Picking ur brains 4 ideas on lightweight bench seat build

[Wilbur]

For a few years now I've been day dreaming about building a bone stock "appearing" front bench seat for my 1964 Ford Falcon sedan two door post car.

Today I had the idea that with all the brainpower out there in this forum, why not ask members?

So if you wanted to built a lightweight front bench seat for a Falcon, how would you go about doing it?

Consider this as a fun exercise, don't tax your creative juices unless it's for the fun of it.

Myself, my ideas have ranged from fiberglass/foam core construction like the homebuilt aircraft the Rand Robinson KR-2 or the Rutan Vari-eze, but not too fond of the toxic mess.

I've thought of using lightweight wood to create a box structure that has foam padding, covered by vinyl.

I've thought of aluminum square tube box framework. None of my ideas impress me.

[Nathan289]

:ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO:Plastic inflatable couch. Just run a bungee cord across the bottom to keep it secure.. inflate it with helium to make it even lighter:BIRTHDAY:

ok, maybe not the best idea, but I had fun..

[Wilbur]

:ROTFLMAO::ROTFLMAO:Plastic inflatable couch. Just run a bungee cord across the bottom to keep it secure.. inflate it with helium to make it even lighter:BIRTHDAY:

ok, maybe not the best idea, but I had fun..

Fun is good...

I can go back to my Army weight and drop 60 pounds in body weight... but that ain't happening. :-)

[dhbfaster]

Found it: Just needs a little frame mod. $41


http://www.rakuten.com/prod/folding-sport-sideline-bench-6-seater-bench/261003774.html?listingId=329309931&scid=pla_google_Wayfair&adid=18183&gclid=CLiTieHBi78CFZNffgodoVMAEg

[redfalken]

Are there any modern cars that have bench seats these days? More likely, when was the last make/model/year car that had one? If there's anything after the early 70s gas crisis, I'll bet they did a lot over the next decade to reduce the weight of the seat. If you can find one without electric heaters or adjusters.

Look and see how they did it or maybe find one that would fit and may be a candidate to recover with a factory `64 look.

:rolleyes: That wasn't a very fun answer...maybe you could remove all the springs and padding and make a bean bag cushion? Syrofoam beads have got to be lighter than all that metal and foam.

[Nathan289]

90's olds cutlass cierras had bench seats.
ford taurus had three piece bench seats into the early 2000s.

But I cant think of a single bench seat car currently being made.

[Wilbur]

There is a place in Bellevue that sells blocks of foam, not soft foam but kind of like styrofoam. I thought about cutting it to the shape of a bench seat and then fiberglassing over it for strength, with some bulkheads.

The other idea I came up with last night is a compromise, keep the lower part of the bench and make lightweight replicas of the upper folding seat back parts of the bench. Those backs alone are heavy suckers.

Of course the fastest way to lose a few hundred pounds is to buy a 1960 to 63 Falcon! They are a few hundred pounds lighter if I'm not mistaken. This was the method I used to drop a quick few hundred pounds when I went from a '68 to a '64 Falcon.

If I get a '61 then I could have a monster like this one, I've listened to and watched this recording over and over and over, what a SWEEEEEEEEET SOUND:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHBHQ12cldk

[doghows]

That is a nice car!! I want one!:BEER:

[Wilbur]

That is a nice car!! I want one!:BEER:

I watch that video on a regular basis, I'm actually listening to it as I type this, watched it about 20 times last night, I wish I could put it on "loop" and just listen to that motor the way I listen to music. After all, it is music to a performance auto enthusiast's ears!! :rocker: