06 seat route but have had no luck. One of our better salvage yards is hooked up to that link that they use where he can check numerous other businesses and there are no used seats out there. As a matter of fact he says there are no wrecked cars in salvage. Every since Pontiac went out of business the wrecked cars are being bought and rebuilt so the parts for them have dried up. I have checked 40 normal yards so far. I haven't checked any Pontiac specific yards yet because they seem to be more expensive. So it looks like the Procar seats are looking like a viable option. The seats are fairly nice looking and you can get the brackets specifically for your car that makes them bolt in ready.
Thanks
Dale


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

Dale, Try E-bay item #310276084891 Eric:cheers


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

Eric Animal said:


> Dale, Try E-bay item #310276084891 Eric:cheers


Wow, thanks, never thought of Ebay. Now I need to make some decisions.:willy:


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

check ebay 04 05 06 GTO Complete Black Leather Power Seats LS1 LS2 - eBay (item 310276084891 end time Dec-31-10 14:21:45 PST)


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## skapegoat (Nov 5, 2008)

I just got done putting 99 grand prix seats in my 70 GTO. I also managed to install them without modifying any factory mounts or making holes in the floor so if I ever want to put original seats back in I can. The grand prix seats look almost like a newer version of the 70 seats with the same amount of vertical ribs plus the rear seat is one piece. The power stuff all still works as well as the heated seat parts.


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

very interesting.... Can you tell us how the back seat from the grand prix fit? Pictures please!


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## skapegoat (Nov 5, 2008)

It was more work then any normal person would want but I'll put out the rough instructions. For the back bottom I had to remove a lot of foam from the center section where the tunnel is on the rear wheel drive gto. The steel rods in the seat had to be bent to shape around the car floor. I used the nail puller side of a hammer to do this. The front factory clips are designed to clip the steel framing and I adjusted the framing to use those clips. For the rear top there are 2 screws with fender washers that hold the bottom section in and 4 hooks on the top. I made holes in the package tray for these hooks to set in. For the front passenger seat there is no power on the seats I have so it was easy. I had to remove the brackets from seat because they were too wide for gto mounting holes. Cut the brackets in half bring them closer together and welded them back together. Shortened the wire that controls the slider lock. The front of grand prix brackets hook into car so I bent them over and drilled holes to use the gto mounting stud. Then the screws for the seat were too wide to bolt to the bracket so I made some angle brackets to bolt the seat to bracket. Used existing holes in back. The drivers seat was basicly the same except it is power so it has motors and all the garb that comes along with it. The mounting difference was the front wouldn't reach the studs because the center brackets connecting the sides together comes down too low. I used a 5/16" nut welded to a 3/8" bolt to lengthen the stud up high enough and then did the same as passenger side. It isn't complete yet. Need to make some black strips on sides of back seat to cover the inch that it isn't wide enough and a package tray with speakers to hide the 2 inches it is too tall. Far from a perfect install but the end result should look pretty good.


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

I think I am leaning towards the Procar seats by Scat. I really like the Pro 90 seats, they look like they could have been factory installed in any mid 60's muscle car. I also like the Rally seats, they have that old school look with modern side supports. My wife likes the Elite Lumbar because of the higher back and the lumbar support. That is the biggest complaint she has with old style bucket seats is that they offer no lumbar support. The problem is they look like newer, more modern, seats than the others which would not match the original interior. If anyone has used the Elite series seats and has pictures, please share. The pictures that 58mark shared in an earlier post of a Chevelle has the Rally seats in it, which looks pretty good and stock looking. I will repost the link below. My wife woild like the velour but I like the leather of vinyl for that more original look, but we will probably go with velour for comfort. They do offer a velour trimmed in vinyl for the Rally seats which looks really good.

Dale

Picasa Web Albums - Rok - Chevelle inte...

To see the bigger pictures play the slide show and pause the pictures.


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## 58mark (Sep 28, 2010)

Another option is to get vinyl, but cover them with nice seats covers, which could be taken off for car shows. Best of both worlds and the seats will last longer


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

58mark said:


> Another option is to get vinyl, but cover them with nice seats covers, which could be taken off for car shows. Best of both worlds and the seats will last longer


I think what I have decided to do is to get the seats that are not covered. Then have the interior shop cover them with vinyl and velour. The edges will be in vinyl and the sitting area, the center, would be velour. I will have them match the pattern of the original 65 seats by sewing seams, they should even be able to match the Pontiac emblem. I did the same thing on the 66 I had but I used original front seats. When I saw this company offers seats with the cushions but no material covers, I thought of the idea like I had done before. It gives that original look with a nice touch of custom and added comfort without giving up the pattern of the stock seats. You also won't have to worry about matching the front and back seats because the same person will be doing both and using the same materials for both. Now I just need those winning numbers for the lottery.:lol:

Dale


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

picked up a set of 65' corvair buckets, frames and padding is same as GTO and they are perfect drivers (wrong covers) but without the GTO name attached to them i got them for a steal 150.00 have the legendary covers for them after paint and i love the 65' GTO seat covers, best ever.

