1934 Pickup Seat Advice and Interior Questions

[Flathead Fever]

Who supplies the most authentic upholstery, cushion springs and wooden seat bases for a 1934 pickup? Lebaron Bonney offers the cushion springs and wood base. They also offer an upholstery kit. But the description said that its black vinyl, "closest to original". I'm wondering how close?

Can some body post a photo of an original seat, that's if such seat even exists anymore? These poor pickups really had a hard life. I'm curious what the pattern in the fabric look liked and what it was made from?

Who makes the best fitting most authentic floor mat?

Does the inside of the cab get painted the same color as the exterior?

Does the interior wood behind the seat on the back of the cab get painted over?

I have a metal map pocket attached to what is left of a kick panel that was laying on the cab's floor. Did all the pickups come with this map pocket and which side does it go on?

Thanks, that enough to keep me busy and broke for awhile.

[Newc]

Hi; I waited three hrs, the pros should catch this. My experience... map pocket on right kick panel. Inside color same as outside. I've see the wood both ways... Fabric seems to be some kind of cheap vinyl like an oil cloth. A Rouge '33 1 1/2 ton with 29k just sold on Idaho Craig's list $5900. It seemed a triple Rouge, it looked perfect, medium blue inside and out, black fenders, and black seats. I could have bought it, lasted 4 days. Newc

[Flathead Fever]

Newc, thanks for the info. There is not a whole lot of info out there on '34 pickups. The last few Early V8 shows I've been to there were no original '32s,'33s or '34s Fords even show up. Especially the '32-'34 pickups, they've all been piece together out of several different pickups from different years even. These people don't seen to know what year pickup they own? I had one of those blue '33 1 1/2 ton trucks with black fenders for awhile. I sold it because I had to kick it out of the garage and it was sitting outside in the weather, I felt sorry for it. I sure miss that stake bed. I could store a lot of parts on top of it when I had in the garage. The first time I drove it I came zooming down my street which is downhill. I stepped on those mechanical brakes and I just sailed right on past my driveway and the next driveway after that. I never did get the rear drums off those tapered rear axles to inspect the brakes. I decided if I ever owned another one it would be a '34 1 1/2 ton with the floating rear axles. Plus they have those neat little hub caps. My '33 was geared so low in first that someone could easily walk along side it and have a conversation with you.

[DavidG]

The original material was a black/brown artificial leather (pyroxylin cloth), a predecessor to vinyl. It was used as the upholstery material in '32-'34 standard open cars, commercial vehicles, and trucks and beyond '34 in the case of the latter two types of vehicles. While dark, it is definitely not black. It had very little texture. Unfortunately, no one presently offers a good match in vinyl to the best of my knowledge.

[totto]

Flathead Fever: Restored my '34 to stock and color inside is the same as outside. In 1935, the pickups came with an interior. I made my own floor mat since I have not found anyone that makes one for '33/34 pickups. I made a pattern with paper and cut out on rubber mat I got from Lebaron Bonney. The "map pocket" goes on passenger side of kick panel. You can get an interior kit from Lebaron Bonney and that is where I got mine. They have samples of material for seats as well. Wood behind the seat is color of cab and many times the wood was not painted but who is going to see wood anyway.

[Flathead Fever]

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Thanks everybody. I'm having a lot of fun with this project. I've wanted a '34 pickup for forty-years. Last year I found a pretty decent one in pieces. It was stored inside most of its life and then disassembled in 1970. The guy kept the sheet metal and the frame to make a street rod and sold off everything else. After owning it for almost fifty-years he figured out he was never going to finish it. Now I'm going back in the other direction trying to find everything he got rid of. Its getting a '59 A engine with some speed equipment, a '39 trans and hydraulic brakes but the rest of it I'd like to keep original down to the last thick headed nut and bolt. I have another '33 I've been robbing chassis parts from. I have just about everything I need to finish it now but a good set of 17-inch wire rims.

I have just a few too many projects I've collected over the years. This photo is only about half of them. The other half are early Mustangs ('66 Shelby and a '70 Boss 302) and a couple of factory 4-speed 1964 Falcons. The '34 pickup is my favorite and the one I have decided to tackle first. I bolted the sheet metal and chassis together this week and now that I can see that it all fits pretty good I'm taking it back a part to start painting it.

