A high back 'what if'

[rdorman]

What if Cobras where offered originally with a high back bucket and head rest? What do you think they would have come from or looked like?

Surely they would have been black leather but what else about them?

If you where to re-write 'history', how would you have done it?

Rick

[flipper35]

From that era, I would bet they would have been stiff with little bolstering on the sides to keep you in like most of the other bucket seats. Of course they may have realised the benefits of side and thigh bolters since they had some really remarkable minds working there.

[rdorman]

You would have thought that they would have thought about side bolstering for the cars but for all of us with the original buckets, we know better! With the competition style seat that some of them ran, they where thinking about it. But it doesn't seem as though it was a priority on other cars.

This is a big what if but had they put in a decent seat, where do we think it would have come from? Who had good seats back then?

Rick

[Sizzler]

What were the seats in the original GT40's like?

[Jack21]

I did rewrite history when I put my Cobra together. Building a Cobra allows us to do that. The seats from Classic Roadsters, arguably the best "Factory" seat of any Cobra already came with high backs, lumbar support, side support on my butt, and adjustable head rests. All I did was replace the vinyl part on the seat and back with cloth. Don't burn myself on it or stick to it in Summer, don't freeze on it in Winter, and it dries faster and doesn't get smelly if it gets wet in the rain.

Was never fond of the somewhat Spartan original dash, controls, and instrument layout. Was even less enamored with the CR "Factory" dash layout. Have very non-original, street rod'ish dash with instruments I can read without taking my eyes off the road, controls where my hands normally go reaching for them, finished in a red stained Zebrawood veneer.

Have ceramic coated heatshields on the sidepipes that look factory, and not even one snakebite to date. Think I had the only Cobra at DVSFII with sidepipe heat shields.

Ask yourself, "Suppose Shelby and Ford would have collaborated on giving Corvette a competetor in sales, instead of (or in addition to) Ferrarri on the race track in the late '60's and early '70's, even to the present day? How would the Shelby/Ford Cobra have evolved?"

So rather sticking to the purely '65 - '66 reproduction motiff, I added some presumptious evolutionary changes to the car. The above being examples, 17" wheels and tires as others. Granted; hardly original, but it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to improve the car as a daily driver, cruiser, and sports car that could be comfortably driven on road trips with significant other as passenger and occasional driver.

Think we see this more in street rods than Cobras, but that was the intent. And I got exactly the results I wanted. I'm 60, wife is 55. We feel 28 and 23 again cruising the countryside with our Cobra. Need I say more? Yes! You build your Cobra to do and be what you want it to do and be. It's your version of nostalga that should guide you to your end product.

Resale value? Well, the car is a '66, but our kids are fighting over it already. Ha. Ha.

[rdorman]

Any one have some pictures of the CR seats?
Rick

[Rich]

"Who had good seats back then?"

Who else...but only in race cars. Except for the factory sport seats, the Recarro passenger car seats were much less supportive.

http://www.vintageseats.com/seats.htm

Rich

[rdorman]

Good call Rich. Those seats look like they would work. Still have a 60s look but obviously much more supportive.The ST has a particular appeal. I would want a different leather though. I wonder how a GT40 seat would work?
Rick

[rdorman]

Rich, I have contacted that company and requested additional information. I will let everyone know what they say.

Any good seats in British cars in the day?

Rick

[Jack21]

Rdorman,

If you're in Columbus O, go over to DV's shop and see first hand what factory CR seats look like.

Give me an e-mail address and I'll send you some shots of mine.

[Wild Thing]

another possible choice are seats from a miata, esp. those with the speakers in the head rest.

[cobra427mnsi]

I love my CR seats. They are comfortable on long (more than an hour) drives. They give good lumbar and side support.

At DVSF II, a couple of FFR guys tried out my seats and wanted to know where they could get some. I tried their seats and they were very uncomfortable. They had short straight no support backs. I hope FFR has improved their seats since then.

rdorman: there are some pics in my gallery but the seats can't be seen that clearly. Sorry

Paul

[rdorman]

As many times as I have been to DVs shop, I have never tried out the seats!

I don't think the Miata seats look vintage so they are not for me. I think there are many, many new seats that would work, but I want to stay with something that looks vintage.

I wish those pictures where better!

At the next Fling (please let there be one!), if you see someone wandering around asking to sit in every car, that would be me!

I have another post about the Corbeau Classic Bucket. Seems as though that might fit the bill.

Rick

[cobra427mnsi]

rdorman

Here is a better pic that I just took. I removed the head rests about 6 months ago.

Paul

[rdorman]

Thanks for the pic! Are they constructed of a glass bucket or a tubular steel frame?
Rick

[cobra427mnsi]

They are a fibreglass bucket. They are mounted on rails so they are adjustable (in and out).

Paul

[rdorman]

I email the company you listed in your post
http://www.vintageseats.com/seats.htm
asking some questions. Below is the response. They also emailed me a picture of the "R" model seat done in smooth leather with vertical pleating that they made for a 60's vintage Ferrari. IT WAS GORGEOUS. I will try and shrink it to put in the members gallery.

These seats are not cheap. But, looks like they could be very, very nice.

Note from vintage seats:

"The seats are definitely comfortable. Not as much as a
modern Recaro of course but for a period correct seat,
it is pretty darn good. There is some lumbar support
and I have been having my upholsterer use a denser
foam for the bottom cusion, contoured to my specs.
This has helped with comfort as well.

I am located just outside of San Jose, CA

The dimensions of the different model's are all
approximately the same:

Fully upholstered, 20.5" wide, 20.5"-21" tall,
approximately 27"-29" depth depending on upholstered
bottom cusion shape (it project off the front of the
seat). Headrests will obviously add to this.

I have been drilling and tapping the seats to
accomidate New Recaro sliders and bases. The sliders
are generic and offer height and rake adjustment in a
crude way. The bases are made by recaro and they are
the link between the generic sliders and the unique
car's interior seat mounts. Height that is added from
the mounts to the seat with this arangement is
approximately (min) 1.5" If a custom seat base was
fabricated and the car's interior structure
accomidated it, the seat could actually sit below the
plane of the seat mounts.

The approximate distance from the bottom plane of the
seat and the top of the bottom seat cusion (in back)
is approximately 2" (give or take depending on
upholstery cusion design)

I have not yet researched the heating elements for the
seats but it is on my list of thisngs to do. It would
not be a difficult endeavor (i'm making an educated
guess here)

I have attached a picture of my model "R" seat that
was done up in black leather with vertical pleats for
a Ferrari. The cost difference over the German vinyl
is aproximately $650 more per pair. That includes the
headrests.

The ST seat would probably most appropriate for your
use, given the performance potential of the cars
you're dealing with and the high lateral loads they
can generate.

Look forward to talking with you.

Regards, Peter
(408) 354-5420"

Rick

[rdorman]

Check out my thread on the Corbeau Classic bucket as well. Good seat at a good price.
Rick