Dead Reckon

There is a Caprice in the junkyard that has been sitting since 1998/99 (when the inspection ran out), it's pretty well toast on the outside, but the interior is still great, and the seats are also great, still firm, comfy, aside from a lot of dust settling on them sending me into allergy hell they're great seats.

So... Will the solid bench seat from said caprice, non electric, fit in place of my solid bench seat, also non electric, in my '77 Delta 88? And will the rear seat swap? I'd love to have a matching set of those wonderfully pillowed seats. They're heaven for ones *** after a long trip.

The dashboard in my Delta is the EXACT same my 1986 Custom Cruiser had, except the wipers are on the dash, but underneath the plood in my wagon there was a hole for that, so it is literally the same dashboard just with different face plates... And I'm fairly certain the seats from an 80's caprice will swap into an 80's rear wheel drive Delta / 98 / Custom Cruiser, so will they swap the same way into my car?

The kick panels are the same, the A pillars are the same, windshield is the same, door panels would probably change, so seats, they have to change right? Sorry to repeatedly ask this, but I REALLY need new seats. I'm also interested in the A pillars from this car, and kick panels maybe, but the pass side kick panel has the computer pod, though I may find a use for that, dunno.

Professur

Those big pillow tops? I've got them in my '85 Parisienne .... talk about heaven on earth .... I'd grab them anyhow. If they don't fit the car for some reason ... stick legs on them and they'll do for the living room.

Dead Reckon

They're not the pillow tops, not quite, but they're close, you know how the seats where ordered like, vinyl, cloth, cloth with extra padding, pillow tops? These are the extra padding, I WISH I could find some pillow top seats. I do know this, when I have my own place, I'm raiding a GM for some uh, "Fashionable" furniture.

This is why I hate modern cars, "You want seats, have some racing inspired, back breaking, brain dislocating, eyeball moving, kidneys are where my lungs use to be, spine has been lodged into my skull, seats!", everything about most modern cars is making them feel sporty. I despise that, I really do, a car should be comfy, I've out ran a lot of "Sporty" modern economy cars already, and I could probably keep up with them in the corners with a few mods that wouldn't make my car ride as bad as theirs... It makes no sense. This is not to say I hate sporty cars; No, quite the opposite, I LOVE a properly set up quick car, but even THOSE have good seats because they're built by someone who owns them, not some engineer engineering his idea of a seat into a car.

But, I digress, that is another topic, for another day.

I guess I'll just unbolt the seat from the Caprice, unbolt my seat, flip my seat into the back, if it bolts, yay, if not, shove it back into the caprice and keep hunting after I throw a barrage of foul language into the mountain air up there while I bolt my seat back in. I'll post a thread on this when I check sometime, hopefully next month, when it's warmer and I have access to a machete 'cause to hell with those strange, alien purple briar bush vines. I still have thorns in my hand from last weekend.

Besides, it's fun to go trudging through those hills with a machete feeling like Daniel Boone of the automotive Apocalypse.

Lady72nRob71

I would take a guess they would fit, certainly worth measuring yours, then measuring the Caprice ones.
At worst you have to drill new holes in the floor pan for the front.
My mom had pillow tops in her 86 Cutlass - most comfortable car seats I had ever experienced. Like driving in a LaZ-Boy. Even new "luxury car" seats are hard and not too comfy for long trips so I know how you feel. Nowdays, real luxury is out, sport is in.

66400

Direct bolt in.

Henry

rustyroger

When making long trips a big, wallowing through bends, non startling acceleration, quiet comfy cruiser will often make better times than a "sporty"car than on paper beats it hands down in every performance parameter.


Why is that?; the driver won't get tired and irritated by the noisy cabin and harsh ride, so he won't feel he (or she) needs to take a break so often.


The main reason for my affection for American cars is the spacious interior, comfy seats and effortless cruising at highway speeds they offer.
Plenty of European and Asian cars will go faster, certainly handle better, and probably outbrake my Olds or Buick, all on a lot less gas too.
But my wife and I relish a long trip to a car show, there is something about effortlessly wafting along in seats we would happily watch an evenings television sat in, talking without raising our voices, as well as enjoying curious glances from other road users (even an H Body is a bit different over here), make enjoying a car show start when I turn the key to start the journey.


Roger.

joe_padavano

This. The 1977-1990 RWD B/C-body seats all interchange. Even the 1991-96 seats can be made to work. The 1977-1996 frames and floorpans are the same (the C-body just has a longer wheelbase, all of which is in the back seat footwell).

Dead Reckon

Good to know, if the caddy seats didn't mostly have the reef in them I'd grab 'em, though I suppose I could get covers.


