Comfort may have different meanings depending on which side of the tracks you're from. On the one side we have cars that are built solely to catapult us down the road as fast as humanly possible. These types of cruisers don't need to be comfortable as much as fast. Then we have the restored show cars that, more often than not, have a completely stock interior, which can be comfortable, but depending on what year vehicle you have, may or may not be as soothing to the backside as it could be. This brings us to the cars that fall somewhere in between those two extremes. In this case the ride in question is a '67 Chevelle wagon. Don't get us wrong, it's not like the factory seat is so uncomfortable that it warrants getting rid of the car, but when commuting everyday in stop-and-go traffic, the original seat can take its toll.
Not so long ago, finding a more comfortable cradle than the one provided by the factory meant a trek to the local junkyard to look for a softer, more adjustable bench, or a search for a set of aftermarket bucket seats that, despite the likelihood of being pricey, would be far more comfortable. Either of these routes would usually mean having to build brackets, drill new holes, and visit the upholstery shop to make it all look uniform. Fortunately, we now have companies like Glide Engineering to research and develop some pretty cushy and fully adjustable seating options. The street rod world generated the first demand for this type of seat, and now Glide has expanded its line to include seats-in both bench and bucket styles-for '50s- and '60s-era rides. In fact, Glide Engineering just came up with a seat specifically designed for '64-72 Chevelles and El Caminos. This new bolt-in seat has features like 18-position, individual reclining backs, fold-down arm rests, state-of-the-art seat foam, and powdercoated frames, and it bolts right into the factory holes, to boot. This seat also utilizes Glide's "no sag" springs that will last twice as long as the factory ones.
Wanda's Upholstery in San Bernardino had just completed upholstering a prototype bench for a cross-country car show debut, and he did such a beautiful job on the prototype that he is now making covers that can be ordered and installed by you or your local upholstery shop. Wanda is now the only official dealer of these seats, as well. After a phone call from Wanda telling us about the new seat and after realizing how bad our lower-back problem was becoming, a call was made and we were on our way to Glide Engineering for a quick lesson in seat design and, best of all, to pick up this new addition to their line of seats and products. Once our tour of the facilities was complete and we got a chance to sit in the prototype, we knew this was just what the doctor ordered. Seeing first-hand how nice the prototype upholstery looked, we figured it would be in our best interest to commission Wanda to cover our seat, as well. So check out the details, and trust us when we say this new bench seat option has made all the difference in the world. Best of all, it looks as good as it feels.