1941 Commercial Seat Questions

R

rustynutz

Member
Ok, One of my Hershey treasures is an original seat (well good springs anyway) for my pickup. I want to rebuild and mount the seat in the original style. The seat base spring is mounted on a piece of 3/4" plywood, how does the plywood attached to the metal seat riser? Was the seat base mounted to an adjustable track? In the book "2 Great Trucks" by Howard Towne there is a copy of sales literature that states "Seat and back cushions can be adjusted to suit the driver". The illustration shows (3) adjustment positions. The guy I got the seat from told me the base cushion was not adjustable only the back cushion. The back cushion was mounted by a hinge at the top of the cushion, and at the base of the cushion was a hinged piece of wood that you could fold up (rear position) or down (forward position). In the forward position the base of the back cushion moved forward about 2 1/2", this was the only adjustment you could make. Anyone with an original truck able to help me with this?
Thanks, bq
 
The original bottom cushion was mounted on plywood. There were two metal dowels attached to the metal seat riser. The plywood has holes in it to drop over the metal dowels. There are two sets of holes on each side about 1 inch apart. The forward holes are very near the front of the plywood platform. The holes in the plywood are the adjustment for the bottom cushion.
 
back rest was attached to the bottom cushion with two hinges and had two metal extensions that slid in slots in the back of the cab, this arrangement allowed the adjustment of bottom and back cushions as a complete assembly. solid plywood bottoms means that the seat came from a pick-up. seats from trucks 3/4 ton and up had bottom frames of oak slat arrangement to sit over the gas tank "bulges", but still had the two pins to locate and provide for adjustment
 
Here are pics of seat base from a 39 pickup that had some bad repairs.When I made a new base I used 3/4 inch plywood and made the openings smaller but you can still reach in and adjust springs if needed. Second pic shows holes for adjusting seat forward and back Last pic shows seat back hinge mounting area
 
my 39 is as the pictures show MY 47 PKP HAS A HINGED BOARD THAT FLIPS OVER TO MOVE THE BACKREST FORWARD I guess this is because the tank is under the seat not so on 41 SUNSHINE
 
rustynutz, my seat is the one described by alanwoodieman that is hinged to the bottom cushion and moves with the bottom cushion.
 
My 1939 pickup was originally a platform truck or stake body bed. At sometime in the past the bed was changed to a pickup, but the tank is under the seat as in large trucks. The back of the seat is hinged at the top and has a board on hinges that can be flipped up or down to adjust the seat. The bottom cushion hinges at the rear and the hinge has two sets of holes that the hinge can be bolted to for an adjustment of about 1/2".
 
OK, First I'd like to thank you all for responding to my questions. After closer examination the base does have the adjustment holes, but no holes for any back rest hinge attachment. I have the hinged board for the back rest adjustment. It appears that I have a 42-47 seat.
Can anyone post pictures of the hinge and the attachment point on the back rest.
Thanks, bq
 
47 has no hinge attached to the back but has several threaded holes on the back side of the seat bottom cushion, which attached to the seat with a hinge arrangement. picture is a 47 seat hinge and attachment, 2nd is bottom of my 41 truck seat ( 1 1/2 ton)
 
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My '41 1/2 ton seat base has a metal plate where the seat bottom adjust holes are. The plywood is 5/8". One curious thing is I have two wooden stringers in the seat riser to support the center of the butts (Bums) for the driver and passenger. Is that factory?

Lonnie

 
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alanwoodieman, does the extended portion of the back rest hinge, bolt to the back rest frame or is it an integral part of the spring frame? In your picture it looks like there is a series of bolts or machine screws bolting the hinge to the back rest frame. Thanks, bq
 
bq, what size (tonnage) is your pickup? That way I know to either butt-in or butt-out. Mine is a 1/2 ton.

Lonnie
 
same cab, only difference is where gas tank is located, under seat for 3/4 ton up. back of frame under bed for 1/2 ton, rustynutz the picture showing the green uph-the seat frame and the rear back rest are screwed together with the hing that is seen (not screwed together) and then just sits on the seat frame or gastank, when you move seat cushion forward the seat back follows the seat base, the back has two straight bars protruding from the top of seat back which located into slots located in the cab structure
 
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if you need better pictures, I will get the seat out and screw it together and take some better pictures. the 47 cab I have was from a 1 1/2 ton and has the seat attached to the base and the back has a hinge attaching it to the back of the cab and it has a drop down board to move the seat back forward, also makes it easier to use the under seat area for storage
 
Binx, my truck is a 1/2 ton, definitely butt in, all are welcome.
Alanwoodieman, I understand how it all bolts together, as I stated above I think I have a "47" seat. Studing your pictures and one I found on the auction site, I was trying to determine if the lower hinge was bolted to the back rest frame or all one piece. Closer study it appears to be rivets, not bolts, and is all one piece. At this point I'm planning to rebuild the seat and use it until I find an original back rest.
Thank you, everyone for all the help
 
it has a pin that goes thru the other half of a hinge which is rivited to the back of the cab, this holds the seat back to the cab and allows it to hinge outward--same springs but just a different attachment. You can change out these pieces for the slide in piece easily. I am going to look in the barn loft, I did have another seat back if it has the long pieces I will let you have them.
 
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