Well I drive my car hard sometimes, corner hard sometimes, but the car does not care. That is why the police loved the B body, specifically my cars Chevy cousin, the Caprice, because they take a beating, and just keep on going. My car is also up nearly 100 horses on a 80's Caprice 9C1 (cop car package), and about 800-1000lbs lighter (those things weighed a lot with all the equipment in them), so it'll be real fun when I get some good sway bars and decide to get up to some shenanigans.



Two people said it, I'll take y'alls word for it word for it, gonna try to haggle 'em, they want $50 a piece, steep to me, even for really nice seats, gonna try to get 'em for about $75 tops, hopefully as low as $60 for both, since clearly few people buy these, or these seats would be long gone.

rustyroger

My Olds with its low profile 15" tires handles better than my Buick with its 75 profile 14" tires. The Buick has a smoother ride however.
Both have surprisingly good roadholding, no question, the Olds is better than the Buick, but it's not what the cars are about. I can hustle them along our narrow twisting roads despite, not because of the way they are built.
Police specials had beefed up suspension and more powerful engines than civilian models, sure they could handle bends and rip down the highways, but it cost a bit of money to make them this way, and they also had to perform the duties of carrying the equipment law enforcement officers required and haul the bad guys off to jail when they caught them.
I bet a police spec Caprice doesn't ride as nice as a standard model of the same year.


Roger.

Dead Reckon

The vast majority of the 9C1 caprices where equipped as follows, towing package suspension, so it has a stiffer stance, towing sway bars, the high output engine, 350 in the late 70's and thru the 80's, some had 305's. 77-79 had a TH350, 80-89 had a overdrive, not sure which one. The 350 put out about 160-190HP, not sure what the 305 put out.

Anyway, you gotta realize, the 9C1 had at least a stab plate in the back of the seat, sometimes a full cage back there, they'd weigh up too or over a thousand pounds over the stock car, between 4,000 and 4,800lbs. And again, they only put out between 160-190HP with the 350. My car weighs 3,678lbs and has a GM Goodwrench 350 rated for 260HP, probably putting about 220 to the ground. So in reality the beefier suspension was just to handle the extra weight, and those sway bars can really help a car like mine be more rigid, without compromising the ride a whole lot. Though there are better sway bars, the 9C1 bars are good enough if I can find them.

DeltaTae

redoldsman

I hope putting a Chevy seat in an Oldsmobile does't cause the uproar that putting a Chevy engine in an Oldsmobile does. Just kidding. Good luck.

Dead Reckon

If that's the case, then the '88 Custom Cruiser I've got on my radar to buy soon will cause a mess. I plan on yanking it's original, low mileage (66k miles) 307 and dropping in a GM Crate L-31 350 Vortec. I mean I like the 307's, but, heh, let's be honest, they are gutless like the 305, though the 305 has a bit more potential.

Anyway, seat is on the to-do list still, probably happen this summer or fall.

cadillac kevin

seats will bolt right in...hell, I put first gen bravada seats in my cadillac, and trofeo seats are a direct bolt in too (got a damn nice set in my basement for when I decide to get them reupholsetered/ repadded)

I dont blame you for swapping a 350 in place of a 307 in a wagon either. I yanked the 66k mile 307 from my caddy for a '78 4 bolt chevy 350. even though it can only rev to 3500rpm and revs slow at that (not sure why...sounds like it runs out of fuel...new fuel pump, filter, and cap/ rotor are next on the list to try to fix that since its never had a full tune up), it easily outaccelerates the 307 (in top tune, it took 13 seconds for my 307 to go 0-60)

Dead Reckon

I kind of figured they'd bolt across many platforms, I was considering trying a set of G or F body buckets with a G body cutlass center console, wouldn't change to a floor shifter, and I know I'd need two more studs on the floor. But I could make the old shifter location into a cup holder, which would be nice. I'm pretty sure I could get by with it and make it look factory.

cadillac kevin

G body buckets will work. f body buckets will work, but I'd use B/C body brackets so you're not sitting on the floor

Dead Reckon

Thanks for the advice, was wondering if that would work or if I'd have to fabricate spacers. Was also considering looking at some even more comfy later SUV seats, like Bravada, Jimmy, or Blazer S10 seats. Nothing leather, just something I can get seat covers made for that match the rear seat eventually.

cadillac kevin

it will work, but you may have to drill the holes offset at the floor so they sit on the studs properly. you can get by without doing that though. the seats will occasionally lift a hair under hard turning though.

Dead Reckon

Alright, good to know, I'll figure out something I'm sure. I have a old slightly rough dark blue 80's Cutlass console I could use with some spray dye. It's got a busted corner and a few other defects, so it isn't pretty, but it'll do the trick.