4U2ENVY

I have this interior in my car does it make it rare? I was plnning on keeping the saddle "camaro" center inserts and making the outside portion of the seat black. The car is black and interior is sadlle????

subroc

iTrader: (2)

It does make it a lot less common for sure. Rare...im not sure about that yet. In the next few years it will be since it was an early third gen thing and as the years go by less and less of them will be around. I think doing the tan centers with black bolsters will look awesome honestly. The factory look is great too however. If you look back on the first page of this thread there are pictures of what i did with my interior which is close to what you are thinking of but with the red centers instead. But...my car was not an original conteur car so i didnt really care about it being original. Its up to you in the end.

4U2ENVY

WHAT???? HOW DID YOU GET A CUPHOLDER? I THINK I HATE THAT THE MOST ABOUT THESE CARS IS THE LACK OF CUP HOLDERS

jfl1960

hahaha CUPHOLDERS, THAT'S FUNNY, BACK IN THE DAY WE ALL JUST PUT THE BEVERAGE BERWEEN OUR LEGS WHILE SMOKING A CIG AND SCARFING DOWN A WHOPPER OR DOUGHNUT, awww THOSE WERE THE DAYS. CUPHOLDERS WERE FOR GRANNY'S AND YUPPIES.

jfl1960

I am sure you are correct about 1983 being first year of the Camaro/Camaro/Camaro logo on the seats, mine are 1982 and do not have that pattern. only flaws in mine are the driver's side outside thigh bolster, material is worn through from drivers exiting car, very common wear area, rest is mint.

ghostfirebird

yea so yours is more uncommon since that was the only year for those kind of seats and yea that's very common for that area to go. i don't know much on those seats since you don't need the camaro fabric down the center maybe it would be cheaper to have the seat repaired if you plan on selling your car i would have the seat repaired to add more value to the car i recently saw an 85 ls camaro sell on ebay for around 9,500 but that was a car with low mileage and stored in a garage most of its life still had the original tires on it

jfl1960

I am definitely getting it recovered eventually, wanted to get the entire seat done but cannot find repo covers for my year and color scheme, also local upholster is whacked and wants $300.00 to just do that small area, I have seen his work and he really isn't worth that kinda money. Car is in limbo right now, new floor pan on drivers side being installed so I have time to decide what to do, really wish I could find repo covers and do the job myself.

drduster

iTrader: (2)

I've been disconnected from my Iroc for a couple years. I just read this tread start to finish, & can add a couple things that may be helpful.

When I was a young man, I remember watching an episode of MacGyver that had a yellow Iroc, & it was love at first sight. In 2006 I bought an '88 Iroc & set forth to build my MacGyver car, which was yellow with saddle interior featuring that camaro/camaro/camaro upholstery. At the time, there was hardly any info on the world wide web about this interior. I learned as much as I could from cars for sale on ebay. At the time, I had money to spend on this car, & would have spent any amount required for a set of original seats in any condition. My searches turned up nothing, so I had Desert Sun make a set of seatcovers to fit my '88 seats & door panels.

I was glad to have what Desert Sun made for me, but didn't know how different they were from original until I found some original seats & door panels in the years following. They used vinyl for the skirts & canvas material for the bolsters. On the bottoms for the back seat, they didn't come all the way forward with the spectra cloth as originals did. The door panels did not have the seperate insert with the spectra cloth. The spectra material was sewn into the upper part of the door panel, & they didn't use the vinyl strips surrounding the carpet on the lower panel. I'm not dissin' their work. These are just details I wish I'd known before spending $965. Also, they told me the spectra cloth was original material.

The reproduction seat covers & door panels sold by Hawk's are made by a company called Acme Auto Headlining. They don't sell retail. I deal with them through my job & the owner told me the spectra cloth they use is original material. At least that's what he was told. The last time we talked about it, they did not have material available for saddle.

Over the last few years I've collected some LS interior parts. I got one full set of seats from an '83 Z28 with the charcoal/orange interior. A passenger side bucket seat from an '85 Z28 with red iterior. A back seat, passenger side door panel & spectra door panel insert from the drivers side, from an '85 Iroc with red interior.

Also, I found a pair of Firebird LS/C seats. My plans are to eventually have a complete interior made using correct material centering around the Firebird seats, so I can have all the LS/C features on both front seats, like they should have been from the factory.

I'll post some pictures of the seat & door panel parts I have, hoping they can a helpful resource for someone.

drduster

iTrader: (2)

These are the Firebird seats I found. I don't know what year they are, because I didn't remove them from a car. I found them laying on the ground in a junk yard, & immediately recognized them as LS/C seats. They were laying next to a third gen Firebird (which still had seats bolted in it), so I assumed they's been stuffed inside that car & someone pulled them out & threw them on the ground while rumaging through the car.

I'm certain they're from an F-body because they have the flip forward function in the reclining mechanism & had seat belt loops on the headrests.

