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Stuart:
When you disect the front seats make a note of how the buttons are attached. If at all possible, save the original pieces that wire the buttons to the seat frame. These are brittle and break easily. I probably broke half of mine and I never did figure out a good substitute for them. I wound up using braided picture frame wire but again I'm not sure it's the best alternative. Let us know what you find and if you can figure out a good way to reinstall the buttons.
Remember, take one seat apart at a time so you will always have a model of how the various pieces go together, where they are tacked, how the farbic folds go, etc.
Coach

Coach, After reading your note, I checked on the buttons on the back seat. First, there are no buttons on the back of the back seat, only on the bottom cushion. Apparently there never were any on the back as the original upholstery is still on and there are no marks where buttons may have been. Later, I will look at the instructions from Hampton Coach and see if they show any buttons on the back cushion. It seems to me there should be some there but again, there is absolutely no sign of them. If your car is a '38, does it have buttons on the back of the back seat? The buttons on the bottom cushion are held on by chains and springs. I did not take a button off but the button is hooked to a small chain, possibly using a link of the chain itself, and then the chain is hooked to a spring. There are two buttons side-by-side and the spring is bent into a u-bolt shape with the both button chains attached at the bottom of the u the same distance apart as the buttons go through the upholstery, and the other ends of the spring (the legs of the u shape) are hog ringed to the seat frame. This seems like an ingenious way to keep the buttons attached yet let them flex when someone sits on the seat. My Hampton kit has the buttons held in using heavy thread (twine) and tied to the seat frame. I guess the theory there is that the buttons will stay tight due to the pressure applied by the padding. In any case, I haven't looked into the buckets yet. I decided to go get a digital camera and take lots of pictures as I am dismantelling those. So now I have to learn how to use a digital camera and put the pictures in my computer before I can do any more. I will keep you posted. Stuart

Stuart:
Ooops, my bad. My car is a '35 and I was specifically that vintage. I had not noticed that yours is a '38 which is probably much different. Still, the method of securing the buttons sounds similar. The basic idea is the same, getting the right tension on the chain/cable/twine to keep the buttons in place and all at the same 'depth' in the fabric and padding.
Coach

Hi Beamer,

You have just hit on a vital item to include in a restoration kit. In addition to the shop manual, owners manual, parts book, Chevrolet Service News, and excerpts from this site, a digital camera is a must.

It is not necessary to print out all the pictures you take, however if you have a key photo you can print it on plain paper to take to the shop with you. Notes can be written on the plain paper print.

Hey Coach, no problem. I got a lot of valuable info from you. Ray, yes, I realize how valuable a digital camera can be to a restoration. I wish I had one when I started the under dash rewiring! With regard to the buttons in my previous post, I counted the buttons in my Hampton kit and they included enough for the back of the rear seat. However, as I said, my car did not originally have them there. I would like to hear from someone with a '38 2dr Master (not deluxe) to see in fact if mine were just left off at the factory or did the Master not have any buttons on the back of the rear seat. The bottom of the seat does have them so it seems peculiar the back did not. Beamer

A little follow-up on Hampton Coach - Having purchased several kits from LeBaron Bonney over the years, I didn't hesitate to order an interior for a '52 conv I'm working on from H-C. The quality is good, their patterns are accurate, and I'm very satistied, ex-instructions, as others have commented on. In talking to them, I discovered that the original H-C was sold out once prior to L-B's purchase. The original H-C employees are gone and the L-B people are at a real disadvantage. They have all the patterns, kit contents, etc. and the ability to supply the kits, but tech questions about installation are a problem. I realized while covering the front seat in my car that the instructions, while headed '49-'52 conv, were actually for a BelAir hardtop. (B-A has bolster on seat bottom and none on seat back, conv is just the opposite) I could only say that while I believe their kits to be very good, I would suggest that anyone planning to do their own install take a hard look at their skill/experience level and plan on taking it slow.

I couldn't agree with you more about taking it s l o w! I took my seats to the basement a couple of weeks ago and so far, I have pulled a couple of tacks out of one. Of course, that was to try out my hand-made tack puller (too cheap to buy one). Then I waited until I got a digital camera. Now that I have that, I spent several hours learning how to take a picture. I can now take pictures but don't know how to get them out of the camera yet. Anyhow, I should have the old cover off the seat July. That seems slow enough to me!! Thanks for the info on HC. I agree, the kit seems to be a nice one. Just don't know for sure how to put it on yet but I will!! Beamer

I would avoid the company in Anniston Alabama. Worst internet buying experience I've had.

Hey Songdog,

He'll probably see it; but you should probably alert "Chevrolet" to this. That's his Chat name. His real name is Kepi. He keeps a "file" on vendors suppliers and "our" experiences with them. That Vendors and Suppliers forum is just below this one.....

Bill.