I have a 71 Skylark 2 Door post coupe that I has a front bench seat and I was thinking about replacing it with bucket seats. Has anyone every removed the front beanch seat and replaced it with buckets? I'm afraid its going to look goofy. Any recommendations on the donation vehicle I should start looking to pull the seats out of if it doesn't look goofy? I'm going to be replacing the carpet anyway, so I thought I'd ask. Thanks, Chris
Chris, it's good you are replacing your carpet because there is probably a un-carpeted section under the seat. You will need rails to bolt the seat to, I think I got mine at Year One? I still have not done mine, she likes it better the way it is :Brow:
Easy job but tedious. Depends on what you want to do. I have an article on our site about the sway. You will need: 2 bucket seats, if in poor condition figure new seat covers, foams, headrests, etc $500-600 1 bucket seat bracket set, $50-60, includes 4 pieces 1 console w/shifter and cable $150-250 1 trans pan bracket for shifter cable $20-30, www.mrbuick.com 1 trans gear selector input shaft brkt $20-30, www.mrbuick.com 1 steering column change to floor shift (no gear handle on column) Access to welder to weld brkts to the floor.
yes, I did this three years ago Simple job- but then again, I have a convertible and I just put the top down They say to weld in the brackets. fair enough. But I found it wise to locate the brackets, drill my holes, bolt the brackets down and THEN weld them in because of the floor pan contours They also say to re-locate your outboard brackets inboard some 3/4", so your seatbelt retractors will still work Well, in my experience with doing this, there was a problem with relocating that hole inboard So I mocked it up, and when I got it set, the bucket seat barely touched the armrest (I have the long bases), and the seat belt retractor worked fine, no trouble Best part? It centered the seats, and it used the studs for the bench that were already there on both sides I have a pic somewhere I think. My avatar pic was taken about 10 minutes before the mock-up :laugh: I had full carpets with the bench, BTW I didn't bother with the steering column just yet- I found a short Buick console and a clutch and brake set up from a '70 GTO. I'm still dreaming of the four speed
Chris, I just removed two factory brkt set-ups from 69 LeMans models. The rear outward hole is okay since the bucket seat pedestal has two holes for the screw to pass through. The front one has to be moved 1" inward using the factory relocating brkt. Otherwise the belt retractor will hit the bucket seat lower skirt. The inners are easy to locate. We have dimensions on our site for this changeover. I have done the sway just using the two piece repro brkt set-up and it is very close for the skirt to contact the seat belt retractor. www.nationalpartsdepot.com carries the correct 4 piece brkt set for $50-60.
I know; that's what they say, George, but in my car....I'll find or take a pic and post it. I beleive you about the relocation, but I did mine and it was not only impossible because of a stud in the floor, but it would have angled the seat. If I had the short armrest pads, the seat back wouldn't hit the door at all. No trouble with centering the seat, no trouble with the retractor o No:
