I'm planning on replacing my '78's seats with the '79 version. I'll either
buy all new components and assemble them, or used ones and recover
them. But I'm not certain if the '79 buckets use springs and foam, or only
foam? I've searched high and low but can't seem to find a photo or a
diagram that answers that very basic question. So I'd really appreciate it if
someone can fill me in.

(And if anyone else has made this change, I'd really like any pointers that
you could provide...)

Thanks.

They do sell the repro seat buckets for 79-82. Corvette America for example has them paint to match for (Back) $175/ (Bottom) $235.

Or you can search ebay or various Corvette salvage yards for a set of used seat buckets for a fraction of the cost. You would just have to paint to match.

79-82 seat cushions are foam with a thin wire like metal framing molded into them. Not like the full frame and springs of the 78 and earlier seats. The 79-82 covers just get pulled/stretched over and hog ringed to the foam cushion. Then the cushions are clipped into the seat buckets. Not a fun job. Been there done that.

Hope this helps.

Sarge

Thanks so much for the info, Sarge. I had located the new seat backs/
bottoms at Corvette America, as well as finding a used set of '79 seats on
eBay. Now I just have to decide which way to go--although the eBay
version is half the cost, which is a major factor right now.

But either way, thanks to you, I now know that I can order new seat foam
and covers and not wonder/worry about what else goes underneath them!

Three add-on questions for you (or anyone else, for that matter): which
retailer did you use for your seat supplies? And is there anything in
particular I should know about the carpet insert that goes on the back of
the seat? Is that there to provide a cushion against the lip of the rear
storage area? I'm thinking about glueing a thin piece of foam in that
space instead, and covering it with color-matching vinyl. I haven't seen
any source for that piece of carpet in any of the catalogs.

Lastly, I'm not sure exactly what I'd need to complete the seat installation,
in terms of all the supplies like hinges, bolts, release buttons, etc. I can
see lots of materials in the catalogs for the '78 and earlier seats, but it's
not clear to me if the '79's and later use a lot less. They seem to, based
upon the 'bucket' design. So any light that you could shed on that would
be very helpful as well. I've ordered assembly/shop manuals, Haynes/
Chilton etc., but they may not cover this in as much detail as I (probably)
would need...so if there's a diagram, or a parts source you could point me
towards, I'd appreciate it. I assume that I can re-use the 'runners' and
bolts that attach the existing '78 seats to the floor pan, so I have at least
that much to go on...

I'm undecided about attempting to install the leather covers myself,
particularly because I've read similar accounts to yours about how tough a
job that is to do well. So that task may have to be farmed out to a
pro...although my wife is very accomplished at handcrafts like sewing. So
we might try it ourselves, and see how it goes--

I bought my seat covers leather/vinyl OEM style off of ebay. They were from Wilcox.

The carpet piece on the back of the seat is for cosmetics. The rear carpet drapes down behind the seat overlapping the floor carpet. And those usually come with a complete carpeting kit. I got mine from Auto Custom Carpets.

Seat hinges (reconditioned) can be sourced from Zip Corvette. Call for price. There are no release buttons on this style seat. Less parts.

I don't know if the seat tracks from your '78 seats will bolt to the '79-82 seat bottoms. You'll need to check. Hopefully someone here has that answer.

As far as recovering '79-82 seats. They are a b!tch. At least they were for me. If I ever have to redo seats again, I will get the covers already mounted on the seat foams. Al Knoch Interiors, Corvette America, Zip, Mid America all offer that service.

Sarge

 

 

Sarge was good enough to answer all of my questions on this topic (thank
you, Sarge!), but I am curious about this important issue he raised:

"I don't know if the seat tracks from your '78 seats will bolt to the '79-82
seat bottoms. You'll need to check. Hopefully someone here has that
answer."

Does anybody know if my '78's seat tracks will in fact match up with the
'79 seat bottoms? My gut tells me they most likely will--but I'd hate to
find out too late if they don't!

Thanks--