Project Luxury S10

[LeSabreUltra]

I can't help it, I got spoiled by my LeSabre. Now I feel like every car I own has got to have leather, wood trim, and power crap. My wallet is probably going to sue me for abuse.

Let's start out with a before. Just for added effect, this is back when I first got the truck too.



Pretty barren looking, just your average S10 interior.

Over the years I've done various stuff to the dash to dress it up a bit. Until this past weekend, it looked like this:



Here's some of the other stuff I've added:









Now comes the next and the largest step towards turning my S10 into a luxo-barge.

During this year's SEBF meet I set out to the junkyard in the hopes of finding some leather seats for my S10. Not only was I successful, I was downright given a miracle...I found seats out of a 2001 or so Chevrolet Blazer that were not only nearly cosmetically perfect (except for some junkyard dirt) but were also a perfect match to my interior color. With a ton of help from John, these seats finally came out. I wish now that I had grabbed a center console too, but oh well. We were REALLY tired, and it was hot. I can still find them, just not as cheap.

Anyway, I snagged these for $64. Not each, for both. This is how they looked straight from the yard. They are full power including lumbar (well the driver's side is, the passenger's side has power lumbar but manual everything else) and I believe they are heated too. They even have tilting headrests which I think is a neat touch.



Driver's side ass area:



Dirty, but with some excellent cleaning by Brad and John they turned out looking like new. Really phenomenal, no wear at all. Here's the driver's side butt area after cleaning.



And in the truck:



Really nice. I need to get that center console though for it to be complete.

Here they are after I brought them home. I cleaned them up a little more and put on another coat of conditioner/protectant on them to soften them up some more. They are getting very soft and pliable.



Passenger's side ass area. Absolutely immaculate.



Here are the seat controls for the driver's side. Someone had ripped this panel off in the yard, and I had to reattach it using creative methods. The only creative bit you can see though is the extra long screw and extra wide washer in the back.



That's where I stand now. Once I get the center console, I will start working on wiring up these bad boys and getting the console in. It will be a bit of a project because there are no mounting holes for the console, I will have to measure them up and make them work. But it can be done. Hope to be updating this soon!
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[Blown93SSEi]

Nice work. Now all you need is HUD and Heated seats!!!

[PRD2BDF]

Nice work, two parts I'm iffy about are the Chevrolet badge, it's a bit too large for my personal taste. The tachometer and the dash cluster doesn't match.

But otherwise, I really like everything else!

(Just need new rims )

[00Beast]

Looks great!!

[Gumball]

Cody and his rims


Looks great Dan! how is the cushion in that drivers seat? looks a little squished.

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks guys, I'm really loving them too. Super comfy, plus my truck is starting to get that leather smell.

I REALLY wish I could have HUD! I'm sure it's possible, but with the weird angle on the windshield and having to custom-make a dash, it's probably a little beyond my skill level right now!

And Jim, the cushion is in good shape, though it is a little squished on the part by the door. I think the former owner did the butt-slide when exiting. I hate it when people do that.

And I'm finalizing a deal on a center console as we speak. It's not the right color, but the price and condition are too good to pass up. I have some extra plastic/vinyl/leather dye (not paint) that I used for the tach housing and I'll use it on the bits here too. It should turn out nice. Details on that when it gets here. Soon I'm going to start tearing into the electrical bits.
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[wjcollier07]

You can get anything done with a mean pair of vice grips and when necessary, some duct tape.

I still can't believe it myself...how insanely lucky a find that was.

So. Verdict... 500 mile trip...better on leather? better on cloth?

[LeSabreUltra]

So. Verdict... 500 mile trip...better on leather? better on cloth?

Dead cow, hands down. Even with no armrest (my arm didn't like me much at the end of the trip for that though).

Even better now that I have them adjusted. Got my power seats wired up tonight.

Doing some custom wiring.



Back in the truck.



Here's the power wire for the seats running down the center hump. It will be covered once I get my center console. It runs out the firewall behind the dash and connects directly to the battery. I have an inline 20 amp fuse on each wire.



One final shot before closing up shop. All adjusted! Now that I have them set for me, I've found out just how *dang* comfortable these seats are. Once I get my center console in, I'll really be riding comfy.



Now all I need is that center console. I'm currently talking to a few people trying to see what can be worked out. It's not easy to find exactly what I'm looking for, as I need specific parts from the console to make this work. Most of these are usually tossed out cause they assume the buyer already has them in their car. Oh well, it'll get done within the next week I hope. Once it's here, the drilling and sawing will commence!
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[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Nice work! That long junkyard battle sounds like it was entirely worth it! Your guys were in there for a long time getting those bad boys out!

And the power must be the icing on the cake for the seats!

[redwingsfan34]

nicely done!
good luck with the center console, should look pretty good when you've got that in!

