1969 Camaro Seats

Bench or Buckets?

This is a difficult question that really comes down to personal preference and your vision for your car. Both the TMI bench seats and the bucket seats have their appeal and trade-offs. Bucket seats are how most first generation Camaros came equipped, and they generally play nicer with the geometry of the cockpit, console, and stick shift. However, a number of Camaros were ordered with "Strato-back" front bench seats for those who preferred them. Both our TMI 1969 Camaro bench seats and bucket seats feature just the right amount of bolstering to keep you in place, yet still look appropriate in a classic car. With the addition of TMI's new buddy seat console for bucket seats, you can still sit three people across as well. It ultimately comes down to personal preference. The main thing in ordering custom upholstery is making sure that YOU will be happy with it, not what someone else thinks looks best in your car. If you still can't decide, here's some helpful determining factors from our point of view:

• Is it a manual transmission? Do you want to keep your original console? - If you have a floor shift, is anyone ever going to sit in the middle and do you want to be reaching between their legs for the gear shifter, and does that person want you reaching between their legs to shift? If you have a console, do you want to remove or modify it to accommodate a bench seat?
• Is it a pure street machine or a cruiser? - If it is a pure street machine, we tend to recommend bucket seats in your 1969 Chevrolet Camaro. It will provide a little more containment and it is generally what people expect these models to carry. Now, there is also an appealing aesthetic about a classic car with a bench seat. Add some bolstering for containment and modern style, and you can have the best of both worlds!
• Do you have kids or grandkids? Will they ride in the car?- If you have kids or grandkids, will you want to take them for a ride in your Camaro? Yes, there is a buddy seat for the buckets, but if the kids are going to ride in the front, a bench may be better.

Why TMI?

TMI has been making interior for classic cars since 1982. TMI started in the air-cooled VW market, making door panels and has since expanded into more than just door panels and much more than just air-cooled Volkswagens. TMI Products has always taken pride in providing high quality products that give you custom upholstery shop quality, but at a price point for the automotive aftermarket.

What is the Difference Between the Pro Classic Styles?

• TMI Pro Classic Sport - These bucket seats come standard with matte black vinyl and your choice of contrast stitching. No unisuede, no grommets
• TMI Pro Classic Sport R - The Sport R has the same overall seat pattern as the Pro Classic Sport, but the Sport R features black unisuede "wings" to give your interior a little more modern appearance and to break up the seat, giving it a two-tone black appearance
• TMI Pro Classic Sport X - TMI Pro Classic Sport X seats feature grommets down the center of the backrest and seat bottom. The pattern and materials are the same as the Sport, but the center is broken up with the grommets. You have your choice of color of contrast stitching and your choice of grommet color. The color behind the grommet will match the color of the contrast stitching in standard configurations
• TMI Pro Classic Sport XR - The Pro Classic Sport XR is essentially a combinaton of Sport R and Sport X. These seats have the grommets just like the Sport X seats, but the Sport XR has black, unisuede wings like the Sport R.
• TMI Pro Classic VXR - The TMI Sport VXR pattern is similar to the Sport XR, but the shape of the wings is a little different, the inserts in the middle of the seat come standard in black unisuede, and the stitching pattern is a "V" pattern instead of a straight, horizontal, ladder pattern
• TMI Pro Classic Sport GT - TMI Sport GT is one of the newer seat patterns from TMI. The Sport GT seats have a contrasting black twill insert in between the different section on the seat bottom and back rest. The Sport GT pattern is designed to give your seat the appearance like you have separate, articulated seat sections making up your bucket seat.

Can I get the TMI Pro Classic Seats in Colors Other than Black?

Absolutely! One thing that makes us different than many of the other TMI dealers is that we will take custom orders. If you want your TMI Pro Classic seats in a tan, red, brown, gray, blue, turquoise, or any other color within TMI's offering, we will order you custom seats, saving you money and free shipping versus buying them direct. We have been sold more TMI custom interiors than anyone else in the world, and we can say that with strong confidence. If you want a VW Green and a Mustang tan, with brass grommets, and orange stitching, we can do that for you. You should expect us to call you ahead of time just to make sure you really want an interior with 4 clashing colors, but if that's what you want, we will get it for you.

What Type of Warranty is Included?

