4spd Bench Seat Question

A thought went across my mind yesterday and it's been bugging me ever since.

First of all, they say that the 4spd cars with bench seats are rather unusual, maybe even a mistake in some cases. Well, my 68GS is a 4spd bench, and the 71GS 4spd I got from Chris (converted from a 3spd column shift) is a bench also but that one probably doesn't count anyway.

So as I was looking at the trim codes for 71GS I noticed that green (which is the color of my interior in the 71GS Convertible 4spd being restored) only came in a convertible as a notch back bench with an arm rest, although it was available as a plain bench seat in a coupe. Checking with Skip, the trim code on my 71GS he's working on is TR 150 which is for a notch back bench. It's been so long since I've seen that car I can't remember anymore what was in there.

So finally, here's the question. Anyone else have an original 4spd notch back bench seat car? When you fold down the arm rest does it get in the way? Any pics of that? I don't remember ever seeing one like that before.

Actually I like the arm rest bench best anyway for a driver, it's more comfortable to me than either buckets or straight bench. Seems like a weird combo though that wouldn't have been encouraged.

 

I do not know about codes or anything but I love the Benchseat 4 speeds,like em much better than the bucket ones,only thing I will concede to the buckets is i like the individual adjustability of them,my wifes really short compared to me and kinda hard on me when the wife drives me home,no particuliar reason she drives me home and I deny I have a problem,gulp gulp gulp.LOL

 

Hi,
My 72 GS455 is a notch back bench seat 4 speed car. When I bought it, it had buckets in it. I bought a notch back bench (like the car, needs resto) to replace them. Got Sloan doc to back it up. A year or two ago, I saw another 72 GS455 in town. Talked to the owner and it was a 4 speed bench seat car too! Don't recall but if it was a notch back bench or not. I, too have always liked the bench seat "combo" (be it a 4 speed or auto).
Ed

 

Hi Mike -

Although it makes no sense to me, according to the GS455 new car order form, in 1970 you could only get a notchback seat for a convertible in white or saddle. It was not available in black. I purchased my GS about 8 years ago, and it had the straight black bench seat (interior was restored). Besides my old '68 convertible (which had buckets), all my other Buicks had the notchback seat and the notchback seat was #1 for me in the comfort department. Although it was a 'highly optimistic' search, I went hunting for an 'almost perfect' black 1970 pattern notchback seat. About a year after purchasing my GS, I found one. Basketball Sam had John Osborne converting 'Very Few' from bench to buckets and was selling his notchback seat.

YES! :bglasses:

Well, the seat fit perfectly and has absolutely no restrictions with the shifter. As a matter of fact, cruising with the armrest down, my arm rests on the shifter ball so comfortably.

You will love driving your car :beer

Here's the only picture I could find with the armrest down - from the 2003 'Berwyn Bash' (thanks again Ken Smith!). Forgive me - my shifter is my hat holder :laugh:

 

Thanks Marco, nice pic. Now that's what I'm talking about. The notch back seats are nice in there.

It is strange how they did it. In a 71 GS convertible you could get only black and sandlewood in straight bench. You could only get green, white, and saddle in a notch back. In a GS hardtop you could get green, sandlewood, or black either way, and saddle only in a notch back. Oddly, there is no trim code shown for white bench seat in a hardtop, if you wanted white you had to get bucket seats. Go figure.

 

1971 GS convertible

Mike,

I've got one, a 1971 GS Convertible, 350" w/4-speed and notchback bench vinyl seat with center arm rest, trim code 155. To be clear also, it's pearl, not white.

Mike Aumann

 

I had my '70 GS 455 conv. Sloan documented a while back. It was a 3-speed manual on the floor with Pearl White notchback bench seat before someone decided to dye the entire interior black and install a '69 standard bench seat in it ou:

Ken

 

Ken, I like the original configuration better. 3spds are fun. I had a 65 Corvette 3spd, non synchro first and LOVED it. That's the car I learned how to shift without a clutch so I could get into first while still rolling.

White is better in a convertible unless you really enjoy burning your skin getting into it after the top's been down in the sun for a while. Have you considered retrofitting her back to stock configuration?

A 3spd would be fun. Even now with the 4spds I often go 1-3-4 in regular traffic, which are same ratios as a 3 banger. Only problem is you can't go 1-3 very fast in a 4spd. Otherwise I'd be tempted to try it at the track to see which gearing is actually faster. With the power of a 455, I'd think that losing a shift point from 1-2 is probably not a bad trade off for going straight from 1-3 gearing.

 

Mike, my brother bought his 68 GS400 in 72 or 73, and it was an original 4spd with bench, with the fold down arm rest. The arm rest is short enough that it doesn't really interfere with shifting. As much as I like the fold down arm rest in my 68, I'm still going to go thru with a bucket seat conversion in the near future. I have the seats, and new white covers, just need the time and maybe money to do it right. I hate that black interior in the middle of summer... :af: I think white buckets will go well with my white exterior, but I may work towards converting the interior to a correct white/black combo. :bglasses:

 

Hi David. As I remember, the seats and door panels front and rear are white. All the rest is black. Should be an easy swap. Have fun.

 

For anyone that missed it before, here's a refresher of the current condition of my brother's car: :ball:

 

Laid to rest in a nice place. I don't expect to be as lucky.

 

Mike,
The original trans was long gone when I got it and it now has a four speed. I started the restoration in January and the plan is to put in bucket seats and console that I already have and probably going back to the Pearl White interior. It will be quite awhile before I get to that point though. I just had the frame powdercoated a few weeks ago and I need to finish the floors, get the frame back together with the body on it, it is supposed to go into the body shop for paint sometime around April.
Ken

 

I at one point in time owned a early 1970 GS350 4sp with buckets and did research on the 4sp Buick thing, and this hold true for the Olds Cutless too. The reason Buick put the bucket seats with the 4sp is cause of the use of the Hurst shifter, funny thing I have a 4sp Chevelle and they came with the crappest Muncie shifter. The floor bump is the same between the bench seat floor shifter Chevelle and the floor shifter Buick. The reason that the Chevelle was available with the bench seat was that there were two different shifter levers, the bench seat one swoops forward to clear the seat, but the Hurst shifter never had that option available so that is why 4sp Buicks were buckets. The Hurst Shifter touches the seat, and yes I had seen cars that are supposed to be real 4 sp bench seat GS's, skylarks, cutless, and 442's, and I have even seen the documentation. o No:

 

What? I'm not sure what type of research you did, or what your sources were, but Buick did indeed build 4-speed Hurst shifted bench seat cars.

There is no clearence problem between the shifter/seat. If there is, my guess is that the seat or shifter is incorrect.

 

...please let me add -

My seat is as far back as possible. Maybe there are shifter clearance issues for the 'vertically challenged' who have to have the seat all the way forward o No:

 

I had no clearance issues whatsoever when I drove my brother's 68 for a year or so. I doubt there would have been any problem with the seat forward either. That long Hurst shifter was perfect. Sure wish that car was still on the road.

 

Hey Marco, do you have your passenger inside door handle angled up like that intentionally? Just curious.

 

Did you READ my whole post!!!! Read last line