Seats, difference from 81-87 and 73-80

Im looking for a seat cover from USA1 industries, the seat says its for 81-87 and its going on a 79 (tilting back) I like it because its the cheapest

Just wondering if this was just a fabric or cloth design thing, i don't care about it being original. Or if its a minor enough difference that it wont matter. i mean they are both bench seats.

devin bianco said:

Im looking for a seat cover from USA1 industries, the seat says its for 81-87 and its going on a 79 (tilting back) I like it because its the cheapest

Just wondering if this was just a fabric or cloth design thing, i don't care about it being original. Or if its a minor enough difference that it wont matter. i mean they are both bench seats.

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different front-back movy thingy i think. maybe same holes tho?

Can’t help w your question, but consider, if you’re buying an expensive OE type seat cover, you may be able to have it re-upholstered for the same $ or not much more if you find the right upholstery guy.

And a good upholstery guy will rebuild foam and springs without draining your wallet.
May be hard to find that guy. Though

AuroraGirl said:

different front-back movy thingy i think. maybe same holes tho?

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Yea that is what i figured but i have no clue if its a stock seat. its different from my 73 parts truck though

Post a picture of it, please.

I bought a seat upholstery kit from LMC years ago for my last truck ('79 K15) good quality for the price.

The 81 & up seats will have holes in the seat base for the seat belts to feed through. I know on my '85 the seat back does not have the manual lock at the rear of the seat back to hold it in place like my '79 did. There is a pendulum set up that will lock it in case of a collision. The last difference is my '85 has the seat adjuster at the front of the seat, the '79 had it on the driver's side next to the door panel.

'79 K15 interior with 81 & up dash and door panels.

ok thank you, my seat did have lap belts that fed through and has the drivers side adjuster you are talking about.

and just to clarify you did buy a upholstery kit for a 1979?

Early seats, later seats, not the same. Slightly different shape. If the catalog lists '81 as the cross over year, you need the early cover.

devin bianco said:

ok thank you, my seat did have lap belts that fed through and has the drivers side adjuster you are talking about.

and just to clarify you did buy a upholstery kit for a 1979?

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Both seats have an adjuster knob on the driver's side. Older seats, it's literally on the side of the seat. Newer seats, it's on the front.

Both seats also have the belts feed through them. Older seats, the belts go between the cushions. Newer seats, the belts feed through grommets in the lower cushion.

bucket said:

Both seats have an adjuster knob on the driver's side. Older seats, it's literally on the side of the seat. Newer seats, it's on the front.

Both seats also have the belts feed through them. Older seats, the belts go between the cushions. Newer seats, the belts feed through grommets in the lower cushion.

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Thank you for that clarification got it.

devin bianco said:

ok thank you, my seat did have lap belts that fed through and has the drivers side adjuster you are talking about.

and just to clarify you did buy a upholstery kit for a 1979?

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Yes I bought mine for a '79.

I'm just now reading your post and here is what I can tell you. I have an 84 C10 Silverado for which I ordered a complete interior kit (81-87) from USA1, about a year and a half ago. My truck had the original fixed bench seat which had the seat belts passing through the seats. I needed a new seat cushion so I also ordered that from USA1. The only one they offer has the cut outs for the seat belts. The kit is pricey but it is jamb up and very, very nice.

I really wanted a tilt back seat so I went to my local square body parts dealer and swapped my seat, even steven, for a tilt back seat. It needed a new seat cushion but I had one on order. I'm not sure what year truck it came out of but the frame mounting holes were identical to mine and it bolted right in for the trip to the body shop.

Over a year later, the truck was nearing completion so I picked up the seat and took everything to the upholstery shop so they could install my new seat cushion, along with the saddle tan cloth and vinyl upholstery.

I got a call from the shop, two days later, with bad news. They told me that there was no way the upholstery was going to fit because my seat was about 4" longer and they could not stretch or lengthen the upholstery. They offered to make a new seat cushion, with my choice of density, and to duplicate the cloth/vinyl upholstery. I gave them the go ahead and it turned out great!

I don't know what the hell happened but I've spent a boat load of money and now I'm stuck with a seat cushion and cloth/vinyl original saddle tan upholstery kit ($430.00) plus shipping. I suspect my seat came out of an 80 or earlier model.

Good luck with your project.

Its been about 6 years ago now but I bought seat upholstery for my 77 for $229 from LMC.The shop fixed a spring,glued a piece of foam on end of seat and installed the upholstery.Total cost $350 including the upholstery from LMC.The shop said they would have charged me that $229 to build the upholstery.

the 73-80 seats are differrent shapes cushions and all that than 81-up. they changed them, older ones were mor rounded and bigger like, than the 80s ones that were more flatter and more rectangle square shaped-like here are some pics of my stock original 1975 folding locking bench for the YE9 RPO code Silverado extra seat padding from factory that silverado and cheyenne and some of the other special interior packages got in the 70s