Don81

Okay here is my dumb question for the day. I'm new to Corvettes and my eyes are not as good as they use to be so have a laugh with my question. Anyway here goes...

How do you get the seats to fold down in the 81 Corvettes?

I haven't found the button yet?

The13Bats

Either of my 81's nor the 80-82 style seats in my 69 have seat back release buttons....
They just move forward....could yours be stuck or fixed in place?

Leung

They should always be able to fold down, there is no button. Yours are probably stuck, my passenger side got stuck recently and I don't know how to get it unstuck.

Don81

When I got the car the passenger side seat just folded down by itself but the driver side did not. Then all of a sudden a few days ago the passenger side did the same thing.

BurlingtonJohn

Same thing happened on my '78. Just lifted straight up on the seatback and that seemed to fix the problem. No button needed ...

Regards,
John

Don81

I fixed it. It turns out the metal hinges that rests on the lower part when the seat lets back was getting into a bind with the top part that rests on it and it was locking. I took a screw driver and stuck it in the lower part and pried out on it a little and it freed it up on both sides.

It seems like on both seats it was binding on the sides nearest the console. I freed both up a little and they both are working fine.

I appreciate the help. I normally don't like getting physical with my car unless absolutely necessary. I wasn't sure if there was a button I was missing or was something out of line. Turns out it just needs an little good old fashioned "adjusting".

Thanks everyone for your input.

Jon Hekking

gbvette62

The passenger side seat back on my 81 has been sticking periodically, for at least the last 25 years. When it does, I've always fixed it the same way, slide a long thin screw driver down into the hinge. The seats have an inertia hinge that is supposed to keep the seat back from flopping forward when stopping. Sometimes they become stuck and need a little help to become unstuck.

larryg3

i have done the same to my passenger seat since i got the car.

VegasJen

yep, they should just fold down. your centrifugal weights are screwed up. there is a metal weight incased in plastic that supposed to lock the seats in the upright position under sudden deceleration or impact. as the plastic gets old, it separates and starts to jam in the joint. best thing to do is just disassemble the seats and remove the weights.

MCMLXXX

when i first got my 80 the drivers side would not fold forward, passenger side worked fine, then one day without me doing anything to drivers seat it started working fine and has not given my any problems again. I love when the car fixes it self.

Mike.

toolman1981

Is your car named "Christine"?