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Where can a fella get information on a power bucket seat track for a 68-72 Cutlass/442? I purchased a complete set up that I want to disassemble, clean and lubricate before I test it. I have a PIM and CSM but didn't see anything in either of those. Would the Fisher Body manual have info? If anyone has torn into one of these units, I'd appreciate any knowledge you'd care to share.
Hopefully this will help get you started. These pics are from a set I just restored. One is a late 1972 style with 2 front/ back drive cables that I restored for the driver side. The other is an earlier single cable unit that I modified (rear feet swapped and switch wiring changed) for use on the passenger side. A 4-way passenger track was never offered although, big cars could be ordered with 2-way passenger bucket seat tracks. You can see one of those that I modified to work in an A-body in my “faux-tina faux faux two” build below. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Most people use white lithium grease to lube these tracks and transmissions. I have found that lithium grease tends to gel and get hard pretty quick. I prefer to use wheel bearing grease instead. You can see the blue grease in the photos above. Buy a quart and use an acid flux brush to apply a liberal amount inside the trans and over all of the moving parts on the tracks after you get everything clean. Also, I use laquer thinner, brake clean, and a small wire brush to clean out the horizontal and vertical actuators before refinishing.
Those pictures are perfect and have already answered some of the questions I had. I really appreciate you posting them. You sir, did a wonderful job restoring and modifying those units.
I do have a couple questions :
*Do you know if the plastic guides that slip onto the track are still available? I'm missing some and some are cracked.
*Is there a trick to separating the back of the switch from the housing? I didn't have my glasses on when I was messing with it so it may be simple and I just couldn't see.
*Do you know if the plastic guides that slip onto the track are still available? I'm missing some and some are cracked.
*Is there a trick to separating the back of the switch from the housing? I didn't have my glasses on when I was messing with it so it may be simple and I just couldn't see.
There are a couple of guys selling guides on ebay:
To get the swtch apart, there are 4 metal clips than need to be released. Looking around the outside, you should see 4 slots. Use a small pick or screwdriver to press in and release the tabs on the clips. The clips will pop up and out. Then the switch simply pulls out of the chrome housing. Once apart, soaking the switch in lemon juice for a little while will clean the copper and brass contacts. Then clean with an electronic contact cleaner and spray with a light coat of WD-40 to prevent future oxidation. If this does not make sense, I could get some pics to show the dissassembly process better.
Thanks for the links Tom.
Those little guides are pricey but at least they are available. Would you recommend replacing all of them even if the old ones aren't cracked?
Is there a difference between the black and white ones?
I found a blue guide in the center of the track that was split in half. Have you seen those before?
Can a white or black one be used in lieu of the blue?
I would not replace guides that are not cracked or broken. The blue guide is specific to the center and as far as I know no one makes it. The purpose of the blue guide is to keep back pressure against the teeth on the track, so they do not deflect and pull away from the front/ back actuator. I have used the regular guides as a replacement when I did not have a good blue guide to install. The original guides are made of Nylon. Nylon can get brittle with age, so the Delrin may offer some improvement, but other than that, I don't think you will find much difference in the performance between the two.
I would not replace guides that are not cracked or broken. The blue guide is specific to the center and as far as I know no one makes it. The purpose of the blue guide is to keep back pressure against the teeth on the track, so they do not deflect and pull away from the front/ back actuator. I have used the regular guides as a replacement when I did not have a good blue guide to install. The original guides are made of Nylon. Nylon can get brittle with age, so the Delrin may offer some improvement, but other than that, I don't think you will find much difference in the performance between the two.
December 30th, 2022, 10:00 AM
