1968CutlassSupreme

Hello everyone!

My 68 has a split bench that was re-upholstered by the dealer who sold it to me. Now the right side of the bench is not fastened properly. It has a bolt and a nut going through the seat frame and the floor board. It may be the case for both the front and the rear bolt down (because the whole right side moves when I hit the brakes) but for some reason I cannot tell. How can I fix this problem? Is there a stud that is welded into the floor board that needs to be re-attached? Is that a big job? Can I get the needed parts from somewhere?

Thanks!

2blu442

If it looks like the bolts are tight, it may be the seat adjusting hardware. Try pushing the seat forward and look to see if the portion of the rail bolted to the floorboard moves. If the seat moves but the rail bottom doesn't its likely the adjuster. I had a car with the same symptoms and that's what the problem turned out to be. The lever that fits into notches in the passenger side seat rail wasn't clicking into place.

rocketraider

When you say "split bench" do you mean a solid cushion with two separate backrests, or a 60/40 bench seat like in later cars? Those are two separate assemblies, a driver and passenger side.

I ask because a true split bench seat was not available in any 68 A-body. If it's in there, someone put it in there. The 1968 floor is not set up for such an installation as it requires extra weld nuts and brackets on the floor pan- four for each side of the seat. The 1968 bench seats had a front and back on each side- two for the whole seat.

You need those weld nuts to keep the seat bolts from pulling thru the floorboard in a panic stop or god forbid a collision. If it's a true split bench I would quiz that dealer hard about what that seat came out of.

joe_padavano

Yeah, unfortunately, this is another case of a misused term becoming commonplace (like my personal favorite, "numbers matching"). The stock bench seat in a 1968 A-body would be a one-piece bench seat. Two-door cars had a bench seat with a backrest that was split to allow access to the back seat. This is NOT a split bench. A split bench is essentially two separate seats (like wide bucket seats that touch in the middle) that can adjust fore/aft individually. The stock bench seat uses two seat tracks, one on each end of the seat, with a cable between them to allow the RH track to unlatch and slide fore/aft for adjustment when the LH lever is pulled. A real split bench has FOUR seat tracks, two on each part of the seat. Typically, a real split bench will use the same seat tracks as bucket seats, again proving that they are simply wide bucket seats that touch in the middle.

Koda

So, the correct term is "bench seat w/ center armrest."

Also for sake of completeness, I believe there was a no-armrest traditional bench with two folding backs in 68 in the low trim models.

joe_padavano

The correct term is "bench seat for a two door". The bench with armrest was only offered on the Supreme in 1968 (and the one in the photo is a four door, so the seat backs don't even fold forward):



By the way, the Toro offered a Strato Bench Seat that was essentially a solid bottom bench, with two backrests from the A-body buckets, and a fold down armrest:

RAMBOW

You need to have a second person take a look at it to find out if in fact the bolts are coming loose at the floor, or if its just the passenger side track that is not locked.

I would guess that its just the pass side track being unlocked.
There is a wire/rod that runs from the lever on the drivers side over to the passenger side track to release it. If its too tight, the passenger side track to be unlocked all the time. Many folks adjust these tight to avoid the opposite problem, the pass side NOT releasing when the lever on the drivers side is pulled.

To test this theory out- have a 2nd person sit in the drivers seat, while you go look at the pass side. Try to move that side, and pay attention to the track feet on the floor to see if they are moving, or if its just the seat moving free on its track.

If it is that the adjuster is too tight (keeping the pass side unlatched) then unbolt both tracks from the floor, remove the seat. Flip over and see what kind of adjustment there is on that rod.

There should be a peice of music wire, with clips on each end that attach to the tracks- and there should be a tension eye hook that attaches to the front of the seat frame that the wire passes through. You can unhook the wire from the eye hook, and adjust it in or out and change the tension on the opposite track.

Adjust it until its clear that the pass side is engaging and disengaging in sync with the drivers side.

If the pass side adjuster is stuck... remove the track and hose it & the adjusting lever with WD40 to free it up, then regrease the track and lever with white lithum grease.

All that adjustment BS said- if it is the bolts on the floor that are lose upon a closer look- just reach your hand under the floorpan when the bolt is through, feel for it and add a new nut and tighten them down.

For bench seats- there are simply a nut welded onto the bottom of the floor brace from the factory, Its common that these strip out if the seats were taken in and out a bunch over the years or wrong bolts were used or over torqued.

1968CutlassSupreme

To everyone talking about the split bench thing - it is a bench seat with an armrest - like the picture above of the supreme. My car is a 1968 cutlass supreme and the bench with the center armrest was an option - which was already mentioned. It is all one seat with two tracks on the outside of the bench. Anyway. Thanks for all the replies. I have a question but I can't remember it

1968CutlassSupreme

Thanks Ben!