Front seat armrest w/ compartment

I would like to buy a RM front seat armrest, in gray, that has the 2 pc cover,
and the compartment & cup holders to fit my '95 Caprice wagon.
I understand that these only came on the Roadmaster models, but that they
will interchange with the one that came with my wagon.
This is the fold-down center armrest for the '94-'96 models.
My interior is cloth but I will also consider a vinyl one of the color is the same.
Contact me at: rkmdogs@tampabay.rr.com with pics and price. Thanks, and
BTW it should be in the States, as I do not use paypal!

There is a 94 RMS in the Tampa LKQ that may have a gray interior. I do not remember what the arm rest was like. The car may be a little difficult to access because it has heavy damage in the rear. You need a #3 phillips to remove the bolts to access the arm rest.

They also came in Cadillac Fleetwoods from 93-96

Nobody has an armrest for sale?
I found a very high-priced one on e-Bay, but it is the wrong color!
Somebody please help.....

Not sure of the Chevy but the Roadies and the Caddys had the two piece only on the TBI cars (91=93). After 94 they both had the one piece with that useless cupholder that flipped out of the armrest.

They are interchangable but you should be looking in 91 to 93 cars. Don' t worry about the color. SEM makes the right color for your car and it only takes about 1/2 hour to prep and re-paint it.

Bill

The 94 Roadmasters, sedan and wagon, were two piece also. I have / had two 94's.

Tom C.

Also, 95 was a split year. Some cars got the two piece others got the one piece.

silverfox103 wrote:

The 94 Roadmasters, sedan and wagon, were two piece also. I have / had two 94's.

Tom C.

Wish I'd known that a year ago. Was looking for a two piece for the 94 Caddy. Ended up painting up the tan one from the locomotive.

Bill

convert2diesel wrote:

After 94 they both had the one piece with that useless cupholder that flipped out of the armrest.

I use my useless cupholder everyday! Put tapes and CDs inside the armrest too.
Id like a new armrest, its looking a little worn these days.

Got one!
It's blue in color but went to the paint shop & they found me a SEMS dye to match my gray seats.
After I get it re-colored and installed, I'll have my homemade one available, if somebody would like it, let me know.
Thanks for all the info and leads ---- found this one on e-Bay, from a good guy in Mich.!

Congrats Rob on finally finding what you wanted.Post some pictures when done.I have a tan
armrest with the solid lid and a sport steering wheel to dye when I get my butt in any gear
other than park!
Jim

Flasheroo wrote:

Congrats Rob on finally finding what you wanted.Post some pictures when done.I have a tan
armrest with the solid lid and a sport steering wheel to dye when I get my butt in any gear
other than park!
Jim

O.K. Jim, here are the pics, hopefully in the correct sequence.














Is this enough for ya, Jim???
P.S. Call me Bob, with one "O"!!!!

Just for reference, here's a pic of the wooden one that I made, if somebody is interested in obtaining it...

Looks pretty good "Dude"I am so confused so will just call you dude Bob!Looks great with your cloth seats too.
Jim

Flasheroo wrote:

Looks pretty good "Dude"I am so confused so will just call you dude Bob!Looks great with your cloth seats too.
Jim

Thanks Jim. BTW, I forgot to mention, the wood console that I made is a "freebe" if someone wants it,
and the original cloth-covered, no compartment armrest is available-- but that one would be a sale item!
It is in great shape, but I messed the bracket paint putting it back on the old mount, so I'll even throw in the rest of the SEM
spray that I still have!

Ya, Bob is with one "O" is my nickname ----- the one with two "O"s is an anatomy definition --at best!

Bob,your wooden armrest reminds me of one my dad made when he was a salesman way back in the 60s.He actually made them for his friends after they saw his.I still have his in the attic used
to the point where you can see where his arm rested during those long road trips.Full lenght piano
hinge and all.He was a heavy smoker and had built a full width ashtray into the top of his.Your
steering wheel isnt original is it?Dont recall seeing a caprice wheel with the swollen thumb rests
before seeing yours.
Jim

Flasheroo wrote:

Bob,your wooden armrest reminds me of one my dad made when he was a salesman way back in the 60s.He actually made them for his friends after they saw his.I still have his in the attic used
to the point where you can see where his arm rested during those long road trips.Full lenght piano
hinge and all.He was a heavy smoker and had built a full width ashtray into the top of his.Your
steering wheel isnt original is it?Dont recall seeing a caprice wheel with the swollen thumb rests
before seeing yours.
Jim

It is as far as I know Jim. The only thing I added was the wheel cover, since as you well know, Caprice wheels
do not hold their color! My '95 9C1 Caprice suffered from the same condition, and I did the same thing!

Guess you can learn something new everyday with these cars.I got my blue sport wheel last
week and still havent decide if I should paint it or just put a wheelskin on it.
Jim

Hey Bob, even though it hasn't been that long, I was wondering how the paint on the armrest is holding up? I'm thinking about adding one of the compartment armrests to my OCC, since the cupholder in the OCC's dash is only good for soda cans and open topped ceramic coffee mugs (that's what the owners manuals shows!). Also, did you have to do any modifications to get the RM armrest to bolt up, or was it a direct fit?

All of the armrests bolt to the seat from below the seat. There are 4 nuts that hold the pivot to the seat frame. They are all the same.

Lynol wrote:

Hey Bob, even though it hasn't been that long, I was wondering how the paint on the armrest is holding up? I'm thinking about adding one of the compartment armrests to my OCC, since the cupholder in the OCC's dash is only good for soda cans and open topped ceramic coffee mugs (that's what the owners manuals shows!). Also, did you have to do any modifications to get the RM armrest to bolt up, or was it a direct fit?

I have had no problems with the finish nor the operation since the install. I left the original armrest bracket attached and made the switch with the two pivot screws. One went in fairly easy, but the other one, I had to "fish" for a while to find the hole and align the bolt threads
with it!
Drivers side was the easy one, passenger side the harder one. TIP: make sure that you recline both seat backs as far as they will go.
This exposes the pivot holes---- partially. The drivers side one is clear and easy to see. The passenger side one is not clear, and blocked by
the seatback cushion, so you sorta have to do this one blind, by feel mostly. You need either a 'shorty" phillips screwdriver, or a very long one to get away from the seatback.

Still have the original grey solid armrest available, as well as the wooden console that I made. I won't be going to the wagonfest at Daytona,
so if somebody wants either one, contact me here!

Forgot to mention one other very important point!
There are black plastic pivot washers that go between the armrest and the bracket.
They have a specific orientation to allow for the pivoting of the armrest from the up to down position! Pay attention to their orientation! They have to align with the pivot stop pins in
each side of the armrest! Takes a little bit of patience, but don't leave them out, or
major wear can occur!

rkmdogs wrote:

Forgot to mention one other very important point!
There are black plastic pivot washers that go between the armrest and the bracket.
They have a specific orientation to allow for the pivoting of the armrest from the up to down position! Pay attention to their orientation! They have to align with the pivot stop pins in
each side of the armrest! Takes a little bit of patience, but don't leave them out, or
major wear can occur!

I doubt that "major wear" is going to occur. I broke one taking them out and never put them back in. Been in the car for two years and no catastrophic failure... Also, I dont think those really do anything besides cover up the holes in the armrest.

I have taken the armrests off both ways, and unbolting the bracket by removing 4 nuts from the seat only takes about 5 minutes vs. removing the pivot screws takes about 20 minutes, and you can destroy the nylon bushings while removing the arm rest. You do not have to monkey around with reclining the seats, just loosen with a socket, and use your fingers to remove the nuts.

The pivot screws are #3 phillips.

