We're fixing up this '64 F-100 for my nephew. He'll be 16 soon and this will be his driver. It won't have a hot rod motor but will look the part. 5 Spoked mags (not wide) and the black paint it has with a little help. He digs the black color and flipped out at Roundup- there were a few nice F-100's there. I'm concerned about the interior. If it were mine, I'd duplicate the interior of the Ford drag truck. It is red fairlane or galaxie buckets and a Falcon console best I can tell. The rest is standard Custom Cab stuff plus a big tach on the dash. I showed it to him and he thinks its cool too. I think I've got a console lined up. Are old style bucket seats for this a mistake? For friends riding, would a bench be better? What about seat belts? I plan on installing a shoulder strap- hopefully to keep him off the steering wheel WHEN HE WRECKS IT!! Should I go high back seats instead and get them recovered with pleats like the old ones? My '03 pickup has a split bench with console and the shoulder strap comes out of the seat. Completely modern but it solves some issues? Also the head rests adjust and can be pulled out- like for a show. I'm needing some help here. We want to keep that shop/hot rod truck vibe but I want it to be safe. Dan
I read an article on 60s pickups... you could order just about any configuration you wanted, mostly farmers bought pickups so they didn't change anything. But the pickup they showed was a 64 dodge with a hemi, dart buckets and console.
I think those seats and interior look pretty cool. However having a front bench seat might 'help him out' with the ladies in those highschool years if you know what I'm sayin...
There's an ad in the back of most of the mags (deluxe, ol skool rodz, etc) that makes vintage looking slip covers for newer seats, might want to check them out. You can get a JY seat, with good foam and springs, and have tuck and roll in no time at all. I'll see if I can find the link. I can't see a pickup without a bench seat.
My daughter is 17 and my insurance agent recommended I get her a small 2 seat pickup due to liability as some parents can't wait to sue,2 people less liability Plus the buckets look cool with the console
Being a first car and not a serious rod Id go with the high back buckets purely for safety. Like you say when he wrecks it. I do hope he doesn't but first car its probably gonna happen. As for child support? Water proof tourno cover with a mattress in the back, problem solved. Or is that started?
Yeah, for a teenager you "gotsta" have a bench seat for many reasons. Maybe get one with removable headrests and upholster it with a horseshoe shaped tuck and roll seat cover. With the headrests removed, it'll look pretty good. It'd be a shame to deprive a teenager of his bench seat. At that age, bench seats rule!
Bench seat, I drive a truck with buckets every day and it sucks bigtime. No place for anyone to sit in the middle if you want to take two passengers along. And a big hinder to the young gents love life if the gal has to sit waaay over there. It would have red roll and pleat in it if it were mine with that black paint job.
I am biased, but I bought my avatar '60 when I was 16, and even now you couldn't pry the bench seat away from me. facilitates the all-important grab-ass, and from an asthetic standpoint, nothing covers the rear portion of the cab as well as the factory bench.
Well, I'm 16 and drive a '64 F100 to school and around everywhere. It's really fun and awesome. I've been working on it for about a year now, mainly mechanical work (making sure it's safe, including all the drivetrain, brakes, electrical, etc..) and less the cosmetic side. However I'll be working on the body and appearances now that I've got it running and driving pretty reliably. You definitely want a bench seat. I've got one in mine. One time we squeezed 5 people onto it. Granted, it wasn't safe AT ALL; really just for shits and giggles. You also definitely want seat belts. At the very least, lap belts. That's what I have. Anyways, it's really a ton of fun. I think I'm pretty fortunate to have this truck. Here's a few pics of my '64 F100. The front is banged up pretty good (someone hit something before it fell in my hands), but like I said, I'm just beginning to work on getting it all straight now. Check out the new grill that I'm painting and will be getting ready to install pretty soon.
Since a full size truck will fit 3 wide comfortably, it'd be a crime to use anything but a bench. You go putting a console in there and it'll bust from people sitting on it.
I have a '66 Custom Cab short bed that I drove daily for a few years. I have to cast a vote for a bench seat. Much more "natural" looking than a full-on console-and-bucket seat setup.
Take the advice from the folks who have quoted insurance agents. the primary cause of accidents with inexperienced drivers is DISTRACTION. the primary cause of distraction is other teenagers in the vehicle. The second factor is speed and lack of vehicle control. So buckets, high backs. three point belts (see the Julianos site for a howto on a 60's Ford pickup) and stock engine, put a glass pack and unsilenced air cleaner on it for the cool factor. put an am fm radio in it. discourage the use of a cell phone and make it as safe as you can with tires and brakes, discs up front would be a real plus.
Bench seat for the win! He will be glad you did! Just preach the safety to him and let him know youll kill him if he doesnt use protection, or gets himself into a accident!
Damn, the HAMB's getting lame!. A topic line like this and nobody said "Slightly experienced older woman in her 20's??" Oh well, go with the bench seat. He'll be less likely to feel he's in a top fuel dragster at every stoplight.
Bench seat with three sets of seat belts. They're gonna take a friend or two along regardless of the seating arrangement. You might take a look at the bench seats in 90's era Cadillacs. They should fit the pickup ok. Caddy seats have power, comfy for sure and if you find a good one it'll be nicely upholstered, more than likely in leather so that'll be one thing out of the way. Not to mention that doing the door panels to match as well as carpeting shouldn't be too costly. You should be able to find naugahyde in a matching color for the doors and that would save some $$. If the doors are painted, leave em painted and put some expanding foam inside if they're a little tinny sounding. Keep the foam away from the window regulators. My pal put expanding foam in his 29's doors, made them very solid sounding and helped in the rattle dept.
See what I mean.... this is complicated. You guys are awesome with the replies. He does distract easily- like most teen boys. But he's a great kid. Three kiddos in the front are ok but five is trouble... I guess with seat belt laws like they are now, he'll get pulled over anyway. And grounding now would mean parking the truck. It doesn't get cold down here so I don't know what he could do inside on a bench that he couldn't do in the back??? I'd rather the truck wasn't moving at the time. Vehicle coolness and adult responsibility are on the same side (huh?) with buckets. Tradition and nostalgia for what we had points to a bench seat. But alot of us were young drivers with a 55 mph speed limit, not 70. And there weren't ABS, four disc brake cars all around us. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of fully adjustable, 60/40 split bench with the fold down arm rest/seat back center and the integrated shoulder harnesses. Now if I can afford to get them reupholstered in some cool period style.... they might become Hamb worthy. Thanks for the brainstorming.
I vote for good belts, headrests, and limited seating. I like the 60/40 bench option. Make sure the seats and belts are securely fastened. I hate to say it, but even though the highway death rate is down from the sixties and seventies, there are a lot of hazards for young drivers and teens are still the most accident prone group of drivers. Two things that seem to stick out in teenage accident statistics are the time of day and number of passengers in the car. Limit the number of riders and you reduce the likelihood of an accident, statistically.
i drive a pickup every day. it has a bench seat. you couldn't pry my bench seat away from me. i'm 24 and fairly responsable (i just can't spell it). i understand what you're saying about insurance and distractions, but... she can sit closer. having your girl sit in the middle while you drive somewhere is the best thing ever. you can also do that "other" thing with girls.
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