[jimTN]

My 34 has a piece of whelt on the seat cushion in the middle. The original uph. had that whelt and I had it put on the seat when it was reworked.

[JSeery]

Nice collection there!

[Scott/Mn]

The '34 pickup I own was mostly original with 64,000 miles. It spent its life on a farm about 40 miles north of me. I bought the Lebaron Bonney upholstery which was close to the original, but has a little more texture. LB suggested some material for the floor mat which was cut to fit and a binder installed around it. The original floor mat was in tatters and was simply black with a grooved pattern; not sure if this was from the factory. The wood in the cab was painted body color which is dark blue. My truck did not have a "dispatch box" but I believe these were installed at the passenger side kick panel.

Good luck with your project. From the pictures it looks like you have nice sheet metal to start with.

[tudorbilll]

Lebaron Bonney door panels are made of plastic comes out of calif. seat and back material looks good. I would get some samples from several suppliers if I had it to do over don't rush it you will be looking at it a long time look at other rigs at shows

[Flathead Fever]

Originally Posted by Scott/Mn

The '34 pickup I own was mostly original with 64,000 miles. It spent its life on a farm about 40 miles north of me. I bought the Lebaron Bonney upholstery which was close to the original, but has a little more texture. LB suggested some material for the floor mat which was cut to fit and a binder installed around it. The original floor mat was in tatters and was simply black with a grooved pattern; not sure if this was from the factory. The wood in the cab was painted body color which is dark blue. My truck did not have a "dispatch box" but I believe these were installed at the passenger side kick panel.

Good luck with your project. From the pictures it looks like you have nice sheet metal to start with.

That is a nicely done interior, that is exactly what I want. Thanks! I had been wondering about that seam down the middle of the seat. I saw a picture of another seat like that and wasn't sure if the seam was original or not. I'm making progress on the interior. In the past monthI found a decent steering wheel, column lock and a NOS speedometer so far. I've figured out if I pay with Pay Pal it comes out of the wife's checking account. She has not given me a cost of living raise in my allowance in thirty-years so I had to improvise. I ordered all the original hardware from Roy Nacewicz. Real nice guy to deal with. "All" the bolts are gone to this pickup. The former owner bought every stainless steel part, nut and bolt he could find for this pickup. He literally went through the catalogs and bought everything there was he needed to make a street rod. I've sold off most of it. I still have a completely rebuilt 351 Cleveland, C4 trans and 9-inch rearend that it came with that I don't know what to do with? I might put it in one of my Mustangs. I'm so glad I was able to save this pickup before it got butchered!

My dad restored Model A s in 1960s and he was a fanatic about using the correct original bolts down to the thread count. He's got me all screwed up. I can't drill an extra hole in a old Ford now without going to therapy.

I practically grew up in a rumble seat and the back of a 1929 woody. You have never been so cold in your life until you have been stuck in a rumble seat at night in Death Valley with the Model A Club.

The only reason my mom said she went out on a date with my dad back in 1957 was to get a ride in his red '32 highboy roadster. True story, I literally would not exist if it wasn't for that car. He sold the roadster in 1958 for $225.00. Then later in the 1990s he bought one for 40K that wasn't as nice but it was red and had an 8BA like his first one. His whole life has been about Early Fords, that's the only thing he has ever cared about. So that's where I get the Ford bug from. When you get a finned aluminum "Flatheads Forever" clock for your fourteenth birthday and that is the last thing you see when you go to sleep and the first thing see when you wake up I now realize it was all part of a master plan to brainwash me into being a flathead guy. Santa never brought me a hot wheels that wasn't a Ford. I didn't even know they made hot wheels that weren't Fords.

I know this is site for original Fords but I'm including some photos of my dad's first '32 roadster and the one he still has (its real) I call it the stink bug because it sits so high in the back. I can't get him to take that ugly top off because its all original Henry Ford hardware and bows. DMV took away his license and now I'm about to inherit the roadster (because I need more cars) and I don't know where I'm going to put it? I added another 1200 sf. onto the garage and it was filled up with before I finished building it.

Thanks, Everybody. I'll post photos of the pickup's progress.

