Trying to take out rear seats 71 cutlass S

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Old May 21st, 2015, 07:49 AM
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Trying to take out rear seats 71 cutlass S

Hello, I just bought new seat covers and am trying to take out the rear seats. I see that the bottom of the seat is hooked in to the floor itself. Whats the easiest way to get the whole seat out? Do i ttake the back of the seat out first?

Thanks
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Old May 21st, 2015, 08:01 AM
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Push down on the lower cushion and at the same time push it straight back- it should then pop up, then you can pull it up. Sometimes you have to do this process on each side since there are two hooks on the floor holding it.

THe upper cushion is attached at the bottom (behind the lower cushions rear edge) by two bolts, once those are out, you then push it straght up and it will come off. THere are three hooks below the package tray that hold it on.

Hope this helps.
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Old May 23rd, 2015, 10:31 AM
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Thanks Ben,

I will give that a try.

Thanks,

Rafe
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Old May 23rd, 2015, 01:33 PM
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I, myself, couldn't get my seat out using brute force. So I thought I'd share this. Hope it helps.

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...moval-tip.html
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Old May 24th, 2015, 06:04 AM
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Mac,

now that looks like a plan. Thanks, i will try that here once it starts raining.

Thanks again
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Old May 24th, 2015, 12:25 PM
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Let us know how it works out.

I usually pull the front seat out so as to have more room to work and use two valve lifters and some PB Blaster. I spray the contact points under the seat where the seat spring hooks in. Then I push directly on the seat spring where it hooks in while lifting up in the spring with the other valve lifter.

I
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Old May 24th, 2015, 05:28 PM
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Originally Posted by 442NDTSS
Mac,

now that looks like a plan. Thanks, i will try that here once it starts raining.

Thanks again
So you can't get the back seat out. Very easy. But, you are going to recover it? Very difficult! I did this same thing with my buckets. Got them out, started in with the hog ring plyers, and sent them to the Interior shop. You got ***** man, or some mad upholstery skills! Good luck!

Last edited by z11375ss; May 24th, 2015 at 05:31 PM.
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Old May 24th, 2015, 05:55 PM
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Amen to that, z11. I just finished recovering my front bench with arm rest. Never again......NEVER AGAIN.
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Old May 24th, 2015, 09:21 PM
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I didn't find recovering the seats to be difficult at all. The front buckets took an afternoon each and the rear bench was much, much easier. I did both pieces in an afternoon.
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Old May 24th, 2015, 09:33 PM
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Did you restuff them? Nice ride.
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Old May 25th, 2015, 07:50 AM
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Well, I wasn't chucking tools at the wall and spewing a string of obscenities but it took me from 9 AM to about 7 PM yesterday (with an hour for lunch) just to do the bench. Maybe I have the wrong hog-ring pliers because I finally resorted to threading the rings through by hand and closing them with needle-nose.
And I'm sure adding the extra foam made it more difficult as well.
Glad yours weren't so hard to do, Ken.
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Old May 25th, 2015, 08:51 AM
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Nice Mac. Way to stick with it.
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Old May 25th, 2015, 06:28 PM
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Thanks Z, the obsession has its upside I like your new sig pic, btw.

Ken, I realized our difference. A front bench is way different than a rear. It has a hump that holds the seat backs. There's a list with a wire inside that has to be pulled down into the crevice and hog ringed. And then the carpet stretches over the back and down under and hog ringed, and of course the front down and under the front and hog ringed. Not to mention all the hardware that has to be reinstalled. I've read here on CO that the front bench with armrest is the most difficult. And I would have to agree. I'm glad I did it but I would have to think twice before doing it again.

[IMG][/IMG]

TSS, do you have buckets or bench in front?
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Old May 28th, 2015, 12:51 PM
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Yeah, after I posted I started thinking I should have said that I wouldn't attempt to do a front bench with an armrest. You had a much tougher job than I did!
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Old May 28th, 2015, 05:25 PM
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No problem, Ken. It was tough but I'm used to that. I just felt kinda' bad taking up the wife's day off.
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Old May 28th, 2015, 05:26 PM
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442NDTSS, got an update for us?
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Old June 1st, 2015, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by 442NDTSS
Mac,

now that looks like a plan. Thanks, i will try that here once it starts raining.

