356 GT seats

Gordon,

Your run-down proves that there's a butt for every seat. Mine (apparently) fits a speedster seat. I shelled out for Fibersteel's. I can go almost endlessly in them.

My first car had VS's "comfort" seats, which were like instruments of torture-- 15 minutes, and I was ready to get out. The side bolsters hit me in my pelvis, and I was actually sitting on the sides of the seat-- horribly uncomfortable. Henry's "D" seats, are nearly perfect (except for the fact that I thought they looked insufficiently "racy"), but I didn't really like his speedster seats in '05 (I sat on them, not in them).

The point, I guess, is that a huge part of wanting to drive the car is being comfortable in it. There's no point in spending a king's ransom on an engine and transaxle that can cover a time-zone a day, if the seats make you squirm around after an hour or so. "Fun" is driving, and you've got to be comfortable to drive well.

No butts about that 

I have a set of black comfort seats that I will trade for a set of buckets. 

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Tremont, IL posted:

Gordon,

Your run-down proves that there's a butt for every seat. Mine (apparently) fits a speedster seat. I shelled out for Fibersteel's. I can go almost endlessly in them.

My first car had VS's "comfort" seats, which were like instruments of torture-- 15 minutes, and I was ready to get out. The side bolsters hit me in my pelvis, and I was actually sitting on the sides of the seat-- horribly uncomfortable. Henry's "D" seats, are nearly perfect (except for the fact that I thought they looked insufficiently "racy"), but I didn't really like his speedster seats in '05 (I sat on them, not in them).

The point, I guess, is that a huge part of wanting to drive the car is being comfortable in it. There's no point in spending a king's ransom on an engine and transaxle that can cover a time-zone a day, if the seats make you squirm around after an hour or so. "Fun" is driving, and you've got to be comfortable to drive well.

So the fibersteel are not just all looks and are actually comfortable?

Yes. All-day comfortable to my butt, but I got the full-meal deal. His padding is molded, not just cut-down sheets.

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Tremont, IL posted:

Yes. All-day comfortable to my butt, but I got the full-meal deal. His padding is molded, not just cut-down sheets.

Full meal?  

How tall are you ? I'm 6"2 195 lbs. 

These are very good points which say that every body is different and what might fit me well, at 5'6" and 150 lbs, won't fit other bodies as well.  My 914 seats were OK for 2, maybe 3 hour stretches but after a full day of riding, the act of getting out of the car was painful and I was stiff for a while.  My current seats are more like roadster seats and I don't get the stiffness after a longish day, but I've ridden in a friend's "B" coupe and those seats are amazing - he drives to the West Coast 356 Holiday every year and down to his daughter's in Arizona and often puts in 700-800 mile days.  But, then again, he's about the same build as me and we seem to fit those seats well.  Bottom line, for me, is if you're looking to change seats, hitch a ride in several cars and choose those that feel good.  Looking good (or "racy") doesn't necessarily mean comfortable for YOU, but'cha nevah know.  "Iron Butt Crosby" had the VS Speedster seats and all he did for an upgrade was switch to 914 bottom cushions and that made them more comfortable for him for long drives.  Jack's physique is much different than mine and he got his to fit.  It's like wearing shoes, I guess.

A friend of mine has a Lotus Elise.  You have to crawl across a very wide sill to get into what looks like an un-upholstered seat shell.  They look awful, but are remarkably comfortable - you sit in them and they hold you in place.

I have two as new seat shells with no holes :~)

Ideally I'd love to find a set of these original envemo seats. They were modified originals to fit the pan based cars and done in uber soft Brazilian leather. 

Paul,

Why do you need to find anything? You've got the seats right there. Just get them reupholstered. If you like them, and you know they fit, and they look right in the car, what's not to love? You've even got patterns, in that you have the old leather.

Regarding the "full-meal-deal": Fibersteel sells the seat shells only (priced like finished seats from VS), or padded and upholstered (for crazy-stupid money). I got the "full-meal-deal" for the padding (which is not available as a "middle-ground" option).

I'm 6', long torso, thick in the shoulders (and as of late, in the midsection as well), and about 225-ish. My seats are the OE 356 shells-- wider than the replica seats, narrower than the big-boy seats. I like what I've got a LOT, but they don't fit my wife (who is half my size) very well at all.

