1953 Cadillac COUPE seat

[jst]

Hi
Can any of you upholstery knowledgeable people tell me what is the purpose of this little hooked arm on the front end of the seat ?  This seat is in a 1953 Cadillac Series 62 COUPE.  Thanks
JST

[P W Allen CLC# 20193]

Joe,

That feature was new for 53. It's part of the mechanism that lets the front seat pivot forward about 6" when the front seat back is folded forward to allow a person to get into the back seat easier(it's still not that easy!) . Of course, only the coupes and convertibles used this feature. If you have a shop manual (the 53 supplement of the 52 manual), there is a separate section dealing with the new for 53 coupe and convertible front seat.

[jst]

Thanks
That's the seat that I have. I flipped the seats, each side slid forward and back properly, with the seats in normal position , I moved the seat forward and back, they worked properly. The whole time that little latch never did move. Will check the manual

[Quentin Hall]

I always thought the arms were a safety catch in the event that you hit the brakes hard, the little arm swings up and locks/stops the seat from sliding forward. Just as an aside and an interesting point. . . .  The exact same little rubber locator on the arm was later used on 57 thru 60 Eldorado parade boots  .
      ps If any one has a spare set of these 53 tracks I'd be interested.