Different strokes for different folks!
I was asked to report on my experience, which I did, and offered some suggestions to make the job easier.
I chose to leave the orginal mtg. bracket in my car because it was in better shape than
the one that came with the new armrest.
Removing that bracket may be easier for some, but as I observed, it would have been a blind
job, and not knowing the condition of those bolts, I preferred to do the install where I could see
what I had to do!
That was my choice--- with no regrets.

Cadet57 wrote:

I doubt that "major wear" is going to occur. I broke one taking them out and never put them back in. Been in the car for two years and no catastrophic failure... Also, I dont think those really do anything besides cover up the holes in the armrest.

Ah youth! Those pivot washers are to prevent wear of the upholstry, if you have cloth seats! On the vinyl, it may not
become as apparent, when you raise and lower the armrest frequently.
If they were not necessary, the factory would not have put them in, in the first place!

Thanks for the information folks. Bob, I imagine the reason why you removed the armrest from the pivot bolts was because you had to paint the console. Really no other way to paint it without taking that off. I'm probably going to do the same thing, but with the newer once piece top console (much safer cup holders) so it will have to painted to match my '92.
For everyone's info not all GM armrests can be unbolted and re-bolted from the pivot points; I tried this when I swapped out the armrest in my '98 Park Avenue. Big mistake -the threads on the inside of the armrest that the pivot bolts go into are actually nuts, and by loosening the pivot bolts the nuts spin, and well, you're screwed since you cant get into the inside of the armrest to hold the nuts down while you tighten it. I guess the armrest was attached to the bracket before the inside of the armrest console was glued into place. Glad it's not that way on our cars!

Lynol wrote:

Thanks for the information folks. Bob, I imagine the reason why you removed the armrest from the pivot bolts was because you had to paint the console. Really no other way to paint it without taking that off.

Yep!!!! Also, that was the instruction that I had previously received on this website!

rkmdogs wrote:

Cadet57 wrote:

I doubt that "major wear" is going to occur. I broke one taking them out and never put them back in. Been in the car for two years and no catastrophic failure... Also, I dont think those really do anything besides cover up the holes in the armrest.

Ah youth! Those pivot washers are to prevent wear of the upholstry, if you have cloth seats! On the vinyl, it may not
become as apparent, when you raise and lower the armrest frequently.
If they were not necessary, the factory would not have put them in, in the first place!

Ah arrogance! It has nothing to do with age pal. It has everything to do with the fact that I have FROM EXPERIENCE found that the black washers make no difference on cloth or vinyl seats. The armrest started in my car, and is now in my brothers car without problem. Pray tell, how did you come to the conclusion that "catastrophic failure" will occur? Will my seat suddenly disintegrate under the sheer torque of that armrest? I doubt it.

Cadet57 wrote:

rkmdogs wrote:

Cadet57 wrote:

I doubt that "major wear" is going to occur. I broke one taking them out and never put them back in. Been in the car for two years and no catastrophic failure... Also, I dont think those really do anything besides cover up the holes in the armrest.

Ah youth! Those pivot washers are to prevent wear of the upholstry, if you have cloth seats! On the vinyl, it may not
become as apparent, when you raise and lower the armrest frequently.
If they were not necessary, the factory would not have put them in, in the first place!

Ah arrogance! It has nothing to do with age pal. It has everything to do with the fact that I have FROM EXPERIENCE found that the black washers make no difference on cloth or vinyl seats. The armrest started in my car, and is now in my brothers car without problem. Pray tell, how did you come to the conclusion that "catastrophic failure" will occur? Will my seat suddenly disintegrate under the sheer torque of that armrest? I doubt it.

Watch who you blast! I did not use the word "catastrophic" --- Cadet 57 did!
With your "experience", I guess we should just call you "lucky"! Why do you suppose that
the factory engineers, who designed this set-up put them in there in the first place?
Bean counters would not have let them do it ---"just to cover a hole." Hmm-m-m?

I gave the grey solid original armrest to the guy who bought my wagon,
but I still have the "custom" home-made wooden one, if somebody would like it!
It is a "freebie" but need to pick it up --- not worth the $$ to ship!