[FlatheadTed]

Interesting post Fever ,I have a 33 and 34 pick up that I am collecting bits for the 33 has plain wood and the 34 has it painted dispatch pocket on the right .Ted

[FrankWest]

Lebaron Bonney can customize any type of interior you want. They may not be certain on the exact interior of 1933 pickup trucks so keep searching for the proper material and color and ask them to build the interior for you.

The wonderful Mac's Also has interiors for pickup truck..,.Have them send you a sample
https://www.macsautoparts.com/early_...rval_brand=380

[rbullockv8]

My '32 roadster pickup had a single dispatch pocket on the right kick panel. I've seen photos of them mounted at varying heights. Most are mounted vertically, but I've seen at least one was mounted at a slight angle. I think vertical is correct.

Attached is a photo of Ed Warnock's '32 Roadster Pickup. Fully restored, so not unmolested original.

Thanks for the picks of the '34. Great to see these old trucks.

[Flathead Fever]

I dug this dispatch box out. I had it stored away, its off of the '33 pickup I'm robbing parts from. I had forgotten it still had the kick panel attached. All I had to do was look at the screw holes and the angle of the box and it would have told me which side it went on.

This one is definitely angled. Its riveted with tubular rivets and has 3/4"x 6 5/8" sheet metal reinforcing strips on the back. The kick panel material they used is hard to believe. It looks look like asphalt roofing paper to me. Maybe three layers of 30 lb. roofing paper. There is no pattern on it and the layers are not glued together or if they were they are not now. The kick panel material measures .082" thick. This was probably that same material they used on the backside of the firewall insulation. Off to the Home Depot to buy my '34 pickup kick panels. I'm guessing the lines on the tar paper to line up the shingles face the backside.

If anybody is interested this panel is 11 1/2 inches wide.No way to know how much it might have shrunk? The bottom is pretty chewed up but my best guess is it "was" 22 1/8 inches tall. It's kind of like trying to measure the dead sea scrolls. I used a straight edge across the top and bottom to measure from. The dispatch pocket is perfectly centered from side to side and at a 45 degree angle. From the bottom of the panel to the bottom corner of the angled box is 6 5/8 inches. From the top it is 5 7/8 inches down to the corner. That's to the corners of the box not its mounting flanges. A good reference is the tilted corner of the box lines up with the middle mounting screw on the panel. I took a picture of it. It might look like that panel has a pattern to it but those are just cracks in the paper.

Today's contribution to this project is going to be a four-hour-drive to pick up five 17-inch wire wheels that are for sale. They are suppose to be straight, spun on a wheel balancer, rust pit free, sandblasted and primed. $225.00 for the set.

[nobey]

I have a dispatch pocket like yours, still on the panel. Also need to find the
right rivets to transfer it over. Let me know what you find. Nice pickup by
the way.....

[hook00pad]

That does look like a nice truck! My brother had one in the 70's that was very nice. Primered in red, with a very good body. Had a sbc 265 but 39 trans and banjo rear. Juice brakes and a dropped front axle. I could have kicked myself for not making an offer when his ex. took the truck and let some jerk destroy it. I loved that little truck. Lesson learned.

[Schltzie]

I am starting my journey on an original 34 ford truck. Just acquired the seat springs and wood backings. Having trouble identifying where the wood bolts to as the original holes are not matching up.


Do you guys have some pics of the seat back wood and how the back seat spring attaches ?


Thank you,

[Scott/Mn]

Here are some photos from an original '34 pickup.

[gearheadbill]

I thought that resurrecting this thread might be better than me starting a new one. Lots of good info already posted here.

My 34 has some original, some reproduction and a lot of poorly homemade cobble-up and I have no idea what the original should be like. I have a good friend who has a mostly original 32 pickup but the info I gleaned so far leads me to believe that the 2 model years were very different from the factory.

My seat cushions are both new...new springs, new wood, new fabric. I am assuming that they are correct for 1934. Bottom cushion has a tag (pic). But there are NO brackets or whatever to hold the back in place. Unclebucks has 'S' shaped sheetmetal brackets which are screwed to the seat back at the top and to the cab wood. The frame of my backrest cushion has no wood to attach such a bracket.

Also, is there another bracket(s) to hold the lower part of the backrest in place?