66 Madrigal Cloth Seat MaterialQuestion

[455hota]

On my recently purchased 66 LC 4door i was under the impression that the interior seats were original. But i noticed yesterday that the front Madrigal (name used in the 66 sales brochure) cloth inserts were of a different design than the rear seats. Both front and rear seats appear to be the same color, and appear to match the trim code 61 which is Silver Mink Cloth and leather. The rear seat has a couple tears /rips in the cloth, while the front does not, which leads me to think the front was changed out a some point. Also the rear cloth pattern appears to match the cloth pattern in the sales brochure, while the front does not.

Looking at my pics below can someone confirm my rear cloth inserts appear correct for 66? And then can anyone identify the year of the cloth insert on my front seat?

Again thanks in advance!

Rear seat

Rear seat close up

Front seat

Front seat close up

Madrigal cloth pic from 66 sales brochure

[frasern]

I would say that is the original front seat with just the cloth changed, the vinyl is in the correct pattern and it has chrome trim which was removed the next year. The front cloth they used is not for any year of Lincoln.

[455hota]

Thats another plausible theory to explain the material difference from front to back. Its just weird that if tou went to all the trouble to remove the front bench seat, and have some kind of replacement material sewn in, why not so the rear seats at the same time???
I need to pull the front bench to see why the 6 way power seat is not fully operational. If i see any other evidence then I will post it.

Thanks... Steve

[LC67Vert]

You might want to check with SMS Auto Fabrics. They used to have a lot of exact matches for old interiors. Depending on whether you want to restore to exact factory specs (which will be very expensive), or select something close but not exact yet acceptable (less but still expensive) they can probably help you source the right materials.

There are good suggestions above for reinforcing your 50+ year old plastic armrest bases. Aside from these don’t forget to admonish all passengers… “Don’t slam the door!” because after all, it is a Lincoln and these heavy doors close with little force or effort when adjusted properly.

The chances are the front seat was reupholstered or replaced at some point. Check under the rear seat to see if the build sheet is still there. If it is there you can confirm it and the rear seat is original to the car. If not, it could be the rear and/or front seats were swapped with another car at some point.

As for your front power seat the chances are you can fix it by taking it apart and carefully cleaning and re-lubricating everything. It’s the seat drive transmission and seat jacks that get all gummed up with old grease. It may also be the cable that runs to the seat jacks. The interiors on these cars are very comfortable and classy when brought back to original standards. Good luck with your journey.

[455hota]

Jeff,
Your points are well taken! Thanks.

I already checked under the rear seat (upper and lower), and there was no build sheet there... I was hoping for my build sheet Tri-Fecta: I found the build sheets under the rear seat for my 1979 Lincoln Continental, and my 1967 Tbird. Both of these cars were built at the Wixom Plant like my 1966 Lincoln Continental.. Was there any other places build sheets could have been placed?

I am looking forward tearing into the six way seats. I agree They usually can be resurrected and get back in good working order.

The door arm rests will be another fun project as well…

[frasern]

Build sheets can be found anywhere, there were a number of them per car, sometimes build sheets for other cars are found, one guy even found a T Bird sheet in his Lincoln.
The data plate will tell you what was original, trim codes are decoded in the shop manual, but if the door panels match the seat, they are unlikely to have been changed. That being said though, a '61 parts car I looked at once, had a blue interior and the code said something else, so someone had changed all of it at some time, it happens.