Strato buckets
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Strato buckets
Some months ago there was a string all about the differences in Strato bucket seats that came in A cars, B cars, and X cars, I can't find it now that I need it. Is anyone else familiar with it?
Help,
Owen Miller
Help,
Owen Miller
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,770
From: Northern VA
There isn't. The A, B, and E body cars all used the same frames from 1966-1972. The F and X body buckets are completely different. The seat tracks are different among the A, B, and E cars, but the seat frames are the same. The only cosmetic differences are the upholstery patterns and the fact that the high end cars (Riv and Toro, for example) came with extra trim on the seatbacks.
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Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,249
From: Northern California
I just went through this with my ‘66 Starfire last year. It was delivered with 1st year ‘66 strato buckets. In that first year, there were no seat back locks so my long term concern was the seats would fold up on me and any passenger in an accident.
In ‘67 GM added seat back locks controlled by release buttons on the outside of the seat back. Since the locks were added, the ‘67 seat bottoms had a horizontal pin for the back to lock to which made them different from ‘66 in that way. The seat backs were different since they contained the locking mechanism, button mechanism and connecting rod inside the seat back.
As far as trim goes, my ‘66 seat backs were metal, I believe the seat backs were metal in ‘67 too, but GM went to plastic when they moved the release button to the center in ‘68 or ‘69. That later design carried on until ‘72 I think.
Seems to me ‘66 and ‘67 were the odd ones since GM was learning how to make the seats. I looked pretty hard for ‘67 seats and Osborn interiors in Indiana seems to have a good supply of cores, but we didn’t quite get to a deal on ‘67’s. No fault of his or mine, good guy to deal with, we just didn’t quite get there. I went repro with OPGI out of Seal Beach, CA.
The 68-72 strato buckets were mostly the same as Joe notes above with the exception of trim. They are most commonly found on A bodies like our Cutlasses. OPGI sells good reproductions of the 68-72 as ‘69 Chevelle buckets. In my case I had ‘69 chevelle seats (with headrests!) upholstered in the ‘66 Starfire pattern and am happy. I am very happy with fresh vinyl, fresh springs and fresh foam. The reproduction seats feel great and it’d take a real aficionado to figure out I’ve swapped in ‘69 Chevelle seats into my ‘66 Starfire.
The big gotcha here is it took me 3 days or so with a very dangerous angle grinder to get the Chevelle seats to fit right in my Starfire. The floor shapes and angles and mounting points were fairly difficult to get right and I wound up cutting slots into the seat bottoms. Mainly this was done because I created Frankenstein ‘66 Starfire seats using ‘82 Camaro 6 way power seat tracks. Without the later year Camaro seat tracks, I think the strato buckets would fit well into most any GM from 66 - 72.
What little I know. Cool seats though!
Cheers
cf
In ‘67 GM added seat back locks controlled by release buttons on the outside of the seat back. Since the locks were added, the ‘67 seat bottoms had a horizontal pin for the back to lock to which made them different from ‘66 in that way. The seat backs were different since they contained the locking mechanism, button mechanism and connecting rod inside the seat back.
As far as trim goes, my ‘66 seat backs were metal, I believe the seat backs were metal in ‘67 too, but GM went to plastic when they moved the release button to the center in ‘68 or ‘69. That later design carried on until ‘72 I think.
Seems to me ‘66 and ‘67 were the odd ones since GM was learning how to make the seats. I looked pretty hard for ‘67 seats and Osborn interiors in Indiana seems to have a good supply of cores, but we didn’t quite get to a deal on ‘67’s. No fault of his or mine, good guy to deal with, we just didn’t quite get there. I went repro with OPGI out of Seal Beach, CA.
The 68-72 strato buckets were mostly the same as Joe notes above with the exception of trim. They are most commonly found on A bodies like our Cutlasses. OPGI sells good reproductions of the 68-72 as ‘69 Chevelle buckets. In my case I had ‘69 chevelle seats (with headrests!) upholstered in the ‘66 Starfire pattern and am happy. I am very happy with fresh vinyl, fresh springs and fresh foam. The reproduction seats feel great and it’d take a real aficionado to figure out I’ve swapped in ‘69 Chevelle seats into my ‘66 Starfire.
