Front Seat on 1940 BusinessCoupe

[40desoto]

My 1940 Desoto business coupe has an aftermarket from seat that seams to fit ok but I just noticed that I bumps right into the door panels and indents them. 

By what I can tell most of the body, and interior dimensions are about the same as a 1940 Plymouth business coupe.   Would any of you know if they indeed are the same size?  

Also, how does the seat fold down if at all?  Does the whole seat fold down to access the back or just the Driver side or the pass side at one time?

 

Ive ran into some front seats that seem like they are tapered in width in the same fashion that the cars interior and body does. They seem like they fit well but do not fold down to access the back.

The seat I have in there now seems to not taper therefore the front seat sections hits the door panels

 

 

[Robert Horne]

The seat in my 38 Coupe is a third row seat from a Chevy or GMC Suburban.

Fits great....

[40desoto]

What year Suburban?

[Andydodge]

The front seat in my 1941 Plymouth P11 Auxillary Seat Coupe was the same seat as far as I could tell as that used in the 1940 Plymouth, it was from the pictures I have seen the same as that used in the 2 dr sedans also, each side the seat folded forward at an angle to allow access to the storage shelf/spare tyre in a Business coupe or in my cars case the Auxillary rear seats. apart from the variations in the upholstery patterns and I suppose materials and padding I would think that the 1940/41 Plymouth & Dodge 2dr car seats would be the same.........btw my car was a factory RHD ex Sth African car and it had the seat forward/back adjuster arm on BOTH sides of the seat and both worked.....lol......regards, andyd

[Robert Horne]

What year Suburban?

I believe it was a 2000 model, I will check with my friend that gave it to me...

[greg g]

My seat is original to the car.  The seat bottom is in the area of 54/56 inches wide. There is a gap large enough enough to get your hand to the adjustment lever between the seat and door, plus more space. The backs are separate and fold forward. but they fold at a slight angle the outside hinge being longer than the inside one.  Both will not fold forward at the same time, as the hinge design caused them to fold at an angle.

[busycoupe]

I have a 48 Dodge business coupe.  The seat in my car is approx. 53 to 54 inches wide, and like Greg's, the halves of the seat back fold forward on an angle.  I believe that Dodge and Desoto shared body dimensions, and while mine is a 48, the 46-48 cars were basically the same body shell as the pre-war cars, only the fenders, doors, grill etc. were different.

Dave

[40desoto]

The front seat in my 1941 Plymouth P11 Auxillary Seat Coupe was the same seat as far as I could tell as that used in the 1940 Plymouth, it was from the pictures I have seen the same as that used in the 2 dr sedans also, each side the seat folded forward at an angle to allow access to the storage shelf/spare tyre in a Business coupe or in my cars case the Auxillary rear seats. apart from the variations in the upholstery patterns and I suppose materials and padding I would think that the 1940/41 Plymouth & Dodge 2dr car seats would be the same.........btw my car was a factory RHD ex Sth African car and it had the seat forward/back adjuster arm on BOTH sides of the seat and both worked.....lol......regards, andyd

Thank You Andy.   I love the original seat design.  Is it difficult to fina an originalseat like this nowadays?

[Plymouthy Adams]

the rear seats you picture are a bit different it seems from the one I saw in a US made ASC coupe....I was one time in the market for these seats and was forwarded pictures of fold down seats...so to that end I would have to ask if the African/export is different than maybe a US variety?

Edited December 4, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[Bmartin]

The seats in my coupe look the same as Andy's. 

 

 

They fold forward at an angle.  I don't have an adjuster rod, but that could just be missing.  There is just a round knob on the driver side that does not seem to do anything.. 

 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

I will admit that my mind' eye images of these are less than sharp...I was sent the pictures of what was left in the coupe the man was parting out and the frames and fold down legs of the seat are not like those in the picture...being they were uncovered and the back panel was more like the business coupe without a tufted rear cushion...to that end I will admit confusion..I do not have near the pictured room back of my bz cp front seats as pictured in the 40/41 and also I guess that may well be the fact it is a P-15...and I am mixing apples and oranges..does anyone have a picture of the rear seating in a P15 ASC..I would have sworn his was a 41 and had a very similar rear compartment as my P15..course, could well be the 41 was a later P15 also...thanks

Edited December 4, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[Andydodge]

From my understanding and what I have seen listed both on this forum, via various internet sites and the John Lee Standard catalog of Chrysler the Plymouth ASC coupes only existed in 1940 and 1941........the 1940 and 1941 Coupe body was available as either the Business Coupe with the "standard" folding back bench seat or the Auxillary Seat Coupe with this SAME bench seat plus the folding auxillary seats which folded into the lift up rear seat back.