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

Those are from an '85 because they have the more rounded head rests. The '83 and '84 T/A LS/C seats have the same squared off headrests as the Camaro seats.

I'm wanting to do the same thing as you. I have the '83 T/A seats, NOS orange 'Camaro' cloth, and nice orange/charcoal door panels... just no used seats to make sure I have 100% correct covers made.

SilverLT1vert

Hey guys. I have an 85 Iroc with the LS interior in Dark Red. I'm in the process of restoring it with all new fabric and carpet. I called Original Auto using the link at the beginning of the thread and incredibly they still have some of the '85 specific dark red camaro spectrum fabric. It's $89 per yard and they mentioned I would need two yards to redo the seats. A few of you have re-upholstered your seats and I was wondering exactly how much fabric is necessary to keep the pattern correct? The door panel fabric is in decent shape, so I'll have them re-done if I have enough fabric.

Also, the fabric used on the seats appears to be identical to the fabric used on the headliner and speaker grills. This fabric is very thin and not durable at all. Also, it is very faded and in some places the red has literally turned white. So I really don't want to use NOS fabric on the seats when its obvious that it just won't last. So I was wondering if anyone knew of a type of automotive fabric that is more durable that came originally and has better UV protection but also has a similar texture and feel. I did find some "commercial" grade fabric that was almost a perfect match and had a high UV rating and wear resistance, but wasn't an actual "automotive" fabric. I'm going to be ordering some fabric samples here soon, but I'd like to get some input from those of you who have gone through this already. Thank you guys so much and I'll try my best to preserve a piece of American history!

Rat Pack

Yes two yards of the spectra cloth will get you more than the 3 rows of the word "CAMARO" which will be enough to do all of the seats plus the door panels. You should have a lot left over because you only really need 46". Be sure that they do sell you the 85 red spectra cloth as it is not the same as the 83-84 models which had orange sections in it.

The headliner and speaker grill covers are not the same material as the cloth on the rest of the seats and door panels. The headliner material is readily available through most any of the 3rd Gen parts suppliers. As for the seat material, buy the correct stuff from SMS. You have to remember that the material in your car is 27 years old and it was not made to last that long unless the car was stored indoors and pampered all of its life. It is very hard to prevent any cloth material from fading on these cars due to the amount of glass in them. One thing that can help prevent premature fading is to tint the windows if they are not tinted, or lay a red towel across the back of the seat when the car is sitting outside in the sun.

Also I don't recommend using any cloth material that is not automotive grade due to durability. Fabrics that are specific for automotive use are generally more durable. There is an inherent problem with these Lear seats and that is the side bolsters do not have enough padding on the top outer edges. After a few years they tend to wear the material down from entering/exiting the vehicle, and eventually get rips or worn spots in them. Have your upholstery man add an extra thin layer of dense foam to the outer top and bottom bolsters to help prevent this in the future.................RatPack....................

jfl1960

Nice find there, I have never seen the passenger side contour style seat, I have the 82 Z28 that has the adjustable seat on drivers side but standard high back bucket on passenger side, these will look sharp in your car once restored.

SilverLT1vert

Thank you so much for the quick reply! I guess tomorrow I'll order two yards of the spectra fabric and see if I can hunt down the correct color/fabric for the seats and headliner. And when I contacted Original Auto they said they had the '85 specific dark red that I needed. I'll post a few before and after pics to add to the collection when I get a chance.

Rat Pack

You are more than welcome, just glad to offer some advice. SMS should still have the correct material for both the headliner and the solid red for the seats and door panels. I bought some of the red seat material about a year ago from them, didn't get the headliner material as I can get it from a local upholstery shop..............RatPack.............

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I still haven't found any blue bolster material I'm happy with. And I've ordered samples from everyone.

Curtisyz54

iTrader: (5)

did you ever find door panals?

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Oh yeah. I have the base gray vinyl panels and the more common "CAMARO" door panels.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Okay, so I want to get my Conteur driver's seat operational. About 4 of these wires under the seat pad are broken. What should I use to replace/repair them? Looks like common safety wire. Any tips?

jfl1960

double post sorry.

jfl1960

These seat belt guides are marked as 1982 camaro burgundy on their site but are not correct for the 82 z28 Conteur seat. The original one are shaped like a hockey stick, see the pics below, they do look similar to later year camaro seat belt guides, so if your not a stickler for original appearance then these will be fine.:

Rat Pack

That wire is actually a type of "spring" steel wire which is much stronger than safety wire. Check with a local auto upholstery shop, or even an older furniture upholstery shop as they should have what you need to repair those broken wires...............RatPack........................

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Thanks.

eseibel67

Those wires were broken in my son's GTA. I made new ones out of mechanic's wire a couple of years ago and they are still holding up. He's pretty skinny, though. I'm sure the real fix is spring steel.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

The steel in that wire is pretty tough stuff. I had a hard time bending it. I undid the hog rings in the front and pulled the cloth back. All of them are broken.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

It ain't pretty, but I patched it up enough to see how it feels. Much better lateral support obviously, but the seat back won't adjust as forward as I'd want. Any ideas?

subroc

iTrader: (2)

yea mine wont either. I think thats just the nature of Third gen seats unless your old seats went further forward than this one does. If so....swap the side piece with the old ones that adjusts how upright you sit.