The big gotcha here is it took me 3 days or so with a very dangerous angle grinder to get the Chevelle seats to fit right in my Starfire. The floor shapes and angles and mounting points were fairly difficult to get right and I wound up cutting slots into the seat bottoms. Mainly this was done because I created Frankenstein ‘66 Starfire seats using ‘82 Camaro 6 way power seat tracks. Without the later year Camaro seat tracks, I think the strato buckets would fit well into most any GM from 66 - 72.
What little I know. Cool seats though!
Cheers
cf
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,770
From: Northern VA
A few clarifications.
The seat backs and bottoms are the same metal ones for 66 and 67. The only difference is that the 67s are punched for the release button. The 68-72s are plastic (and they fit the 66-67 frames). The 68s have the same side release button as the 67s. 69-72 went to the center release so that there was one seat instead of RH/LH seats.
The B-body and E-body cars used exactly the same seat frames as did the A-body cars in a given year. The tracks and floor brackets are different. I got repro 67 B-body seat tracks and floor brackets from an Impala vendor. The tracks bolt directly to the A-body frames that I had with no drama (and no grinders). The outboard track on each side also bolted directly to the existing bench seat floor brackets. This made is easy to locate the inboard floor brackets and weld them in place. This was extremely easy to do, so without the frankentracks, it's nearly a bolt-in (which is not surprising since it was a factory option).
I have the repro 66-67 headrest kit with the tubes and brackets that attach to the stock frames. These were also a factory option on the 66-67 seats (and yeah, those years are different from the 68-72 headrests).
FYI, there's also a really rare passenger side reclining bucket. I've got one. Trying to decide which car to use it in.
The seat backs and bottoms are the same metal ones for 66 and 67. The only difference is that the 67s are punched for the release button. The 68-72s are plastic (and they fit the 66-67 frames). The 68s have the same side release button as the 67s. 69-72 went to the center release so that there was one seat instead of RH/LH seats.
The B-body and E-body cars used exactly the same seat frames as did the A-body cars in a given year. The tracks and floor brackets are different. I got repro 67 B-body seat tracks and floor brackets from an Impala vendor. The tracks bolt directly to the A-body frames that I had with no drama (and no grinders). The outboard track on each side also bolted directly to the existing bench seat floor brackets. This made is easy to locate the inboard floor brackets and weld them in place. This was extremely easy to do, so without the frankentracks, it's nearly a bolt-in (which is not surprising since it was a factory option).
I have the repro 66-67 headrest kit with the tubes and brackets that attach to the stock frames. These were also a factory option on the 66-67 seats (and yeah, those years are different from the 68-72 headrests).
FYI, there's also a really rare passenger side reclining bucket. I've got one. Trying to decide which car to use it in.
Registered User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,249
From: Northern California
Joe,
As always, precise and authoritative.
I stand by my Frankenstein seats, but they are what my wife would call “needlessly complex” all in the name of powered 6 way seats. All I can say is you’d better _really_ like 6 way seats to to the lengths I have to get them how I want them. Wouldn’t recommend for most people.
cheers
cf
As always, precise and authoritative.
I stand by my Frankenstein seats, but they are what my wife would call “needlessly complex” all in the name of powered 6 way seats. All I can say is you’d better _really_ like 6 way seats to to the lengths I have to get them how I want them. Wouldn’t recommend for most people.
cheers
cf
Old(s) Fart
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 50,770
From: Northern VA
Joe,
As always, precise and authoritative.
I stand by my Frankenstein seats, but they are what my wife would call “needlessly complex” all in the name of powered 6 way seats. All I can say is you’d better _really_ like 6 way seats to to the lengths I have to get them how I want them. Wouldn’t recommend for most people.
cheers
cf
As always, precise and authoritative.
I stand by my Frankenstein seats, but they are what my wife would call “needlessly complex” all in the name of powered 6 way seats. All I can say is you’d better _really_ like 6 way seats to to the lengths I have to get them how I want them. Wouldn’t recommend for most people.
cheers
cf
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