I found a set of 1995 Trans AM convertible electric leather seats with electric lumbar support for $50 out of a junk yard but they do need to be recovered. Do you guys think they are worth it? I have a friend that does upholstery. He said he would recover them for $60 to match my original black interior. If sombody happens to have a set of these in their 1st gen can you let me know how confortable they are?

Dave -

I have a set of 96 T/A seats, probably just like those, that I modified the rear mounts and test fit.

Assuming the ones you're looking at are like the ones I have, they are very nice. Supportive and they have enough side support to hold you in place better. I like the Firebird/TA seats better because they have the separate head rest and just look more "correct" in my opinion. There are two styles of headrests, the really round puffy ones and thinner more vertical ones; the latter look better if you can get them. If you plan to make the lumbar work, make sure you get as much of the wiring and the tubing as you can; the passenger seat runs off a jumper harness and tube from the driver seat.

Now the down side... I found the seating surface to be higher than the OE seats by between 1/2 and 1 inch, so I decided not to use them. I am 6-1 with a 32 inch inseam, so that added seat height made me feel like I was sitting up too high. I didn't really spend a lot of time looking at them to see if I could lower them. If you lowered them, I think they'd have real issues hitting the OE lap belt retractors (not an issue for me with my 4th gen belts, but...) I only drove the car once with them in (sorry, but I don't think I took any pics), but the height difference felt weird enough that I decided to go back to OE seats. If I can't sell the TA seats, maybe I will fool around with them some more later.


$50 for the seats is a screaming good deal if the foam is okay. $60 for recover is also screaming good, to the point I'd be afraid what the quality woud be.

If the yard has that low a price on the seats, you may want to buy the front and rear seatbelts out of the 4th gen vert too, and you can use them like I did.

My friend does real good work he has done 4 cars for me so far and no complaints his full time job is a furniture repair tech for a large funiture company he does upholstery on the side for alot of the local rice burner clubs. We trade out alot of work, I myself am a autobody tech so he sends alot of side work my way too. I did notice the height issue with the seats but i think i can modify them to go down a little. i too am a bigger guy 6'4" 255 but i did borrow the drivers seat and bolted the front bolts in just to see how it feels. As for the seat belts is there anyway to dye them? these are the wrong color. Thanks for your reply p.s. do have any idea where i can find a wiring diagram for my convertible top motor? i have all the other wiring diagrams but i cant seem to find a converible diagram

Dave, please post a message back when you finish, with pics if you can. I want to do the same thing and I'm also 6'4" 250. I'd like to get some opinions on comfort and how high they sit before I get too far into this.

Man, 6-4? You may have to look for some kind of cool forehead bug deflector....or you may need chiropractic work on your neck from driving with the seat reclined, low-rider style. :)

I think it you search "dye seat belts" there are some posts.

I saw your post about a wiring diagram for the top motor. I checked everything I have (Chassis Service Manual, Fisher Body Manual, etc.) and did not see one. It's a very simple circuit though. Top motor has three leads coming out of it. One (black) is ground, and screws to the body where the pump mounts. The other two are 12V feeds from the switch on the dash; when the switch feeds power to one wire, the top runs one direction, and when the switch feeds the other wire, the pump runs in the opposite direction. Which goes where isn't critical. I can't recall if the switch bezel is labeled on a 69, but just make sure the wires are connected so that the top goes up when you hold the switch up, and down when down.

eric,
I will do. I am going to do all the bracket work first before I have them recovered so i will post pics while i am test fiting just so you guys can get a close look while i have my carpet out so everyone can see the floor clearance and things

Eric K where does the main power feed come from? If you could tell me that and also is there some kind of breaker on this power feed? Any help would be appreciated. The next time up towards PA i have family in ohio i will have to make sure i send a six pack of your favorite beverage your way

No need for a beverage, I can get that here (even if we DO have to go to a "beer distributor" to get it).

So, you need to wire for a power top from scratch? I will have to do some digging through the archives here.

There is a circuit breaker on the firewall (there's bumps above the master cylinder/booster where it mounts), and I'm 85% sure it draws power from the buss on the bottom of the horn relay. From the breaker on to the switch is what I need to see if I can point you to.

that would be wonderful

D - I responded in your other post on the wiring in Vert forum. :)