After seeing how nice "83hurstoldsguys" front buckets came out I bit the bullet & ordered new covers from Legendary the other day. They are having a nice holiday sale 'til Jan 11th. With 25% off the covers were $320! My interior has new carpet & headliner but all the rest is original. The drivers bucket looks great(for 48 yrs old) but when you get up close you can see some small cracks in the diamond pattern vinyl on the cushion cushion plus it's had some seam repair done in the past,the pass seat is very nice. I'd like to just replace the drivers cushion for now but I know the new one will probably stick out like a sore thumb & I'll end up doing both seats. The big dilemma I'm having is whether to add the headrests while I have the seats opened up. The metal channels for the plastic guide tubes are already there so it wouldn't be a big deal to add them. I know '68s aren't supposed to have them but I really like the way they make seats look,not to mention the safety factor in case some jerk, texting, plows into the rear of the car!!!

 

You will really like the legendary stuff, its the only way to go!
Luke wrote up a really great guide for doing bucket seats using a bunch of my photos and some his own from doing his, you should ask him to send it to you.

For the headrests- the tubes get installed through the foam, under the covers so you won't be able to do it later, so if you think its something you want, be sure to install the tubes while its all apart.

The tops of the tubes will be visible through the covers (they are raised slightly), so be sure its what you want!

When you get your seats torn down, if you find any broken stuff let me know and I can help you out.
Luke actually shipped me his springs to have them repaired before he started.

Good luck! looking forward to seeing pics of the project!

 

Thanks RAMBOW!!,I checked out your facebook page. You do awesome work!!! It's nice to see someone who really does try to help people & do quality work! There are so many rip-offs out there!!! I had the drivers seat apart 2 yrs ago to fix some broken side springs. My car was obviously well stored during it's 48 yr/113k miles, life. The seat frames are still pretty much rust free,the foam is still soft & pliable & not ripped. The vinyl is still soft. The seat covers have Aug '67 date stamps on the backsides.I'm amazed that it stayed so nice. It sucks that I have to do both seats. The pass seat is as close to mint as you can get for an original but the new upholstery on just the drivers bucket would stick out like a sore thumb. I will definitely PM you if I find any surprises when I get them apart. Thanks again!!!!

 

NP! I get a kick out of seeing other people be able to do stuff they otherwise might not try...

Hey, If you are planning to re-use the original foam with the new covers, here is a trick to help "poof" them back out.

Get or borrow a clothes steamer, Put the steamer head right on them, and hold in one place for a while before moving on. For the most obvious effect, put it on the spot where the cover seam has left an indent in the foam- you'll see it push right back out like magic.

 

In 68 headrests were an option.


I had a good set of 69 seats that I put 68 seat covers on. Other than the rear release, you can't tell the difference

 

Ben, thanks for the info on the steamer,I have a small one that I've never used! got the headrests & the install kits yesterday. The repop headrests look ok(got them from Ecklers)but they'd never pass for original GM parts!! It will probably be a couple more weeks for the covers to get here as they are being made to order. I work for Ford & we shut down between xmas & new years so I'll have something to keep me busy,better get the beer fridge stocked up!!!

 

Gotta love a good seat project. Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Another thing I fixed to be overly AR with mine was ensuring the seats were both at the exact same reclining angle in the car. One hinge on the drivers seat wasn't welded straight, so it was twisted by over 1/2", and you noticed it after recovering. I ended up slotting the hinge bolt hole to square the seatback, then I drilled another small hole next to it and put a 1/4" sheet metal screw in so that the slotted hole couldn't slip back to the twisted position.

If you need burlap/jute or cardboard covered listing wire, Ben has nice stuff for that. You'll want to make sure you clean/paint your wave wires from the existing covers if you can, so make sure you add that to your list of seat frame work after you tear everything apart.

Let me know if I can help, the seat guide is really Ben's work, since he's cool with me sending it to you, shoot me a PM and I'll email it your way.

I always liked the '68 seats without the headrests, gives the car a cleaner look from outside, but that's just been my taste. It is cool when you see an earlier car that was optioned that way since it is pretty uncommon.

 

Headrests for '68 Buick were an extra cost option . Don't have numbers but not that many were sold . An image from a rare dealer salesman book I have .

 

There's a '68 H/O on epay right now that has them. I couldn't get the link to work but here's a pic of the seats

 

The difference between 68 & 69 & 70/71 bucket seat headrests are pretty minor.
From the outside with the headrest down you can't tell.

The differences are in the headrest lock bezels & the notches in the headrest posts.

I have never seen an original 68 bezel, so i can't say anything about it.
1969 bezels used a spring/wire clip to limit movement, and had a small round plastic handle on the end- both notches faced inwards on the seat.

1970-72 bezels use a spring loaded slider to limit movement, larger square button on the end of the handle- and it had one notch that faced inward, and one that faced outward.

 

Thanks again Ben, the headrest install kits I bought from Ecklers come with the '70 up style headrest locks so I ordered the '70 up style headrests to match. I knew about the '69 style locks having the round button/spring setup. Just curious, did '66-'67s use the round button style?? Still waiting on the covers from Legendary,hope they make it before I go on xmas break!!! I should probably start a new thread in the interior forum when I finally get into this seat project.

 

the 66/67 style is 100% different and unique to those seat frames.

The headrest slides in through notches instead of holes in the back edge of the upper frame.

They were actually designed to be retrofitted after the seats were covered already- there is a bracket that gets slid up from the bottom backside that holds the legs of the headrest in place, then the chrome bezel gets "pushed" inward from teh back and the head rest goes through that. I don't think there is actually a latch, only a spring loaded "gravity" lock.

 

Bummer!,Just got off the phone with Legendary,my seat covers won't be done 'til after new years!! so much for doing them over my xmas shutdown!!