Panel truck/Suburban bucket seats?

[Joemomma1]

I have found a pair of buckets that are supposedly from a panel or suburban. The seat backs look good, foam and cover. The bottoms need new foam (does it exist?) and a cover. The slider for the driver side is there but the passenger looks to fold forward. They're the same width. The frame will need to be blasted and coated. What would you offer?

[LILRED66]

Never seen or heard of true buckets in the '60-'66 Chevy/GMC Suburbans or Panels, however, on the C30 camper conversions, commonly done by Coachworks and others, they had twin buckets, to allow passage to the back of the camper. I have also heard of the buddy buckets in the trucks of the late sixties/early seventies, but not in the '60-'66 years. I would like to see a picture of said buckets.

[Captainfab]

The original Suburban front seats were more like a 70/30 seat, where the passenger side folded forward for access to the rear. The buddy buckets from the '67-'72 era were basically two bucket seats and a center console with a padded seat that were all connected together on one frame. These highly sought after and are expensive when you do find one.

[Joemomma1]

Originally Posted by LILRED66

Never seen or heard of true buckets in the '60-'66 Chevy/GMC Suburbans or Panels, however, on the C30 camper conversions, commonly done by Coachworks and others, they had twin buckets, to allow passage to the back of the camper. I have also heard of the buddy buckets in the trucks of the late sixties/early seventies, but not in the '60-'66 years. I would like to see a picture of said buckets.

These are twin buckets, as if to allow passage to the back. The rails of the passenger side looks just like the smaller seat of the 70/30 seats that folds forward. What I dont understand is if they are from a panel, why does that seat fold forward when there's a space between the seats? The driver seats' rail and slider handle looks like a bench seats'. The cover looks just like the 60-66 vinyl covers I have seen.The back of the seats have a metal cover, sort of like the suburban rear seats. I dont really want to show up to the guys house just to take pictures, I'll throw him an offer. I know I can get them for under $100.

Originally Posted by Captainfab

The original Suburban front seats were more like a 70/30 seat, where the passenger side folded forward for access to the rear. The buddy buckets from the '67-'72 era were basically two bucket seats and a center console with a padded seat that were all connected together on one frame. These highly sought after and are expensive when you do find one.

I was aware of the whole 70/30 thing but didnt want to point it out to him. He told me it was a 62 or 63. I've seen the 67-72 era bukets and they look nothing like it. These have no design, just like the plain 'ol bench seats. The guy wants this crap gone. He was trying to get me to buy the seats as a bundle with an odd tranny and crossmember that were supposedly out of a X frame truck. Were'nt they powerglides back then? Looked nothing like one, the bell housing was bolted on and there was an opening on top. It was defintely an auto though. Maybe I'll just pick 'em up.

[Apache63]

do they look like these????











Pat

[Joemomma1]

Those are the animals. Thanks for the pics. Do you know what they're out of?

[wild one]

Those are the same seats that my 1966 panel originally came with. The p.o. had removed them and installed another set of bucket seats in the truck and left then in the weather for 10+ years which totally ruined them.

[LILRED66]

Apache63:

Thanks for sharing. I learn something new everyday. I am going back to the factory literature for the Panels, to see what I can find. They sure look original and like the seats I found in the C30 Camper truck.

[padresag]

Originally Posted by Joemomma1

. What I dont understand is if they are from a panel, why does that seat fold forward when there's a space between the seats?

that seat folds forward for ease of anybody to get in the back or to put something in the back. that would be the same 40% seat that was used in suburbans for access to the back. it is much simpler that way then having to climb over the seat to get in the back
the full frt seat for the panel or suburban was called a 60/40 seat
--------------------------------------------
they powerglides back then? Looked nothing like one, the bell housing was bolted on and there was an opening on top. It was defintely an auto though. Maybe I'll just pick 'em up.

sounds like it could have been a hydramatic trans as they have that top opening so that you could get in there to remove the external convertor bolts so that you could split the convertor.
is this the trans that you were looking at

By rondavid, shot with E8800 at 2009-11-22
ron

[LILRED66]

The original bench seat does not conflict with pulling the tranny cover, so I doubt that is the reason for these buckets. If I had to guess, I think they may have been from a Camper conversion on a C30.

[Eagletucky]

The pics Apache63 posted are of my buckets i pulled out of a 65 panel. I have them in my truck now. I need to get them recovered, but they are a cool alternate to the bench, and dont change the seating geometry at all.

If you can get them for a bill, i would jump on that.

BTW, there is a company that makes seat upolstery called "Seatz" that i am dealing with currently that I'm sending the existing seat covers to so they can make patterns for new seat covers. In a month or two you may be able to get new covers!

Good luck....

[Envy]

My dad's 66 panel was an original ambulance and it had those same buckets in it, we took them out to put some racing seats in it, but they are next to perfect and completely original, so i guess special use panels came with them.

[padresag]

chev did not make the ambulances. these were all modified and made by specialty shops ; same for fire engines and school buses. They all installed what they needed to make those vehicles work in their own environment
ron

[nbrfd007]

I got a "62 GMC Suburbans and Panels" brochure, it has those seats in it, they are called "comfort-ride bucket seats" they where the seats in the panels.
Tim

[Dinos63]

yeah i had those seats in a few of the panels i have had also they were used in my 61 crewcab same seats as in the photos

[Joemomma1]

Originally Posted by padresag

sounds like it could have been a hydramatic trans as they have that top opening so that you could get in there to remove the external convertor bolts so that you could split the convertor.
is this the trans that you were looking at

Thats it, just a lot cleaner. Anything special about those?
...............................................................................
So its confirmed. There are true buckets seats for the 60-66, found only in panels.

[Joemomma1]

Originally Posted by Eagletucky

The pics Apache63 posted are of my buckets i pulled out of a 65 panel. I have them in my truck now. I need to get them recovered, but they are a cool alternate to the bench, and dont change the seating geometry at all.

If you can get them for a bill, i would jump on that.

BTW, there is a company that makes seat upolstery called "Seatz" that i am dealing with currently that I'm sending the existing seat covers to so they can make patterns for new seat covers. In a month or two you may be able to get new covers!

Good luck....

Thank you very much for all the info. You would'nt have any pics of them installed in your truck would you?

[Captainfab]

Thanks to all that provided info on these seats, I learned something new today.

[padresag]

[QUOTE=Joemomma1;3692252]Thats it, just a lot cleaner. Anything special about those?
...............................................................................
they were fairly hd. had a good 1 st gear for coming out of the hole. they were the first true drag racing a/t. that trans was used in 54-56 olds, caddilacs and 55-62 chev and gmc trucks. they were the trans that B&M automotive were based on
ron

[Joemomma1]

[quote=padresag;3693638]

Originally Posted by Joemomma1

Thats it, just a lot cleaner. Anything special about those?
...............................................................................
they were fairly hd. had a good 1 st gear for coming out of the hole. they were the first true drag racing a/t. that trans was used in 54-56 olds, caddilacs and 55-62 chev and gmc trucks. they were the trans that B&M automotive were based on
ron

Is there a place on the web that has more info on those transmisions? Just wondering if its worth the space it will take up. I know I can get rid of the X member pretty quick.

Thanks.