1957 Manual Seat

[gt5-33]

Should there be a clip of some sort which holds the adjuster cable in the seat guides?

[1957Birdman]

Are you talking about the manual seat release cable that is controlled from the lever on the driver's side of the seat? If so there is no clip that I am aware of. There is a guide welded to the front of the seat that the cable needs to pass over to go to the passenger side release. It is a little hard to describe the specific parts if you are reconstructing the seat mechanism from pieces. I had mine off of the my car recently but I didn't take any pictures of how it goes together.
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

[gt5-33]

Yes I'm talking about the guides welded to the seat . I don't see how the cable stays in the seat guides without some assistance. Seems like the cable will fall out of the guide when the seat is turned over to install back into the car. I was not present when the seat was taken apart for restoration. Thanks for your response.

[1957Birdman]

The cable stays in place because it is installed under tension. It is sort of like the string of a bow for a bow and arrow, only in reverse. In this case the bow is what is under tension. If you try stringing the cable from the passenger side slide to the driver's side you will see that when everything is connected there is enough tension on the middle cable guide that is welded to the seat frame that it won't come loose. Of course, this assumes that everything is as it was when the car came from the factory. The cable tension can be adjusted to a small amount at the connection of the cable to the release lever on the driver's side.
Hope this helps,
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

[Jimntempe]

When I reupholstered my seat I didn't see any guides welded to the frame. The center of the cable has a spiral metal sheath. I used hog rings to hold it to the frame. The photo shows the cable routed across the underside of the seat. One end connects to the external release lever and the other to the release that doesn't have an external level.

[voltron]

I think these are the guides

[1957Birdman]

Voltran, you are correct. Those are the guides and the cable should be put through them. I had forgotten what they look like, but when installed correctly the cable will not come off of the guide.
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

[Jimntempe]

Aha. My seat had been redone once before I got it so it would seem they did not put the cable back where it was supposed to go. Oh well, someday if I have the seat out again I can do it right. I wonder what those "things" welded there were for....

[seany-boy]

just jumping on this thread and re-surfacing it. I changed seat foam and covers a couple of years ago and have the seat out at the moment. The seat release/adjustment cable does not seem to be routed correctly.
I found this photo on an earlier thread and I seem to have routed my cable through the bracket I have circled in black here which is very different to how this cable in this photo is routed.
Is the routing in the photo the correct method for the cable- makes sense with the two brackets shape ?
If so then what is the bracket I have circled used for?

[Jimntempe]

I believe the photo you posted of the seat underside shows the correct routing of the cable, I wish I had seen it when I had my seat out!!! That bracket you circled is for an attachment to the power seat mechanism.

[seany-boy]

Thanks, i will try to reroute my cable to get it operating correctly.

[Rusty57]

Great thread which probably explains why the right side seat adjuster will not release on my ‘57.

It also reminds me that I need to “bite the bullet” and get the seat out of the car so I can install the new foam

[seany-boy]

Ha, just be aware the height of your seat will raise a couple of inches with new foam. Get the best wuality and softest foam you can buy otherwise you will be looking straight at the chrome trim.
Ask me how I know........

[Jimntempe]

I bought what seemed to be quality foam from Larry's. Not saying it isn't but it's already compressed a LOT considering its only had my butt on it for at most a few hours so far. When I first put it in I was looking at the chrome, not anymore, the view is fine now.

[seany-boy]

Slightly stretching the topic but the same manual seat in question.
I cannot recall the manufacturer of my seat covers as I bought them unused off another owner. However the reproduction covers are not all alike and not becessatily at good as original covers.
The original covers and better repo's generally have either a double stitched birder or a material area where hog rings or ties can get purchase to tension the covers.
However as you can see from these photos, this brand had neither in many areas and do the white material in the photos is material I have glued onto the covers in order to provide leverage without simply ripping the vinyl material of the covers.
So be careful of the covers if you purchase for recovering a seat, request photos of the entire cover and particularly around the edges at the rear of the cover.