----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 2:41
AM
Subject: Re: IML: Swivel Seats
The original design had cables attached to the doors that actuated the
seats automatically as the door opened, swiveling the seat out as the door
swung open and vice versa (I think).
Somebody figured out that it would be impossible to grip the seat with
your butt and stay on the seat if the door opened going around the outside of
a corner, and the connections were left dis-connected for the sake of safety
very early on. Bet it was a big thing to have working on the show cars,
though.
My 1960, #26 has these cables under the carpet, but they are not
connected, probably weren't ever. All later 1960's that I have seen had
no cables, and perhaps they ran out. 1960 saw the very late
model year intro of the alternator (advertised as a 1961 item), and it
is pretty well documented that they routinely exhausted the parts bin
before going to a new part design. Maybe the early ones
were left in so the owner or dealer could re-connect them? Maybe
nobody told Moe down on the factory floor to drop them till late in the
game?
It is my understanding that this auto mechanism was totally
deleted, and the seats were just manual for all post 1959 cars for
certain. I have not played with the mechanism on mine because I'm not on
the seat section of my project yet, but will report as I go. Curious to
see what others know, too.
To quote the ad above: "The seats swivel to let you in and
out. These are the easiest cars you've ever seen to get in and out
of. As you can see in the picture, the seats turn like an office chair,
on noiseless nylon bearings. They lock in place while you
drive......"
There is a second ad from the same series (not up yet) that shows a young
(hottie) mother with an infant in her arm as she reaches down to release the
lock lever. "Why didn't somebody think of this before?
Swivel seats make these the easiest cars to get in and out of you ever saw -
even with your arms full" -Now the photo only shows
one arm full and the other hand on the release lever. Does not
make sense, but maybe the copy guys hadn't sat in the seats and used
them?
Kenyon
ChiPieAlandPaula@xxxxxxx wrote:
Hello All,
I was under the impression that the original
swivel seats (59 models) where moved by unlatching the seat and physically
moving it. The 1960 system became spring loaded. If this is wrong, please
let me know. At any rate, by 1961, all of them had some kind of assist.
Incidentally, my dad felt the same way about this " useless item." I can
still hear him saying that they could be fatal in a serious
accident.
Allan from Billings, Montana
Kenyon
Wills
San Lorenzo/SF Bay Area
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