Seat folder hardware

[allons]

There was an interesting post on here earlier about a member who wanted to convert his seat to a folder. I'm trying to find a way to use my '72 seat but convert it to a folder. When I did a resto/mod on the truck I removed the in-cab gas tank and put a new tank in place of spare tire mount under the bed. I then used the in-cab space to locate all of my electrical connections, fuse block etc. So, it would be real convenient if I could find a good way to make the seat a folder. Has anyone done this before, or seen a product, has a good idea how to make the seat work as a folder? Thanks

[ElKotze]

I used a bench seat from an '80's square body. The backrest is attached by two bolts on each side. Just leave one bolt out, voila: Folder !

[Longhorn 70]

Watching to see if there is a way to convert seat.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by ElKotze

I used a bench seat from an '80's square body. The backrest is attached by two bolts on each side. Just leave one bolt out, voila: Folder !

I believe that's actually how it was done in 1967, they just used the bottom bolt with the top bolt being added on the 68+ trucks. However, this isn't safe as the seat will fly forward in an accident (or at least try to!) so in 1968 the Feds added that seats must be restrained as part of the laundry list of new safety regulations.

The biggest issue is the seat covers, I haven't seen any good looking replacement style covers for the 67s (all the nice ones I've seen are the 69-72 styles that have the flap that covers the pivot arm.)

I believe that some people use 73-87 square body seats and have them custom reupholstered to match the earlier style stuff. Using the newer seats also gives you the safety latch.

[allons]

So, if I removed one of the bolts and installed a ratchet/pawl connector I would be able to lock the seat back in the upright position but also be able to disconnect the pawl and fold the seat forward. Wouldn't that give me the best of both worlds?

[67ChevyRedneck]

Here's a pic I found of a 67 bench seat. It looks like it also has stopper to keep it from going back to far.

I guess you could use the latch hardware off a 73-87 bench with some fab work? It might just be easier to use a 73-87 bench and have an upholstery shop make a cover for it (or go with a 73-87 cover?) I searched for a bit, but didn't come up with anyone that sold the folding style seat covers.