Don't know if I'm going to do this, but every time I climb onto that old bench seat I'm struck by 2 things: How nostalgic it feels, and how much BETTER modern automobile seats are! Plus I could put in shoulder belts, something my wife reeeeeally wants. So what I'm wondering is, how much is involved with replacing them with something better?

I know the basics... get the seats (any suggestions?) ... determine the height you want them at ... weld up a new frame/mount for the new seats ... take em to an upholstery shop and get them matched to the interior ... install em. What I'm looking for is someone who's done this.

 

Oldsguy and I put modern bucket seats into his 1969 Olds Delta 88 that he owned years ago. We found the seats in an early 90s GM car (I think it was a Cutlass Ciera or Buick LeSaber). All we did was drill holes in the floor board of the 69, and added gussets (oversized washers) between the nut and the floor pan when we bolted down the new seats. It worked great.

 

That's awesome, just the sort of info I was looking for. Thanks!

Anyone else?

 

Why not just drive a new car?

-justin

 

Paul: I had a bench seat, and replaced w/buckets from a T----A! (They were free) Don't ever tell. Then had them covered to match the rest of the interior. Drilled the holes, large washers/w/some 1/4' steel bracing. The seats came w/all the bracketery. Mounted a center console from a '71 Cutlass; filled the center section (where the shifter goes) w/stainless steel cut to fit; installed gauges there. If I had it to do over again, would spend more time/money to get late model GM buckets, possibly w/all the electronics. Keep in mind, the Silver Bullet does not get judged in stock class, goes to Street Stock. H---, they never made an H/O wagon in '68, anyway!

 

The first generation Aurora seats are REALLY comfy and I have been eyeing them as substitutes in a '68 442!!! and they have power recline

 

I do that too.

 

I saw a guy at a car show 2 years ago who put most of a 95 Caddy STS interior into an old 60's Buick - it looked very nice, though not original.
I might have some pictures.

Whatever route you go, if you drive in any cold weather, install seat heaters (your lady will thank you)... My lady likes mine - great for making cold vinyl comfy...

 

Oh yeah - I love seat heaters. 2 of my other cars have them, and I'm addicted now!

 

It should be a relative;y easy swap. Since you have to recover, you may want to check your local junk yard. I know in my area cash for clunkers has filled them up with good candidates. I want to say they range from 25-40 a bucket depending the yard.

 

Here are those mid 90s Caddy seats and console in the early 60's Buick.
Not too bad looking.

 

Some of the newer Caddy's not only have heated seats, but a/c in them as well!

I thought about putting a set into my 69 flat top but found a pair of A body buckets at the Englishtown swap meet for a price that I couldnt pass up.

 

Yeah Rob,

Those are STS seats. I was considering using them myself, but went a different route. I've seen several in junk yards in Detroit. The only thing you have to worry about here is getting to them before someone pulls the back seat and uses it as something to lay on while pulling parts from under the car. Then they leave the seats outside on the ground...

 

Now we're getting somewhere. So are all bucket seats pretty much the same width? And would someone with a 68-72 that has buckets mind measuring them for me and this thread? Thanks in advance!

 

My 1997 STS seats measure:
Front - 22" wide at widest points
Rear - 57" wide at widest points
Console - 7.5" wide in the center
They are heated, too!

Lets see what the A body seats measure...

 

Years ago I installed a set of leather buckets from a Merker(sp?) into a 1971 Supreme. They were all manual but had all kinds of adjustments on them. I really liked them on long drives as I could adjust them in several ways including rolling the headrests forward so I could support my neck and still look straight out the windshield. The biggest problem was they were taller so my head almost touched the headliner. So I would suggest you check the height including an estimate for the fabricated brackets. John

 

I am considering buckets and a console/floor shifter for my '68 Ninety-Eight - but that big power bench is fun, too - slippin and slidin around the turns!

 

Yep, benches are fun! You can have your lady right next to ya and when you want her away from you, just make a hard left turn!

NO, I don't do that - never would....

She does slide around a lot though, especially if she wears something that is already slippery! This is where the center armrest serves as a useful "bump-stop"...