FJA1791

iTrader: (3)

Here is a shot of my interior....1984 Z28 H.O. Briar Brown 11,895 original miles.

Motown

What a beautiful interior FJA. Bet those seats are still comfy as hell.

kmcn47

honestly if you pull the lever then lean it forward toof ar and then let the lever go and let it drop back into place it sits about an inch farther forward, atleast mine does

SolarGoldRaptor

It's been a while, but I have to correct this. The headrest with the piping was only on '83 Firebirds. They seem to be from 1985 or 1986, since this color was not available in 1984.
The bolsters look much smaller than those on my L/S seats.

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

Correction to the correction ! Those are in fact 1984 Trans AM LSC seats. Here's the set I pulled from my old 84 Trans Am:



Blue was not offered in any thirdgen after 84.

86blackiroc

iTrader: (12)

After seeing John's post, I see you are indeed correct about the headrests. Although, my 83's bolsters seem to be more pronounced than John's '84 seats.

SolarGoldRaptor

They look more grey than blue on my screen, that's why I thought they were from a later car.

Here's the one on my Trans Am, the bolsters are obviously bigger than on drduster's seats.

CamaroGuy90

I noticed that alot of the talk here is about the blue and a few other combos but i Iavent seen much talk about the brown. I recently found one in an '84 z28 and was just wondering if the brown was more rare or just less desirable? I am thinking about buying this car and just wanted to get you guy's input on this interior.

Here is a picture of it:

John in RI

iTrader: (167)

I like the Brown interior used in the early cars,..... Didn't care for the vynal much but sure did like the Cloth,... even without the Conteur upgrade ! I had the Custom Cloth "Zebra" stripped set-up in an 84 'years back' and more recently I had the brown interior again in an 83 Z I restored.

I know I still have some Brown "Camaro" fabric, but have no idea how much is left.

subroc

iTrader: (2)

Dont base whether or not you buy the car on if the interior is rare or not. Honestly at this point any of them are seldom seen. I know pretty much at any show i go to mine will be the only camaro there with that interior.

With that said i like brown just fine...just like the other colors more lol. If the rest of the car looks good as well...buy it if the price is right!

FJA1791

iTrader: (3)

What color is exterior...I have same color and I love it.

CamaroGuy90

@Subroc- I won't base the purchase decision on the interior rarity. The rest of the car looks good and the price is pretty close to being right, so I think after a little negotiation I will be in my comfort zone. HAHA

@FJA1791- The exterior is Brown Metallic. From what I have read it was only available in Brown Metallic and White. What color is yours? Do you have pictures you could share?

FJA1791

iTrader: (3)

CamaroGuy90...Here is an interior shot I posted a few weeks ago and also an exterior shot.With original Eagle GTs and with Weld wheels.

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Thats a very clean looking car!

subroc

iTrader: (2)

Id def rock that car. White with that interior looks sharp. IDK if id rock a fully brown car but maybe in a third gen.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

I had to drive about 3 hours away today for work. So I thought I would check CL for "camaro" in the parts section. Found a complete power set of the blue from 84 including door panels. I just couldn't pass them up. Great thread and thank you for the information.

subroc

iTrader: (2)

Sweet! Post some pictures when u get a chance. I love the blue.

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

Here is what the CL ad showed. (link to ad http://loz.craigslist.org/pts/3291495931.html). They seem to be in nicer shape than most. I do have them in my garage right now but will shoot my own pictures later. The power seat switch and cover are there too. Now the decision is to keep them and have them redone in beechwood leather for my car or save them and buy a silver, blue or white 84.
I truly paid $75 for everything. I am going to keep them for now. The ad I called on said he wanted $200, I thought that was a deal. I think I was the only caller in over a month....

subroc

iTrader: (2)

yea you def got a deal. Im not sure what is rarer, the seats in that color or the fact that the drivers is power. It took me a month or two to track down a LS conteur power drivers seat switch. Now go figure i have two lol. Not many people decided to spend the extra money on a power drivers seat on top of the $650 they were already spending to get this interior.

If it were me i would keep them as is and wait for the right car to put them in...aka a white or blue 83/84 z28.

Motown

Nice score man. I cannot wait for the day I find a black/charcoal set for my 85.

oteixeira

Wow, I had no idea my seats were less common then most. I have an 86 black on black IROC and have the black seats with the seam/line down the center. Have no gadgets in them like the ones in the original post, but they are not ripped at all, which is kind of cool. I am going to replace them with 4th gen seats anyway, but good to know I have something someone here would want to re-purpose, rather then sending them to the scrap yard.

Motown

Wow. Could you post a few pics of them?

rarebmx

iTrader: (6)

here are some better pictures of my set and I DO have the power switch cover.