Worn Driver's Seat

[erik70rt]

The driver's seat in my Challenger is very worn and the upper part/half has a bad lean to it.  Is there any easy way to fix that or do I need to replace the seat?

See the pic and see how it leans back as compared to the pass side.

[Crocha617]

Just about every E-body I've had has the same issue. I've taken them apart and straightened them out.

[erik70rt]

Which part did you bend/fix to straighten it out?

[HP_Cuda]

Pull it out of the car and you will have to pull the covering on the upper portion of the seat.

Bend accordingly and carefully.

[superdave]

I was thinking about posting about this earlier today. I believe mine is actually broken.  Is it possible toweld it back together or better off replacing? 

[HP_Cuda]

You could weld it back together or find/buy a new replacement back.

You can find them at Yeardone or Classic Industries.

[scf100]

I have a good used bottom drivers seat for a 70 Challenger if you need..........PM if interested

[RUNCHARGER]

Common problem. I've welded a few of them back together.

[Jay Bee]

My seat back broke on both sides and needed to to welded too
.

[anlauto]

Yup...very common

[70 Challenger Lover]

If you weld, it's really a simple fix. There is far more work removing the seat back and stripping it down to weld on than the repair itself. The problem will get worse so you might as well dig in before the summer. I'd open up the crack a little to get to perfect metal. On mine, bending helped correct the angle but it still wasn't enough so I had to get a helper to hold it at the right angle while I welded it. If you really want to go overboard, you could even smooth out the inside weld and add a little piece of metal strap as reinforcement.

Even if you don't weld, you could strip the back down and go to a local welder. Up until a couple years ago, I didn't own a welder so I'd take stuff like this to a local shop and they would typically charge about $30 bucks or so. For them it's very little time and effort.

They do make new seat back frames so I guess you could go that route too. Kinda pricey though from what I remember.

[73chalngr]

Tilt the seat forward and check the plastic stops . My seat back was leaning but it was just a broken stop .

[headejm]

My seat back broke on both sides and needed to to welded too
.

@Jay Bee  Do you have those photos taken a little farther away so I can tell exactly where those cracks are?

[Jay Bee]

@headejm  Sorry, I've got 2 other pictures but they're even closer. IIRC, the cracks were just above the thick metal "dogleg" pieces that are used as the hinge to the seat bottom. I think you should be able to see it if you remove the hinge covers.

[Jay Bee]

@headejm  I just remembered that my mechanic/welder put some seat pictures on a thumb drive, here's a farther back shot that I edited.  Just removing the hinge cover isn't enough, the cover has to be pulled back a bit.