Today is so nice I'm getting the old seat tracks out and the new power tracks in - but I see that the bends in the repro tracks don't quite line up with the bracket or the Cutlass floor. I'm just confirming, if anyone can answer, that the whole bracket should be touching the floor of the car over its entire length, and that the mounting bolts should both be pointing straight up (before I put the mount in a vice and bend away). Thanks!

 

OK, as a follow up here, I've removed the original brackets and I've probably answered my first question with a yes, bend the left side rear to match the angle of the front stud. Laying the new brackets onto the floor pan, it's the right side bracket that has me concerned - the floor slopes away from the bracket such that the back sticks way up. Is this a bent floor pan issue? Do I need to get under the car and pound the metal up to meet the bracket?

 

The more I'm researching, the more I'm finding differences in the brackets I purchased from the originals. I'm thinking the right side rear brackets should have a bend downwards where they get wider, and that would connect the piece to the floor. I'm really disappointed with this set. If anyone has a pic of the correct brackets I could see, it would be appreciated.

 

I don't know anything about the floor brackets or how they weld in but the seat track itself should not need anything bent. Are you sure those brackets are the correct ones for the power tracks?

 

These pictures are not very good for what you need but maybe they will help. These were taken from the passenger side but this car had the power driver seat in it and the tracks are how they should go. Just hard to see them. Sadly, I don't have any better pictures of the driver side.

 

Those are VERY helpful, thank you, Both brackets follow the contour of the floor pan - the right has a distinct bend in the center. And the left follows all the dips on that side... I have some serious work to do to make these reproductions work - if I get this right I'll write up a post on how to do it. Wow - I can't believe the companies are selling these items that are so incredibly wrong.

 

If I’m not mistaken I think only one bracket is unique to the power bucket seat. The other bracket is the same as non-power. I don’t know off hand what side is different. I removed a power bucket seat along with the bracket from a junk yard many years ago but have not gotten around to installing it yet and don’t know if I ever will. There’s a lot involved to install it, mainly welding the bracket to the floor. Unfortunately I don’t have any welding skills. It would take someone to come to my location and weld the bracket.

 

Both sides have a shorter distance between the mounting studs, and significantly so. I suppose it would be possible to just weld a small bracket with a stud forward of the existing bucket seat stud and call it good, but too late for me at this point. I bought a flux core welder and today I am working with scrap metal to see if I can do this myself or not.... The original brackets on the floor were nowhere close to matching up with the power seat mechanism, unfortunately. I'm going to have to make a template of the floor to get these new brackets even close to what they should be. But that's how these cars go - you think you have an easy solution, but there's always a curve ball.

 

Was your car an original bucket seat car? If not, that might be one of the reasons the brackets don't line up.

 

Yes, factory buckets.

 

Here is the factory bucket bracket compared to the power seat bracket - big difference in the measurement, front to back.

 

Well, well, well.... learning as I go. After making the comparison above, I noticed the forward hole in the rear half of the bracket. Compared it to the power seat mount and it matches. So the only difference in the power seat versus the standard bucket seat mount is the positioning of the rear stud. It seems like a lot of work to remove to change the stud location, and I'm sure no one would have noticed if I had come up through the floorboard with a carriage bolt. But, I'd already sawed off the bracket, so I ground off the spot weld on the rear bolt and moved it forward, tacking it in place.





Then I set the bracket back in it's original spot and tack welded in a dozen different places, got it primed, and now I only have to do the left side before I can get the seat installed. Of course, that's the hard side....

 

I installed a power seat in my factory 71 Cutlass bucket seat car and welded in the outside factory bracket, but just welded a stud to the inside factory bracket, if I remember correctly. I also left the original stud in place.on the inside bracket. On the outside bracket I put a bolt down through the bracket into the original non power bolt hole in the floor. I'm going from my pictures and all this happened 26 years ago, so I'm a little foggy on the details. These pictures may confirm the results you've determined.






__________________
1971 442 Holiday Coupe
1971 Cutlass Supreme SX Holiday Coupe
1971 Cutlass Supreme SX convertible
2012 Buick Regal GS (if Olds was still alive this would be a 442)

 

Wow - your pics really show the difference between the correct factory brackets and the crap that OPGI and others are selling. And THAT'S why I'm having such a hard time installing this dang seat. Here's a pic of the current brackets available for installing the power seat. After bending and smashing the left one to the point where it will actually touch the floor pan, I find that the left rear mounting stud is a full 1/4" lower than the right rear stud. I'm going to have to figure out how to raise the bracket tomorrow so I can get this seat installed. THANK YOU for these pics.

Here is the junk out there now:

 

You're welcome. Repro parts are a real hit and miss, thankfully more hits than misses. You wonder if people making these parts ever actually try to install them.
It's unfortunate so many who pull power seats out of parts cars are unaware you need the welded in brackets. You are somewhat fortunate to have these brackets to work with for the drivers bucket, but nothing is offered for the passenger side floor for the power bench seat, making the seat uninstallable. Good luck with your install. Please show your results when completed.

 

Here is my final solution to this mess. I had to get the brackets in place where the front and rear bolts were level and parallel to each other. There was too much space between the rear legs and the floor, obviously. I was both pleased and disappointed that the welded "feet" on the reproduction bracket snapped off with very little effort, but it made the fix that much easier.



I went to Home Depot and bought a length of C channel steel and used it to make two new feet. The one for the left just needed to be taller, while the one for the right needed to be trimmed, angled, and bent further than 90 degrees for proper alignment with the floor.







Then I welded the feet into place and welded the brackets to the floor after confirming that all the bolts were level with each other. A shot of primer and topcoat with chassis black and now all I have to do is run the wiring and get the seat installed.







This was not one of my "have fun with the Cutlass" projects. This really sucked, and there is very little info out there on how this install should go. Bottom line, and those with bench seats who want power know this, you really need the factory mounting brackets - at least the left side, since you can make the right side work or reuse it, like I did.

Hope this helps anyone who is wanting to do this upgrade - lots of things to consider when deciding that a power seat is the thing to do....

NOTE: The primer I used as I went along here is a zinc weld-through primer you can get at most automotive stores, not a generic spray primer.

 

Good for you for sticking with it, rough go. Nice job in the end. Now its documented for those trying to add this option in the future.

 

Nice work! I have rebuilt several power seat tracks but never installed one in a car that didn't have it already. Thanks for documenting it for everyone.

 

Well, after an amazing string of bad luck with this project, which included stripping the seat belt bolt hole in the tunnel, it’s finally completed. Once the PTSD from this whole thing wears off, I should write a thread on “how to” or maybe “how not to” install a power bucket seat. All in all, it works fine. Being a 4-way, only the rear of the seat raises and lowers, which is OK. All the little pieces needed for this swap are so hard to find - whoever is thinking of doing this, make sure you have everything ready before you start (or decide some pieces aren’t worth it). Here’s a pic of the seat installed including that silly trim piece on the bottom edge next to the carpet. Heaven forbid we see any part of the seat mechanicals....

 

Nice job Bob.
Its guys like you that venture into the unknown that benefit us all.