1965 Roadster Seatback Symmetry

[Joe C.]

Car in question is a 1965 St. Louis bodied roadster. When both seats are locked in the "full rearward" position, and seatbacks are upright, should there be approximately equal clearance between the outboard seatback edges and the quarter trim panels?

On the passenger side, the outboard "hockey stick" rubs against the trim panel, and on the driver's side, there is about 3/4" clearance. Both seat bottoms give same "bubble" reading as the console top, when a level is placed across all three items. Both seat bottoms look to be well matched, as far as side-to-side orientation, between console and inner door panels. If the rear seat mounts are shimmed to equalize clearance of both seats, then there is a slight difference in the side-to-side (roll) angle of the two seats.

My suspicion is that a wide variation in clearance between both seats is acceptable. Would some of you "eyeball" or measure yours for comparison? Don't forget to check "roll" attitude of the seatbacks.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

[Michael H.]

Re: 1965 Roadster Seatback Symmetry

Car in question is a 1965 St. Louis bodied roadster. When both seats are locked in the "full rearward" position, and seatbacks are upright, should there be approximately equal clearance between the outboard seatback edges and the quarter trim panels?

On the passenger side, the outboard "hockey stick" rubs against the trim panel, and on the driver's side, there is about 3/4" clearance. Both seat bottoms give same "bubble" reading as the console top, when a level is placed across all three items. Both seat bottoms look to be well matched, as far as side-to-side orientation, between console and inner door panels. If the rear seat mounts are shimmed to equalize clearance of both seats, then there is a slight difference in the side-to-side (roll) angle of the two seats.

My suspicion is that a wide variation in clearance between both seats is acceptable. Would some of you "eyeball" or measure yours for comparison? Don't forget to check "roll" attitude of the seatbacks.

Thanks in advance.

Joe

Just looked at my 66. Drivers side has about 1 1/4" and pass side has less than 1/4".
It's supposed to be that way because the drivers side is supposed to have more room than the pass side. The drivers side floor area is an inch wider than the pass side by design.
Both seats are the same distance from the center console and the console is offset by about an inch. That means the difference has to show somewhere and that somewhere is the gap between the seat and folding top hinge cover.

Add on, two hours later: Joe, where are you? Hope yer not out in the garage drilling new seat mounting holes.

[Joe C.]

Re: 1965 Roadster Seatback Symmetry

Just looked at my 66. Drivers side has about 1 1/4" and pass side has less than 1/4".
It's supposed to be that way because the drivers side is supposed to have more room than the pass side. The drivers side floor area is an inch wider than the pass side by design.
Both seats are the same distance from the center console and the console is offset by about an inch. That means the difference has to show somewhere and that somewhere is the gap between the seat and folding top hinge cover.

Add on, two hours later: Joe, where are you? Hope yer not out in the garage drilling new seat mounting holes.

Thanks Michael. That's kinda' what I thought, and what I was hoping for, too. The designers of these beauties went out of their way to make these cars asymmetrical. What, with the engine/trans assembly shoved over to the passenger side by (about) 2". Now, you say, the seats are shifted over, too. Makes sense. Why, I like to think that the (unloaded) car was also designed to sit about 1" higher on the drivers' side.................you know, just so's it sits dead level with a driver in the seat. Well, that's how mine set, before I "cheated" the leaf spring link to level her out.

Thanks fer yer concern about my whereabouts! Truth be told, I was watching my NetFlix Route 66, season 1 DVD rentals. I swear, that's true...........no kidding! Naaaaahh........I was NOT popping the rivets out of the Corvette's seat mount nut plates!

The DVD's from NetFlix are crystal clear, and very well restored, for the most part. There are a few areas that are "grainy", despite the digitization. Research shows that some episodes are in very poor condition, so that might explain why seasons 2, 3, and 4 have not been released (by any reputable DVD producer) yet. The NetFlix versions are by Infinity DVD (Australia)/Roxbury Entertainment.

Point of information:
All Google Searches for "Route 66 TV" leads to sites which say that Buzz and Todd's first Corvette was a 1959! I suspect that the (Horizon, not Frost) Blue Corvette shown on the early promo ads, was in fact a 1960 model, not a 1959. This blue 1960 Corvette was probably used to film the first couple episodes, since they were probably filmed in Aug-Sept 1960, and before the release of the '61 model. I have NOT been able to get episodes 1-4 of season 1 (1960)yet, because of very high demand, but, all other episodes from season 1 have them driving a 1961 with Powerglide. You can bet that Chevrolet put them in the latest model Corvette, just as soon a Marketing had one available! The successive cars, after the first were, supposedly, fawn beige, because they filmed better in B & W.

Joe

[Grant M.]

Re: 1965 Roadster Seatback Symmetry

Joe,

The DVD producer (Roxbury Entertainment) acknowledges the poorer quality of some of the episodes on the first DVDs, but has since acquired all of the master films from the series. It's up in the air as to whether any re-issue will be later made to correct the quality problem. As well, there was apparently some dissatisfaction expressed by buyers of the first two sets that each season was split, and Roxbury has postponed the scheduled release of Season 2, volume 1 until (nominally) October, at which time apparently a complete Season 2 set will be released.

[Joe C.]

Re: 1965 Roadster Seatback Symmetry

Joe,

The DVD producer (Roxbury Entertainment) acknowledges the poorer quality of some of the episodes on the first DVDs, but has since acquired all of the master films from the series. It's up in the air as to whether any re-issue will be later made to correct the quality problem. As well, there was apparently some dissatisfaction expressed by buyers of the first two sets that each season was split, and Roxbury has postponed the scheduled release of Season 2, volume 1 until (nominally) October, at which time apparently a complete Season 2 set will be released.

Quality is excellent, for the most part. There are only a couple scenes from 2-3 episodes that are noticeably grainy. Try as they could, the current tech would not allow a very small percentage of the film to be "rescued".