1966 Tempest pictures by instg8ter - Photobucket


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## stracener (Jul 27, 2010)

Dale, I 'm putting 2005 power leather bucket seats in the front of my '72 GTO, I have just finished fabricating the mounts to attach to the floor of the car (to the old mounting bolts/locations) and am trying to figure out the electrical connections. When I get it done (hopefully in the next week or so), I'll post my results so you can take a look. Will include some pics and measurements when I get it completed. Good luck with your '65 - awesome car!
Dave


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

That would be nice. I haven't completely made my mind up yet so I will take any information I can to help.
Thanks,
Dale


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## KarLvr (Oct 28, 2010)

I also have a 65 GTO convertible that I want to install a better set of front seats. I have given a lot of thought to 2004 thru 2006 GTO seats and there are those that say they will fit. Has anyone had hands on experience with changing these and my point here is are they short enough for the tops to be level with the door line. Thats important for me. Thanks


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## Instg8ter (Sep 28, 2010)

being a high rise bucket they will stick way higher than the door top but they can be made to fit and work, you will need to make custom mount brackets and keep them as low to the pan as you can.


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

KarLvr said:


> I also have a 65 GTO convertible that I want to install a better set of front seats. I have given a lot of thought to 2004 thru 2006 GTO seats and there are those that say they will fit. Has anyone had hands on experience with changing these and my point here is are they short enough for the tops to be level with the door line. Thats important for me. Thanks


Check out this company:
Procar by Scat
Their seats are direct bolt in with their adapters and they really look the part. They also have different styles for different taste. You can even get them without covering and have them covered to your personal taste. I think that is what I am going to do and have the interior shop do the work so the stitching resembles the original seats and the front and the back match. I was thinking of having the trim done in vinyl and the sitting area in velour for added comfort but have the pattern sewn in so it matches the stock pattern.
Dale


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

This is the seat I use. I then had a custom upholsterer make a cover for the rear seat to match the stitching of the fronts...

Procar by Scat


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## Eric Animal (Oct 28, 2007)

stracener said:


> Dale, I 'm putting 2005 power leather bucket seats in the front of my '72 GTO, I have just finished fabricating the mounts to attach to the floor of the car (to the old mounting bolts/locations) and am trying to figure out the electrical connections. When I get it done (hopefully in the next week or so), I'll post my results so you can take a look. Will include some pics and measurements when I get it completed. Good luck with your '65 - awesome car!
> Dave


The electric connections are easy! 1 positive and 1 negative. I checked mine when I got them. eric


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

68greengoat said:


> This is the seat I use. I then had a custom upholsterer make a cover for the rear seat to match the stitching of the fronts...
> 
> Procar by Scat


Do you have a picture of the seat in the car and how the rear seat turned out?
Thanks,
Dale


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## DaleGolds (Oct 25, 2010)

I just got an email from the people at Procar and they now offer the Pro 90 seat in velour with vinyl trim. So now this is an option if the custom made covers prove a little too much for my shrinking wallet.


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## Crazy-Al (Jul 21, 2016)

Both front and back seats of an 04-06 gto are too tall for a 65-67 gto. The back seats are a bit short length wise also, but ive seen them in in the older gto's, and they look good. I myself have a set of 06 gto seats, and plan on putting them in my 66. i bent some of the brackets at the mounting point to the floor, and the front seats di sit much better. But still, need to go to the shop and see what they say. but i'm sure i'll have to cut down the tops, and stretch the seats in the middle. Thinking of putting a fold down arrest in between.


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## Pinion head (Jan 3, 2015)

Quite a while back i bookmarked the following link, http://www.hemmings.com/magazine/mus/2011/03/Modern-Seat-Installation/3697071.html

as eventually I will be installing some late model buckets in my '63 LeMans project. Like the Mercedes C class buckets installed in the above link '70 Chevelle, am ready to use lightweight (compared to original '63 buckets) "modern low back" buckets out of a late model 4 door. Am not a fan of tall "racing" styled buckets with massively sculpted bolsters, they just look out of place. Most of the late model bucket seats have a wide degree of adjustability, many have 6 way power on the driver side which can help in fwd travel to get in the rear seat. Have already fashioned a rollbar hoop from .083 chromoly and its crossbar will preclude any large adult getting into the rear seat, so am not limited to outrageously expensive late model 2 door low backs which Ive yet to find a style that is fitting. 

Swapping to later seats has been something have agonized over with the '63 project. I finally came to the reasoning, the original 63 buckets were ancient looking, heavy, built like two blocks, and had zero lateral support, so I sold them off. While the '63 is not being built to do anything other than go straight line fast and safely stop. it has to have some comfortable seats in it. I've driven and ridden in a lot of recent latemodel vehicles, and have narrowed down the seats will be looking for. Most likely... deep gray, almost black fabric with red stitching buckets out of a 2015 or 2016 Camry SE. Been watching two of local late model yards for one or both buckets with tears in the center inset area, as going to have to reupholster the inserts to a narrow ribbed design. There seems to be a fairly strong discount on such seats that are not pristine, just got to keep looking.


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