Best 64 SS seat foam and covers

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
So right now who is making and has available the best quality seat foams and covers for a 64 SS hardtop?
 

4speedman

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Just bought some 63 bucket seat foam from cars inc and I am happy with the quality, seats lay kinda flat now as they should I had foam from another supplier and they were to puffy
 
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Kaycee

Well Known Member
Mine never had any glue any where on the carpet , my front seat belts fasten to floor boards at rear of front seat track area so this helps hold it in place . Must of been a Very rare option on yours :good:winner
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
Glued in carpets are a real pain to replace. My 81 Trans Am was that way.

How do the front door panels and rear side panels come off?
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
No screws where used to hold the carpet in place. Screws only on the sill plates

  • Correct original carpet (loop style is original for 64) is molded to fit the factory floor plan front and rear. Only screws used were on the sill plates. Correct loop carpet comes with insulation on the bottom of the carpet.
  • To remove the door panels -remove the 4 philips screws on the bottom, remove arm rests, use special tool to remove window cranks. remove door handles, --then pry with a flat bladed tool next to each nail to remove the panels
  • To remove the rear panels -remove back seat lower and upper sections. remove the lower rear arm rests -note how they are installed. Remove the upper interior panels(note any screws used to install the panel by the rear seat upper back panel) You need special tool to remove clips holding the window cranks


  1. I install my molded 62 tuxedo only carpet(tuxedo loop carpet used in 61 and 62) with spray on 3M glue by gluing only the center hump. The edges and other areas can be glued to hold the molded carpet in place. The reason I don't glue all the carpet to the floor is so I can remove or lift the carpet for future access along the door sill areas.
  2. Seat belt mounts for 62 are welded to the bottom of the floor pan. For 63 and 64 if you have factory floors you should have seat belt nuts welded to the bottom of the front floor pan for the front seat only. Back seat seat belts require drilling the floor (using the factory dimples in the rear floor pan) to install 2 or 3 sets of seat belts(factory assembly manual(s) shows the seat belt locations in the rear)
  3. Lots of trimming and slits need to be cut, under the rear arm rests and along the sill plates and the kick panel areas.
  4. A friend used sand bags to keep carpet in place while glue dryed on the center hump and along the area under the front of the rear seat.
  5. The correct 61 to 64 door panels are held in place with nails on metal edges (nails front a and rear of the door panels. Bottom of the door panels are held in place by 4 Philips stainless screws with washers((do not use the original holes ). These nails are inserted in plastic sleeves that are in slots on the front and rear of the door edges.
  6. Rear 1/4 interior pieces (above the arm rests ) have the same metal edge nails on the sections above the rear arm rests. You must salvage the stacked cardboard pieces that have the rear upper interior nails inserted in them by the upper jamb. The lower door jamb edges have windlace is stapled to these cardboard pieces so you can restaple the "new" windlace to the cardboard. Cars Inc sells the stacked cardboard in different sizes (widths), if yours is to brittle or falls apart when you remove your original interior
  7. Only buy assembled door panels with metal edges with nails "using your original metal top rails from the doors and rear 1/4's"-send them to Cars or Ciadella to use on the new panels. Do not accept cheap door panels without original full metal edges "with the factory nails" and metal bottom on the door panels.
  8. Vinyl Windlace(for hardtops and convertibles) comes with the assembled door and rear 1/4 interior panels.
  9. Rear arm rest covers also come with the assembled door panels
  10. You must salvage your door chrome, rear 1/4 chrome from your panels and rear lower arm rests -they have bendable tabs on the stainless, that can be carefully bent back to be reinstalled on the new door panels and rear 1/4 panels and the lower rear arm rests Also salvage the emblems and other trim on SS 64s or purchase new SS emblems for the doors.
  11. On 62's salvage or reuse the door reflectors.
  12. Cover your front door arm rests with the material that comes with the assembled side panel set.
  13. You will need a round punch (large enough) to cut the door glass handles, vent handles. The front arm rest holes require a small punch. The door panels and rear 1/4 panels should come with pre marked holes for these items (YOU MUST Check the actual locations to punch the holes by doing a "partial install" of the panels on the doors and rear interior 1/4's to check that the holes are going to fit your handles and arm rest holes.
Here are pictures 64 Impala side panel and other interior pieces including seats. Note all the interior items you may want to buy
Do not buy the reproduction metal top rails......reuse your originals as I noted above......

the individual nails shown on these items for 64 Chevy impala "should not be used.......>>>>>>
https://www.ciadellainteriors.com/products.php



Finally I have had or have 6 Cars Inc interiors and one Ciadella interiors over the years. Use these companies.....