All TMI Products come backed by a lifetime craftsmanship warranty, and that includes Pro Classic seats. TMI guarantees that your seats will stay looking good and in one piece for as long as you own them. This warranty applies to defects in manufacturing, such as seats that come apart at the seams. Not something that has been abused or mistreated! Unfortunately these seats can not be warrantied against damage that is more than ordinary wear and tear. You can buy with confidence knowing that the stuff you are buying is backed the manufacturer. In addition, all TMI Products are made in-house at their facility in Corona, CA. These seats are NOT sewn and assembled in a factory overseas!

What about those Grommets?

The grommets on the TMI Pro Classic seats usually get a "Love 'em," or "Hate 'em," response. The grommets are available in three different materials and you can significantly change the way a seat looks by changing the grommet material. On a TMI Pro Classic bucket seat, black grommets will blend in a little bit more and can provide a subtle accent while also contrasting a stitching color other than black. The Stainless Steel and Brass grommets tend to stand out more than the black, but depending on vehicle, the stitch color, and the overall theme of the interior, they can really set the seat apart. If you hate the look of the grommets, but you you like how the center section breaks up the seat, give us a call and we can definitely work with you to get your a pair of custom TMI Pro Classic bucket seats for your car or truck. Check out the images below to see how the same seat changes when it has black, stainless steel, or brass grommets. In the images above, you can see the same seat has a litte bit different look by simply changing the grommet color. We feel like the black grommets bring out more of the accent color, in this case red, than the stainless steel and the brass do. The stainless steel and brass grommets themselves standout more against a black background. It is all a matter of personal preference.

Ideas for Custom Seats

We are one of the few dealers that will offer, sell, and support full TMI custom upholstery. We have been selling TMI interiors for over 20 years, and much of that has been custom upholstery orders. We have probably sold more TMI custom upholstery than anyone else in the world, including TMI selling direct. We really do know what they can and can't do, where the patterns start and stop, what materials can go where, and if they can't do something we can tell you why. Back in the day when tweed was popular, customers wanted to do all tweed upholstery. If you called and talked to TMI direct, they would tell you that they can't do it. We knew they actually could, but due to the cross-hatched design of tweed fabric, the stitching would just not stay long term. You could order it, but they wouldn't warranty it. We worked with out customers, and if they really wanted tweed on tweed, we would do it. We warned against it, but we get it that sometimes you just want what you want, and we are here to help you do that. We actually have made it so that you can design, preview, and order custom TMI Pro Classic bucket seats online. Click here to start building, or, you can take a look below at some of our favorite customizations that will set your interior apart from the others.

• Houndstooth - Add houndstooth cloth inserts to your favorite seat style. While many people opt to put it in the center inserts of a Pro Classic Sport or Sport X bucket seat, one of our favorite looks includes replacing the Unisuede on a Sport R seat with your favorite color houndstooth. We had a customer order this one time a several years ago, when TMI first released the Sport R upholstery, before they even made complete, bucket seats. We took it out to make sure it was made correctly before shipping it to the customer and were blown away by how good it looked!
• Hot Rod Red - This color is amazing! If you want your interior to pop, going with TMI's Hot Rod Red color is the answer. We like paring it with some black to give it a little contrast, and make it so that it isn't so over-the-top red, but this color is fantastic.
• Perforated Inserts - Adding a perforated insert to the TMI bucket seats will give the seat an improved, more modern, high end appearance. The perforations in the black vinyl give the seat some additional texture in the middle and transform it from a single color, charcoal black seat to a two-tone black seat, all while keeping the classic appearance of a black interior.
• Whiskey/Cork - The dark tan combination of the cork vinyl and the whiskey unisuede just work so well together. You can even add some black inserts, or a black outer/back section to your seat for a more modern interior that isn't solid black.
• Distressed Vinyls - Distressed vinyls are super popular right now. They look really good in old trucks especially, and make your interior look like it is leather instead of vinyl.
• Plaid - TMI recently released automotive grade plaid materials that they will use for the inserts on Sport, Sport R, Sport X and Sport XR TMI bucket seats. We like it for Sport and Sport X the best as we think the additional zone for the unisuede is a little too busy. With 6 different plaids, there is definitely something that will work with your classic car or truck's interior