Then in 1942 Plymouth introduced the longer roof CLUB Coupe which had a more "normal" sized non folding rear seat in place of the small folding ASC rear seat....this Club Coupe still used the same split bench front seat that had been used from 1940 in all the Plymouth cars that had 2 doors, ie, coupes, convertibles and 2 Dr sedans......Plymouth Business Coupes (using the 1940/41 Coupe roof) from 1942 thru to 1948 used this same front seat without obviously the Club Coupe rear seat....

.........does this all make sense???......ie........ASC's are only 1940/41.......Busi coupes 1940-48 same body shell & one seat............Club Coupes 1942-1948 have back & front seats.......and ALL used the same front seat........lol...............regards, andyd

[Plymouthy Adams]

thanks Andy..I wish I could find the pictures...I passed on the offer as at that time as I could not see how in the world even the smallest of seats with a padded backrest would ever fit in my P15 Bz Cp and the fact that they were rough condition and unsure if all was there at the time...I just did not like the fact they was going to the crusher at the time..I do notice quite a bit of free space behind the front seats in the 40/41 coupes.

[B-Watson]

Plymouth used the same body from 1940 through 1948, with a make over for 1942.   Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler used the Plymouth body for 1940 and got a new, larger body for 1941.   So, the front seat from any 1940-48 Plymouth business coupe, A/S coupe, club coupe, or 2-door sedan should work for you.  Also the same body styles for the 1940 Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler. 

 

Bill

Toronto, ON

[Young Ed]

Has your seat been redone? My front seat has been reupholstered poorly and I believe the front edges do touch my door panels too.

[oldodge41]

I believe my '41 Dodge seat sits tight to the door panels as well.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I put D24 seats in a P15.. they still will mount..the base was dual patterned..

Edited December 7, 2013 by Plymouthy Adams

[Andydodge]

The front seat in my 1941 ASC Coupe had been reupholstered by a previous owner and it was not the original pattern however was fine by me, I ain't an original sort of guy.......lol.........and the seat did touch the side of each door just a bit at the forward corner.......andyd

[blucarsdn]

I did not like the original seat in my '39 Plym conv.. Talking to a lot of guys I settled on buckets out of a '86 325 BMW 2dr sdn.. The fit perfectly.. Releasing the lever for the back allows the seat back to move forward and the lower portion to also move forward.. This forward motion of the seat allows for ample access to the storage area behind the seat...

[Rodney Bullock]

I have a 1936 front seat and it's real nice. it is shorter so I have room on either side. It has art deco type design on top and looks great covered with brown tweed. I got mine years ago from Plydo. I drove up to his shop and traded him a hood for a 1941 Plymouth.

[40plyrod]

My 40 sedan has the front and rear seats out of a 46 dodge coupe. The front was a direct fit but the rear needed to be modified. The front does fit pretty tight to the doors.

[edrendek7777]

Does anyone have any idea if the front and back seats from a 1950 Plymouth will fit into a 1940 Dodge?  I think that they could with some modification worst case, but they may be a tad bit too wide? 

Thanks.

Ed

[edrendek7777]

Sorry, should have mentioned the seats are for and from a 4 door... 

Ed

[Sniper]

Anything can be made to fit.  I put seats out of a Volvo into a Cherokee years ago.

 

I also put the seats out of a 79 LeBaron into a 38 P8, but I had to section about 6" out of the middle of the seat to get it to fit right. 

 

A tape measure will have your answers if you have access to both the donor and the recipient, other than I have nothing to offer, sorry.

[falconvan]

I pulled this seat out of a late model 15 passenger Dodge van. The shape and side angles are really close to the original; just need to lower the base a bit and install some sliders.