hello all, i'm looking to put a bench seat in my 40' willys coupe. any suggestions? hopefully something i can use that will give my **** comfort on extended road trips. thanks for any help, pete
Hello, Bench seats are not as comfortable as good bucket seats. Not the bucket seats from any GM models as they are usually not back adjustable. An almost 90 degree back that slides forward/back only is not the best for driving comfort…IMHO. There is not much room behind the stock seats as we sat in the original 1940 Willys Coupe we found and bought from a neighbor backyard in 1959. My brother decided to get the motor running first, then advertise it as a “running stock motor” for anyone wanting a 4 cylinder motor. After we got it running, we took it for a drive. My brother was about 5 feet 8 and I was almost 5’9” during this time. In a few months in late 59, I had a growth spurt and became 5’11 inches. The stock 1940 Willys Coupe seat felt tight when both of us sat in the stock bench. Despite the bench, it would not do as a cruiser or hot rod later on. But, we knew we were going to move the firewall back, due to the allowance of a 10% set back of the motor and driveline. So, the only way to get the seat room was to get adjustable back foreign car bucket seats. We found some near our house in an auto wrecking yard and they were from a Triumph or MGA. We could move the bucket seats almost all the way back and give us more leg room for our Willys Coupe. Finally, we installed the firewall and had the complete new interior space. Still a little tight, but acceptable. Our LaSalle stick shift came out of the floor and the p***enger area was fine until we decided to put in a Moon Aluminum gas tank and pressure pump. Now, that was a foot clearance killer. But, I was still able to sit in the p***enger bucket seat when we got the whole thing put together and cruised around the local teenage hangouts a couple of weekends, prior to our dragstrip racing. Jnaki If you are not a large person , you could get by with a stock bench seat. There is no back adjustment. You sit upright and for any distance, not comfortable. But, that was not our style when we finished the Willys Coupe build. Later on, a roll bar was planned as we got faster. So, the back adjustable seating clearance was going to allow a roll bar set up in the future. My brother and I were a couple of weeks away from the complete next step of a Hilborn Injection, larger M&H slicks and Halibrand Wheels all around. They were in a warehouse in Los Angeles for us to drive and pick up. Note: For as long as my wife and I have been driving on our long road trips to the PNW/Canada and across the USA one summer, we have been in adjustable bucket seats in our then, current daily drivers. Our neighbors still have bench seats vs newer bucket seats. We would not enjoy any bench seats due to not being able to adjust them to fit our individual driving style comfortably. Even after 67 years, adjustable bucket seats are the only way to go. (and come back…) YRMV Ever been in a bench seat when a small 5 foot 2 inch “Mom” drives the car and you have to sit in the p***enger seat? Not the best comfortable seating arrangement for a tall kid, or adult. Even two fairly tall old folks still have a height difference of 5'7" vs 6'0" and that makes individual adjustable back seats a necessity.
This might help you. I bought an old seat frame on Craigslist for $50 (from what the guy said was an old ford truck). I sectioned a piece out of the middle. From door to door my coupe measures about 51". With upholstry the seat is 48" wide. It just clears the doors nicely. I had a shop upholster the bare frame for $800. Very comfy too.
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