Thanks again

i did my rear seats myself, left the split front bench seat to the professionals. i found a load of mouse poop in the top cushion, replaced all the foam with car foam i got from a fabric store. I'm happy with my result and the money i saved. give it a try, its not hard. just follow the instructions and watch some videos on youtube before hand.
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Old June 2nd, 2015, 11:22 AM
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A little late. But here's what I do. My old chevelle I'd reach down and push hard to pop them out but the cutlass, not happening. I figured out if I sit on the back seat floor, feet handing outside of door. I can lean firmly into the seat with my shoulder at same time push up with my elbow and it pops right out. I think I had that seat out 4 times in the last month, fixing top cylinders, speakers and refilling pump reservoir.
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Old June 15th, 2015, 09:08 AM
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Hello Everyone,
so i used Macadoos link that showed the use of 2x4s, wow, it literally took me 30 seconds to get that lower section removed, thanks Macadoo. I unbolted the bottom part of the upper seat but still cant figure out how the top half of the upper seat is hooked. i tried just pushing vertically up but that didnt work and i dont want to bend anything. anyone have any ideas? Btw, thanks everyone for their input. I appreciate having this community available. also, i did find a 1972 quarter under the seat...i will just think that it has been there for 40 years, keeping it in the ash tray as good luck.

Thanks

Rafe
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Old June 15th, 2015, 08:19 PM
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Glad it worked for ya
The back seat has two bolt on either side of the bottom (which you got) and [I believe] three hooks along the top, one on each side and one in the middle. The hooks have a small protrusion so you have to kind of push in on the top as you push up. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not. Keep at it, you'll get it.

[IMG][/IMG]
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Old June 15th, 2015, 10:01 PM
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I have absolutely no idea what that picture is supposed to show.
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Old June 16th, 2015, 10:56 AM
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There are two bolts holding the upper portion of the seat down ( rear seat ). You have to remove the lower part first revealing the two bolts . Once you get the two bolts off , the seat pushes upward and comes off ..... I'm assuming it would be the same on most of these cars .
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Old June 16th, 2015, 02:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Fun71
I have absolutely no idea what that picture is supposed to show.
Lol, yeah, that was pretty bad, sorry. Maybe this will help?

[IMG][/IMG]

Originally Posted by oldsguybry
There are two bolts holding the upper portion of the seat down ( rear seat ). You have to remove the lower part first revealing the two bolts . Once you get the two bolts off , the seat pushes upward and comes off ..... I'm assuming it would be the same on most of these cars .
Correct. But if you look at the photo, the three upper hooks have a small protrusion towards the back wall necessitating the need to push the top of the seat back a little (sometimes) while lifting up.
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Old July 13th, 2015, 11:12 AM
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Hello All,

to report in, i finally got the upper part of the rear seat out of the car. it took me using my legs to push the upper part of the seat, where they attach to the protruding hooks, inward as my wife pulled up on the seat.

I installed the new seat covers myself and they look great. took me a total of about 4 hours. The question now i have is the old seat covers have a thin narrow rod , 1 in each section, do i need to reuse those? I did not but since i havent put the seats back in the car, i can do it a little easier. I almost threw the old seats away when i noticed that they wouldnt fold easy.

Thanks everyone
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Old July 14th, 2015, 07:36 AM
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I haven't done my backs yet, just my fronts, but I believe those are necessary. I can't remember the terminology but the seat covers should have long cylindrical tubes of fabric those slide in. Then you hog-ring around those. I doubt the fabric alone will hold the hog-rings.
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Old July 14th, 2015, 08:04 AM
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Originally Posted by 442NDTSS
... i have is the old seat covers have a thin narrow rod , 1 in each section, do i need to reuse those?
YES.

- Eric
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Old July 14th, 2015, 08:31 AM
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Here's a pic of my front seat-back metal rod and the old, beat-up fabric channel I pulled it from.

[IMG][/IMG]
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Old July 14th, 2015, 12:24 PM
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thanks guys.

I agree, i should reuse those. Funny thing, i just youtube'ed a video of a guy redoing his back seats on a 69 buick skylark, and he did not mention reusing them and he actually showed how he put the hog clips on that particular section just like I did, behind the sewed seam, but it only makes sense to reuse the rods. It shouldnt take me long to undo that one section and add the rods.

Thanks again everyone.
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Old July 14th, 2015, 05:34 PM
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The rears are that easy, eh? My front bench with armrest was a bear. Good to know I don't have to go through that again when doing the backs. Did it yourself or did you need helpers?
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Old July 15th, 2015, 07:40 AM
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Mac,

i have never done anything like this in the past and i would probably never do again because its cheap to have them done. The shop near me was going to charge 120 dollars if I brought him the back seat. I am definitely having someone do the front 50 50 split bench. It took me about 4 hours to do the recovering on the back seat but again never have done it before so i would say it was alot easier than i thought it would be. So if you already did your fronts yourself, the backs will be a walk in the park.

BTW, so i put the rods back in last night..took me about 2 hours as i had to undo the hog rings and then redo just those 2 sections. at the same time i put in a new package tray...wow, what a difference new seat covers and package tray make.

thanks again
Rafe
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Old July 15th, 2015, 06:16 PM
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Yeah, but that's $120 we can spend on other parts
When the time comes, I'll do them myself, if for nothing else, I like the bragging rights.
Nothing like a new package tray, right? And it's not too hard to do either.
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