 

I think a seat with integrated seat belts would be best. I don't see belts in the caddy seat photos. Of course, they would be power and have seat warmers. The trick is to find a late model seat that actually looks at home in the cutlass. I would suggest that for them to work correctly, you would have to reinforce the floor pan where the seat is mounted.
When I say work correctly, you would only know if it worked correctly if you were in an accident and the seats were fully tested. The floor mount has to be strong enough to hold the seat in place (with you in it) during an accident.
The problem with old cars is that they weren't designed with crumple zones. They buckled instead causing intrusion into the passenger compartment. For your best protection, you need to be strapped into your seat, and your seat can not become dislodged.
I don't want to be a downer, but this is reality. I convince myself that it is safer than a motorcycle and therefore OK to drive. But if we can come up with a good seat/harness strategy, it will be way safer.

 

Right now is good if you can find cash for clunker cars ...

I used '97 fire bird seat ...

They sit a little lower( I can see out the rear view mirror) and are a lot lighter since they are manual ...

They grab your but in a corner ...

I did the bolt in with washers but I might put in mounts when I do my rug ...

 

I would think most of the strain is where the belt bolts to the floor ...

 

If you do post some pics< Ive been thinking the same!!!! I already got them in my 86.... They catch everyones eyes...

 

I put in the Procar Rally seat in my 72 Olds Cutlass http://www.procarbyscat.com/Products_Rally.asp and love then. I have global west coil over front end and wanted a seat I would not slid around in. They are not a perfect match to the interior but close enough.

 

The Caddy Seville seats from 1999 and up have the shoulder harness mounted to the seat.

 

72's had optional shoulder belts.

John

 

I likes what I saw on this forum and did the same thing to my cutlass I also used the console out of the caddy.

 

Nice fit! What mods were needed to install them?
Did you wire up the seat heaters?

 

I used a set of late 80's Jaguar seats in my 64 F-85. [You can see pix in the project/build section "1964 F-85 Resto-Mod" ] I just went to the junkyard with a tape measure and picked the seats with similar height and color. If you get lucky, you can find leather, if you like and lumbar, etc. Some of the foreign cars have really nice seat features and are worth a look. Just make sure you have lots of time to poke around, as you might be there for a while. The problem I ran into was finding a good donor type, but the drivers seat was too far gone to use. Just keep looking and maybe you could find a good pair or even use two passenger seats with a bit of cushion swapping. Be careful of the seat controls when trying that option out. Good luck with your project! Cheers, Mike

 

I put racing bucket seats in my wagon. I wanted to make sure I didn't slid around if I ever did an AutoX or track event with the car, or even just spirited driving. Now I expected to lose some comfort coming from the cushy bench seat. But after sitting in them they were so comfy. Then one day I had to take a long trip. I expected having to take a break somewhere to get out and stretch from sitting in them. But I ended up going straight thru and when I got there I didn't have one ache. I was really quite surprised. I do realize these seats are not for everyone, But I thought it was worth sharing. Here is the front seats
100_4263.jpg
And the rear seats.
100_4261.jpg
Better view of all of them
100_4260.jpg
An from the rear.
100_4264.jpg

 

Stickman, you should finish off that panel behind the rear seats somehow, with carpeting or something. And maybe some kind of console between the rear seats too. Pretty cool looking though.

 

Oh I have been planning on it. Just don't seem to be able to get to it. I need to redo the entire interior. My darn migraines keep getting in the way.

 

I used the 97 sts seats and console for a few reasons the first being I got the whole set for $100 The controls for the seat are mounted on the seat.
They were super easy to wire.

The original mounts were not used except for the outer seat belt mount I reused that so I could save the original belts. I removed the front seat hook mounts and drilled holes to bolt it flat to the floor. i had to have a bracket welded up to elevate the inner rear mount to balance out the seatbelt side.

The back seats were a bit tricky. I had to skin the lower seat and reuse the mount framework of the old seat. I should have taken photos of it?

 

Skinning the rear seat? Yes, pictures and a writeup would have been great.
Sounds like a challenge, but you seemed to have tackled it well.
I love that burgundy paint - sharp as a tack!