71-72 seatcovers on 73 frames ??

[olblue60@aol.com]

I have two pair of bucket seats,69-72 and a pair of 73s. They are sitting side by side and I really dont see much difference beside the foam being a little different looking on the very top of the 73. My question is, Has anyone had any luck installing 71-72 foams and covers on a 73 frame? Will they fit or is there any modification needed to the frames? Thanks!

John

[72armyswbtruck]

Great question, just sitting back watching this thread waiting for an answer

[longhorn71]

the backs on the 73+ Trucks have square corners and the 67-72 trucks are rounded

[olblue60@aol.com]

I noticed the 73s were a little more square, but not very much. I guess my question is : is it an ammount that can be ground off or would cutting and welding be needed? I'm hoping that one of our members has tried this and can give me some insight. Thanks

John

[PICKMUP]

I know some of the guys on here have put 71-2 covers on the 73+ seats. The frames appear to be identical for 69-72 and 73-75 (I think) but the foam is a little different. I think the 73+ foam can be trimmed and it may just reshape to the covers when they are pulled over the foam.
Don't use 69-70 foams with 71 & newer covers, because they have a different shape to them.
Here are a couple side-by-side of 72 vs 73.

[olblue60@aol.com]

Can you feel the frames through the foams? Do they feel the same. I cant tell for sure because mine still have covers on them? I'm gonna run this post through the weekend and hope to find someone who has done this. Thanks for checking this post everyone.

[PICKMUP]

Yes, I can feel the frames easily through the foam and they do have the same rounded shape on the corners.
Some of the guys on here have done it...they just aren't reading this thread.

[olblue60@aol.com]

try it again!

[pjmoreland]

Here are a couple of pictures comparing a '71 bucket (green) with a bucket that I pulled out of a '73-up Blazer. The frames seem to have the same general shape, but the '73-up bucket is quite a bit shorter than the '71, and the '71 has maybe an inch of foam that sticks up above the top of the frame, but the '73-up has no foam above the frame. It looks to me like '71-'72 covers would not fit tightly on the '73-up seats.

I've heard that you can install '71-'72 foams on the '73-up frames with very little modification.

[olblue60@aol.com]

Thanks for all the help . I am noticing that in the last picture that even the seat backs are the same height off of the floor back to back. Perhaps a little extra padding??
I'm still wondering if there is anyone looking who has done this sucessfully??

Thanks!

[olblue60@aol.com]

Frank
I'm noticing in your picture #2 , is that the frame that is showing on the right seat, and can you feel if the frame on the left seat? Is it the same height?

[olblue60@aol.com]

ttt

[olblue60@aol.com]

One last time to the top, cus I'm still confused.

[PICKMUP]

Here's those 72 vs 73 seats stripped down a little further. You will see that the frames are the same: measurements, shape and bracing. The 73s actually have a little more foam on the top, forming the more square shape.
A good rule-of-thumb with used parts should always be, "CAUTION--If it is not completely OEM/stock, be careful...there's no telling what it really is or what modifications have been done to it". Ebay is full of half truths and false claims trying to sell parts for 67-72 trucks.
Hope this helps clear this up a little more.

[olblue60@aol.com]

Thanks Frank! I guess this adds a new value to the 73 frames. It has been my observations that the 73s usually sell for 1/3 the price of the 72s. When checking mine, it did seem pretty clear there was little to no difference, but seeing is believing. Thanks for all the time and effort that you took to help me out!

John

[olblue60@aol.com]

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