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My apologies for not including a photograph, I know it would make this easier. On the '69 A-body convertible (I assume '68 and '70-'72 are probably the same), there is a thin metal strip that retains the front edge of the top boot. There's a small channel in this strip and the bead on the boot slides into it.
On my 442 convertible, this strip is screwed to the rear sheetmetal bulkhead. The front edge of the well liner (what was left of the original) was draped over the bulkhead and captured between the bulkhead and the metal strip by a series of screws. This all seemed original to me so when I replaced the well liner, I installed it the same way.
My question is regarding the back of the rear seat. There are 3 'hooks' on the bulkhead and the seat frame has holes on the top for the seat to mount. This leaves about 2" of the back of the seat visible through the rear window. The original seat back looks to have been some sort of white cotton material or burlap (again, what's left of it) and I'm having that replaced by an upholstery shop. Just seems odd to me that this amount of material on the back of the rear seat is visible when everything is together. Anybody with a '69 convertible have some photos of this particular area you could share? I'm interested in originality and not custom.
thanks in advance for responses
Here's a couple of shots of my '69 4-4-2 convertible. I'm wondering if you are just not pushing down hard enough from the top of the seatback to lock the hooks in place.
Looking for several other images I may have, but in the meantime, look at the thread below for some additional images which might provide a better visualization? See thread below...Post #1
Without a picture it's difficult for me to visualize exactly what you're witnessing & referring to but I'll give it a shot.
NOTE: There's always the possibility a PO may have deleted the "B" brackets, they're simply not there (non-existent) for any reason. As demonstrated in the diagram, you should have brackets and screws (the size of large bolts) which fasten the rear seat back into each of the "B" brackets. I've had my rear seat out of my 1971 CS convertible and I can attest the "B" brackets fasten the rear seat back into position. I supposed if those brackets were missing or incorrectly mounted (say by a PO), the rear seat back may be higher than OEM - I don't know. None-the-less, I can provide you the 1971 Fisher Body Service Manual Rear Seat diagram. Note also, perhaps as a reference point items "D" are located only in convertible models. Hope this might help somehow.
Many thanks for the responses. It's interesting that in the picture of the '69, the bead channel looks to be fastened to the back of the seat whereas on the '71, it looks to be fastened to the bulkhead. My '69 has the channel on the bulkhead. I don't have any reason to believe it was ever changed - all evidence (dating back to the mid-'80-'s) leads me to believe it was original and not modified.
I've had the backseat out of the car multiple times over the years and it's never sat 'down' the way I think it should. The two bolts at the bottom are there and there's never been any visible gap between the upper seat back and the seat bottom. I don't think the '69's have those tabs shown in view 'D'.
My seat back is at the upholstery shop so I can't provide any photos. Maybe once I get everything back together I can give a better update.
I don't have much to add to this except this pic of my 68 early during the restoration. I think the extrusion which holds the top boot is in it's original position attached to the front of the bulkhead. The convertible well liner was long gone but I seem to remember that the front side of it was retained under this extrusion. The fabric you reference may be what's left of the well liner
There may be a detail on this in the Fisher Body Manual as the top was installed at Fisher before the tub was delivered to the assembly plant. unfortunately I don't have the Fisher Manual scanned.
Thanks for all the great support. I can confirm that what I believe to be the original well liner draped over the top of the bulkhead and was fastened down by that metal strip. Thankfully, it looks like the other '68 and '69's posted are the same. I replaced my top and well liner a few years ago and put everything back the way I believed it should be based on the car's condition (I've owned it since the early '80's). I saw a comment posted elsewhere that made me question whether it should have been attached to the rear of the back seat.
I've had the interior out of it multiple times over the years as I've worked on everything from window regulators to wiring to carpet, etc. The fitment of the rear seat back has always bugged me. I pulled out my Fisher Body Manual last night and there is a page in the seat section that is pretty much identical to the one posted above. It shows the 3 hooks at the top, the two large-washer bolts at the bottom and, lo and behold, the two tabs in View D. As many times as I've put the seat back in the car I never knew about those two tabs. Amazing you can still learn something even when you think you know what you're doing.
I looked all through the top section of the manual and it doesn't have any reference to the front of the well liner and that metal strip - at least not that I was able to find. I don't necessarily need it as I'm convinced of its location at this point.
The rear seat is out because I'm finally replacing the original door panels. Mine are in decent condition but definitely warped so I'm installing new Legendary panels. The quality and detail are really excellent. I'm also recovering the piston covers and arm rests. Hopefully, when I get it all back together it'll be the last time I have all this apart.
I'll try to post an update when it's all back together to let you guys know how it turned out on the seat back.
July 12th, 2023, 12:25 PM