[Jrs3800]

Dan that was a heck of a find... and the funny part was it was in the very front of the yard...lol

Getting the seats out was a massive PITA... But John was not about to let the truck beat him... By a stroke of luck we found Vice Grips... sent them to the front of the yard with Mairk.... John was very pleased and had the look on his face that he was about to beat that stubborn Jimmy....

3 Hours later Dan had them bolted to his truck....LMAO

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks guys, I love these seats more and more each time I drive them. Really makes my truck feel a lot more upscale. Can't wait for that center console. I have a lot to thank for John's stubbornness.

Interestingly enough, every rattle that my truck had originated from the factory seats. With these seats, my truck is deathly quiet over bumps. It's awesome, and adds to the whole upscale thing. :D

And Don, I still can't believe how lucky I was to find those. Someone else had tried to get them out and had stripped the bolt (which is why we had so much trouble). But that Jimmy didn't know what it was up against.

Some more updates today.

Only installed mod on the truck is that I modified my beauty cover for the passenger's side to fit my new seat rails, to keep the seat mounts and all hidden. The driver's side has one already.



Some updates on the console. I found one, finally! And they'll send me the parts I need.

The sad thing is it could not be further away from what I actually need, lol! The console I am buying is black. I want light gray. The console I am getting is from a five speed S10, I need one from a column shift automatic. But I see it as a challenge. Here's what I'm gonna do:

I've actually gotten really good at redying plastic and vinyl as of late (again dye, not paint...this is permanent!) so I feel confident in my abilities to get the color change done. I'm running a few ideas through my mind.

As for the hole where the manual transmission runs through, my plan is to fill this in with a grey leather insert. I also have experience with this.

I wouldn't ordinarily consider it, but this guy was one of the few who was genuinely helpful, and the price was great...plus the more work I have to do to make it work, the more I will appreciate the end result.

In any event, I hope for the console to be here within the next few days.
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[driverjohn2005]

So you are going to put leather power seats in a S-10 that dosent even have power windows???

Alright....

[LeSabreUltra]

:eek2: So you are going to put leather power seats in a S-10 that dosent even have power windows???

Alright....

So? I can't see the relation power windows have with wanting to enjoy better seats. Last time I checked, the wiring diagrams show absolutely no relation at all.

Besides, yes, power windows, locks, and mirrors ARE on my agenda, just not as immediate or wanted as the leather seats were. I'm a college student, I can't afford to do everything at once. That's why I named this a project thread. Give me time.
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[Jrs3800]

Trust me.... If you drove this truck with the Cloth and then sat in it with the leather... Major difference on the tush and the back.. I would have done the exact same thing...

[sandrock]

They DO look nice in there, and comfy too.

There is only one drawback to this setup. Seats out of a sedan (or in this case, 4-door SUV) will not tilt forward to allow access to the rear. Nor will the new seats be able to fully recline due to the small cab space. Both of those issues are trivial though, as you can't reclline very far in the first place with the original seats anyways.

Dan, I suggest implementing modern items in the new console, like USB-charging, perhaps some white LED lighting on the sides for entry lighting too.

[wjcollier07]

:eek2: So you are going to put leather power seats in a S-10 that dosent even have power windows???

Alright....

You'd have to drive the thing. It's an awesome little truck. If I had one, it'd have to have at least a 5300 sitting under the hood, but power accessories wouldn't mean a *dang* thing to me.

[LeSabreUltra]

There is only one drawback to this setup. Seats out of a sedan (or in this case, 4-door SUV) will not tilt forward to allow access to the rear. Nor will the new seats be able to fully recline due to the small cab space. Both of those issues are trivial though, as you can't reclline very far in the first place with the original seats anyways.

Dan, I suggest implementing modern items in the new console, like USB-charging, perhaps some white LED lighting on the sides for entry lighting too.

True, about the reclining. I've noticed this. There IS enough space to squeeze back there with the seats all the way up and forward, but just barely. As far as putting cargo back there, it's not really an issue. As far as putting an entire body back there, well...

That's okay, the jump seats are somewhat of a joke anyway. Except for a 12 year old kid, perhaps.

I like your train of thought. Except instead of USB charging, I think I'm going to implement an AC inverter and outlet into the new console. I'm planning that out right now.

And John, I'm not entirely against the idea of a V8 swap. A 5.3 or a 5.7 would sit quite well with me.
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[wjcollier07]

I only say 323 over the 350 because of the modern injection system = fuel mileage & efficiency from smaller displacement.

I can't even imagine what it would be like to have a 5300 under that hood. The get up and move of my truck, taking away 1.3 tons, one differential and a transfer case dragging it down? Heck, your truck is even 700 lbs lighter than Brad's Impala SS with the same engine...pretty much saying...you'd need to hold the hell on with the go pedal down.

[yourgrandma]

Might I suggest a full treatment of Dynamat or equivilant if you want it to feel really upscale? My SSEi feels like twice the car and it quite improved the SQ of my stereo. A bulk pack would probably line the whole cab and make a hell of a difference.