I don't know what these nasty bucket seats came out of, but they're awful. Last weekend I took the passenger seat out and just left it out. I actually took the driver's seat out too, but had to put it back in to drive it. The floor is swiss cheese from all of the screw holes the last owner put in it to bolt these seats down, and most of the holes are stripped out. I managed to get one bolt to bite, and that's how I've been driving it for the past week. So on a hard left turn, I have to pull hard on the armrest of the door or the whole seat will fall over (which, believe it or not, is kind of a safety hazard).
Two weekends ago Tami's dad drove down to Potosi with me to pick up some seats from a 2003 Silverado. They're pretty nice, what I'd been looking for, for the most part. The fabric is dark charcoal, but it's more of a tweed, probably what they normally put in base model Chevy pickups. They cloth they use in new Suburbans is a softer velour, which I really like, but these seats were $150, so I'll take it. I figure a little upholstery work may be in order when I get rear seats anyway, so these'll work for now.
One of the big reasons I wanted late-model Chevy truck seats was the fact that they have shoulder seat belts built into the seats, so I don't need separate seat belts that bolt to the body pillars.
Alright, so this morning, it's a late start, but I figure I can knock this out. I cut out the carpeting where the seats will mount (all of the carpet's getting replaced anyway). The floorpans aren't bad really, some surface rust, but really minor. I mock-up the seat placement, and mark some bolt placements on the floor with a Sharpie.
I figure there are two options here, drill more holes into this already aerated floor, or weld some studs in place. I had bought nuts and bolts, but decided that welding the bolts in as studs would a better long-term solution (and way more fun, because drilling holes sucks compared to welding).
The rear mounts are going to be trickier, because there's a hump in the floor behind the front seats, and the seat tracks actually don't clear the hump when you try to slide the seat back. So, couldn't just weld the studs in, I had to fabricate some 1" risers for the rear mounts.
I just tack-welded them into place for now, in case I decide to adjust anything before installing new carpet.
Ok, so the passenger side is done. Repeat for the driver's side and we're golden. Drop the seats on the the studs and tighten everything down. The seats are a perfect fit. The height and angle seem to work just fine, even with the rear shimmed up 1".
Turned out just as I hoped -- 2003 Chevy Silverado split-bench seat in the 1971 Chevy Suburban. This was actually really enjoyable mini-project too, even with the cold temps today. I guess not having to crawl around under the truck and get covered in grease and dirt makes a big difference.
I did a couple of other little odds and ends to wrap things up today. The headlights weren't working right so I got them fixed (good lord, what an electrical mess someone made of this thing). I think when the fenders come off for painting I'm going to just re-wire all of the lights up front. Drove it after dark tonight. Comfy seats (securely bolted down, with seat belts), bright new functional headlights, and a smoother, quieter idle... It's crazy just how much awesomer this Suburban is now. It's still every bit as ugly, but I guess when you're working on something as beat to hell as this old Chevy, the little things really do make a difference.
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