Full meal?  does that mean your super sizIng it Stan   

I am 6-1" but with a tall torso and if your fortunate to be under 200lbs which I am not then you might fit in more seats butt you could still have anatomical issues on some seats 

due to your pelvic bones 

trial and error seems to be the inly way to know 

Ray

Stan is right those seats are real nice and they look good in the car you might change and be very dissapointed Ray

Who's and what style seats are those black ones in a red 912/911?, that CRHEMI Bill posted? 

Also doesn't the quality of padding play an important role in seat comfort along with design?

Art

Art, they look like speedster seats that have been upholster'd really well. Then mounted on tracks .

Real or replica it's hard to tell...

I believe they are the nurburgring seat by GT classics.  They look similiar to the speedster and GT seats with bigger bolsters. They say they fit in narrow spaces.  About 800 bucks a piece. 

http://classiccarseats.com/nurburgring-seats.php

Paul, here are some GT seats in a 59 356A coupe.  I see this car at  coffee & classics in Winetka IL every year.   The exterior color is a special order color called ice white  and the interior is green with corduroy seat inserts.    The car is beautiful in person. 

Come on, Marty.  You really took that picture because of the driving gloves...

Have the Conv D seats.  Had previous spyders with speedster seats.  No comparison for all day comfort.  D seats especially with the extra foam padding I placed are much more comfortable.  D seat however do suffer in lateral support.  I also like the D seats since they give me the option of going with or without a head rest.  In the winter when the hard top is on I keep the headrests on.  In the summer the headrests are off.  Currently placing a hard tonneau.  Headrest would look absolutely stupid with hard tonneau on.  That being said if I ever decide to do the full outlaw on my car I would ditch the D seats and place speedster seats.  If I'm going to spend the extra bank to outlaw the car got to go with the sportier seat.  Butt be damned.

Marty Grzynkowicz posted:

Paul, here are some GT seats in a 59 356A coupe.  I see this car at  coffee & classics in Winetka IL every year.   The exterior color is a special order color called ice white  and the interior is green with corduroy seat inserts.    The car is beautiful in person. 

 

Marty. The green looks great. I was actually thinking about green and think it would look great with the light yellow of my car. Is he running green carpets too or the oatmeal?

Phil wrote:

"That being said if I ever decide to do the full outlaw on my car I would ditch the D seats and place speedster seats.  If I'm going to spend the extra bank to outlaw the car got to go with the sportier seat.  Butt be damned."

Phil: Henry's speedster seats are so comfortable.  We drove from up here to the Outer Banks in our previous car, and never did we get tired from the seats.  He has options such as more padding, and actually offers a slightly wider seat if you want it.  Plus, the seat heaters are great.

Your butt will be fine.

IAnyone know if these are standard speedster seats or slightly larger in this JPS coupe. 

Looks like the slightly upgraded JPS speedster seats, which is to say they use the basic Speedster seat shell and add a bit more padding and the rolled and pleated upholstery.  hat I have in my car. A little more comfy, and very nice original-looking. Plus you can get the piping to contrast if you want.  Real original Speedster seats were plain flat covering, no rolled and pleated.

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Tremont, IL posted:

Gordon,

Your run-down proves that there's a butt for every seat. Mine (apparently) fits a speedster seat. I shelled out for Fibersteel's. I can go almost endlessly in them.

My first car had VS's "comfort" seats, which were like instruments of torture-- 15 minutes, and I was ready to get out. The side bolsters hit me in my pelvis, and I was actually sitting on the sides of the seat-- horribly uncomfortable. Henry's "D" seats, are nearly perfect (except for the fact that I thought they looked insufficiently "racy"), but I didn't really like his speedster seats in '05 (I sat on them, not in them).

The point, I guess, is that a huge part of wanting to drive the car is being comfortable in it. There's no point in spending a king's ransom on an engine and transaxle that can cover a time-zone a day, if the seats make you squirm around after an hour or so. "Fun" is driving, and you've got to be comfortable to drive well.

Stan. Those fibersteel seats. Are they the 20 inch wide ones as used in the replicas or the 25 inch wide like the real speedsters?

El Frazoo posted:

Looks like the slightly upgraded JPS speedster seats, which is to say they use the basic Speedster seat shell and add a bit more padding and the rolled and pleated upholstery.  hat I have in my car. A little more comfy, and very nice original-looking. Plus you can get the piping to contrast if you want.  Real original Speedster seats were plain flat covering, no rolled and pleated.

Do you like them or is there room for improvement?  One of the guys here was not happy with the quality of the upholstery work. Do you know who JPS is outsourcing to ?