Other companies other than these two are questionable in my opinion as to quality and panels or seats sold with missing or cheap items ....

Paul
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
Paul thanks for the detailed explanation. I appreciate it. Car is an SS coupe. Windows need to be down to pull panels off?


I've had door panels off second gen Firebirds and Camaros so often I can do those in my sleep but never pulled any off an Impala. I do have the door handle tool. The PUI door panels for them do not have the clip holes in the right place!
 
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pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Its best to have the windows down, easier to remove. When reinstalling the new panels, put the windows up a few inches -new panels are very tight and can push against the chrome window frames making installation harder and making rolling up the windows very hard (everything is tight -until the windows are operated with the new panels.).

PUI panels for 61 to 64 chevy use repro top rails(wrong....-they won't stay on the doors.......) and they use individual nails in cardboard slots -nails done this way are cheap and break off and don't stay in place (ask me about a set of 1963 Chevy Impala PUI door panels it took me a week to salvage them...for a friends new 1963 Impala interior. Also the PUI 1963 Impala seats on his 63, had the wrong chrome buttons....

Paul
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
On second gen F bodies the curve of the window you have to have it down to get the panel off.

Dash repaint black(blue now) dash pad and interior ar on the top of the list for my 64. Going to keep the patina look on the outside, but interior and frame/drivetrain will be freshened.
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
Panels all off. Rear's carboard looks good, door panel cardboard not so good and nail stips and especially the bottom metal strip not so hot. There were no splash shields. Door upper metal good. Do the door carboards come with the panels?
A couple of missing springs on window cranks a couple of brackets down in the door I'l get some pictures to see what they might be. Drovers vent windo cranks open but not closed shaft wants to slide in when you do that. Passenger's rear window only cranks halfway down.

There is some bad a$$ black sound deadener under the back panels! Will have to scrape it off to get to the regulator panel.
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
Sounds like you vent window cranks have the riveted covers pushing off the controls( I think 64’s have riveted covers on the controls). When the covers fall off our start pushing off, the vent shafts can move. Your vent controls can be repaired. Make sure the covers on the controls are not laying in the bottom of the doors ( after falling off). I have pictures of the repair method( screws replace the rivets)

I think you are asking about the water shields coming with the new cardboard door panels? No the shields are sold separately ( I still have some new ones)
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
see attached picture of 3 vent window cranks.
  1. first on left -cover is coming off the controls -operation of the vents pushes the cover off -they can completely fall off and end up in the bottom of the door "or worst yet they get lost" over the years
  2. 2nd one the cover is still in place with the factory rivets
  3. the far right one is with new screws attached by drilling out the tapping the rivet hole and using new screws matching the tap size (and cleaning and greasing the controls. You have to grind off the rivets flush with the plate first before drilling the controls. I bead blast the entire control -note the washers and parts inside to replace for proper operation
Paul

DSCN7732.JPG
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
That is what I think I saw(and saved) in the bottom of the door! Looked like a thin spring washer at the bottom of the worse one.
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
I know shields would be separate ,does the cardboard come with the door panel?

The door panels come with the new SS material, including the carpet on the bottom, the cardboard (marked on back side for handle and arm rest holes -check that they come marked.....) assembled with your metal top rails. You may have to purchase the ferucles for the lock knobs.
You have to add your SS stainless, the SS emblems and vertical stainless pieces by the SS emblem
 

Skip FIx

Well Known Member
Thanks for the help. Thinking with the silver black carpet but a sliver carpet on the both of the door panels and kick panels would be OK. Have to figure out what silver spray dye/paint to change the console.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Your console is plastic, so I would suggest that you use the SEM dye. It bonds with the plastic and won't ever peel off the plastic. You need to prepare it with SEM products, but it is worth the extra cost.
 
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