VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Trucks and Vans 54 Chevy 3100 Unison Seat Question

In the sales data book, It shows the air ride/unison seats as not available with deluxe cab on the 3104 model. any idea why this might be? It seems to me that it is an option that would lend itself well to the deluxe cab. Only possible reasons I could come up with would be that it may not have been available in colors such as 2 tone interior or possibly it interfered with arm rest which I can't hardly imagine. Am I missing something? Is there another reason it wouldn't have been available or did I misread the book? Thanks, G.H.

The Air Ride seats were only avaliable on Big Trucks. We are talkin' COE's & 2 Ton conventional tractors . Them seats were needed for real long haul drivers.
It would be cool to locate one & put it in a 1/2 ton though

The air ride seats, & Unison Seats, were two different seats. I've got 2 of the Unison seats. My '54 Chevy COE came with one, & my '53 Chevy COE, has one in it also. Greg, I don't have the answer, to your question, but you may have answered it yourself.

Ther service manual calls them Unison seats and shows checking an air valve for the "air ride". The Salesman's data book lists the air ride seat and that is where it shows as available on 3104 standard cab. The Assembly manual shows drawing and lists for 3000 cabs as well as others. I would love to see any pics you have of your seat setups and any detail info. If color is the only reason it wasn't offered in deluxe cabs, I think I will bend the rules and refinish in a color correct for my cab. I just didn't want to spend a lot of time, money, and effort only to find out it won't fit for some reason or another when I am done. Thanks to all for the input, pictures if possible, and help. G.H.

Greg, I've never noticed a air valve on the seats anywhere, but I'll go out & look them over again. You're in luck, when I sold my '54 COE, the other month, I took, the Unison seat out, & replaced it with a bench seat. I've got it out in the shop. I'll take some pictures of it, & send them to you. Did your truck come with the seat originally.

Mine has bench seat originally. It is a 54 half ton that has been in the family since 60s. I have had it almost 30 years now. My first vehicle. Now my kids have their eye on it. If they keep a level head, They will probably see somewhat limited use of it. It was a project in waiting for me and recently my escape from the world's pressures. I never knew it was quite as well optioned as it is. It is 2 tone blue interior with all the chrome accessories and vent window trim etc. I went to Indiana and picked up a rolling chassis with Hydra-Matic trans and plan to make the switch over in the very near future. Bought a clock and am now keeping an eye out for an affordable clock housing. Have the unison seat setup located. Just trying to add a few other of the nicer factory options as I build it up this time. Thanks again for all the help and I look forward to getting the seat pics. G.H.

i had a 1954 3100 p.u. back in 1978
and it had unison seats in it ,it was not a deluxe
cab

I have seen several references to the 1954/55 "Unison" as "Ride-Control" seats.

They were standard in COE cabs. The document above states that the Ride-Control seats were available as an RPO in the standard cab (brown upholstery) and "Comfortmaster" cab (gray/maroon upholstery). Other documents list it being available only in brown in 3000-4000 series standard cabs and available in either brown or "with De Luxe trim" (gray/maroon?) in 4000-6000 cabs.

I bought a Ride-Control seat set that had been reupholstered, but underneath was original upholstery of gray/maroon (your Ride-Control seats' upholstery patterns were taken from that set, Greg). That set came out of a non-COE cab (it came with the base left-panel-cover that is used on the standard-cab base).

My guess is that the Ride-Control seats might not have been available with any of the two-tone interior options. However, somehow my two-tone exterior and two-tone interior 1954 pickup will have two-tone maroon/beige Ride-Control seats.