Factory bucket seat experts needed

[N2TRUX]

There have been a lot of questions lately on what year trucks had which bucket available. I know we have a few guys on here that have a wealth of knowledge on what was available and when on the trucks. I thought it might be a good idea to put a thread up on factory seats.

If you have pics of " Factory" buckets in a truck and can give the correct year post them please....

[N2TRUX]

These are listed as Blazer buckets. Was a low back bucket available in the early year trucks, or where they all high back?

[bigblock73]

This is a complete setup out of a '78 truck.

Low back were available from 73-76 I believe, and high backs were available from 77-80 I believe. If the truck had lap belts only, it had slots in the console for the seatbelts to lay when not in use. If the truck had 3 point belts, it had cup holders. I may be off in the years, but it should be pretty accurate.

[Captkaos]

just one year off. 73-77 was considered low(RPO A51), 78-91 was high (RPO AV5).
Pickups would follow the same suit as Blazers. My grandfathers 73 Cheyene Super came with factory buckets that were low style.

Edit:
http://brochures.slosh.com/ All pics of buckets are on this page. You have to look under the GMC brochure though. Chevy didn't advertise buckets until 1980.

[79Silv4x4]

My '77 that I sold a few years back came with low back seats. It also had a 'three on the tree'

[Jonboy]

The high backs must have been an option in 77. Jeff's Blazer had the high back buckets, in the wonderful plaid. I can't imagine anyone swapping the plaid, but maybe just because I don't care for it. My 77 had the low back seats, but in vinyl. Maybe the cloth equipped trucks got high back seats in 77?

Ken, is this your way of asking for help? We all know that you want buckets in your truck. Once you admit the problem to yourself, the rest is easy.....

[bigblock73]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

The high backs must have been an option in 77. Jeff's Blazer had the high back buckets, in the wonderful plaid. I can't imagine anyone swapping the plaid, but maybe just because I don't care for it. My 77 had the low back seats.

I thought so, that is why I thought they started in 77 with the high backs. The '77 Woody did have high back seats (in plaid ), and they were in fact factory according to the glovebox sticker. C'mon Joboy...don't be a plaid hater.

[Jonboy]

not really a plaid hater, just not a plaid lover.

[1969 GMC]

I am going to use the buckets out of an '81 K5...the most horrible white and houndstooth I have ever seen what was up with GM's interior designer in the 70's?

[Captkaos]

Keep in mind we are talking about GM here folks . If it was late in the year on a 77, they probably didn't have any low backs left since Blazers got most of them. In "general" 77 was the breaking point.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by Jonboy

.....Ken, is this your way of asking for help? We all know that you want buckets in your truck. Once you admit the problem to yourself, the rest is easy.....

Why yes, as a matter of fact it is. I would like a set of buckets in my 77. I also wanted to know what seats are correct for what years.


So is there any difference in the Blazer bucket and the truck bucket (besides brackets)?

[N2TRUX]

Ok, according to the brochure that Chris posted this is the correct style of bucket for 73-77 trucks.

This is the 73-74 pattern-

[N2TRUX]

This is the correct style of bucket for 73-77 trucks.

This is the 75-77 pattern-

[N2TRUX]

This is the correct style of bucket for 78-87 trucks.

This is the 78-8? pattern-

[bigblock73]

That is funny. The first pic clearly has lap belts only with the "slots" for the seatbelts instead of the cup holders in the console. The second pic appears to have 3 point belts, with the extruding male connectors between the seats and console...but still has the slots in the console. The last pic has the 3 point belts with the cup holders. I guess I was off in my earlier guess.

[ElGracho]

My 75 Gentleman Jim has the exact buckets shown in the pic Ken posted (as all Gentleman Jim's came with.) It doesn't have shoulder belts though so it has the older style seatbelts that store in the console slots.

[bigarmzz]

so what do you have to do to put suburban bucket seats and center console in a 81-87 truck?

i know the floor pans are differnt...so the brackets have to be different also


-bigarmzz-

[superchevy]

I just looked through all the brochures from the link posted above, and none of the '77 buckets in the brochures have the square metal medallions in the center of the seat....however, the '76 and earlier seats do. The set of '77 buckets I just got from John, do not have the medallions either.
SC

[N2TRUX]

That's kinda strange since we know "the square metal medallions" came on the 77 bench seat. The difference may be between Chevrolet and GMC trim levels. Most of the picvs I posted were from GMC brochures because they don't show buckets in the Chevy truck brochures.

If you look at the 77 Jimmy brochure it clearly shows "the square metal medallions"

Anyone know where to get OEM quality seat foam and replacement covers for the early buckets?

[u2slow]

Here's mine... transplanted into my '91 crewcab from an '87 K30 regular cab. They look the same as the ones 'bigblock73' posted, but extra mount is welded to the floor in the newer trucks - not unboltable as in the pic posted above.

[ElGracho]

In Jeff's picture above, the center mounts for the buckets aren't unbolted, that is a section of the floor cut out. That is what it takes to mount original pickup buckets in a truck that didn't originally have them. You need the right brackets/sliders and the 'floor stands' for the inboard front mounts. If you can't find originals, the suburban brackets are probably easiest to modify (they are not a bolt in fit).

Here's a picture of the driver's side floor of my Gentleman Jim. Nevermind the dirt...

[u2slow]

Originally Posted by ElGracho

In Jeff's picture above, the center mounts for the buckets aren't unbolted, that is a section of the floor cut out.

That makes more sense... I hadn't seen an unboltable version yet I used 1"x1/4" strap steel bent into a '7' shape welded to the floor - it worked well.

The regular cab tracks bent upwards at the back, and the Burb/crewcab ones bend down. I heated, bent, and blocked up the back of the regular cab bucket tracks to make them work on my crewcab. Not pretty and not quite right yet... hopefully I come across some Burb tracks at the JY soon.

[bigblock73]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Anyone know where to get OEM quality seat foam and replacement covers for the early buckets?

Ken, nobody makes replacement foam bottoms, and I haven't looked for backs...but I assume the same is true.

Classic Industries has a pretty good selection of covers, in both vinyl and vinyl.cloth combos.

I would like to find other suppliers for covers, to see if they have even more choices. If you find on, please let me know.

[N2TRUX]

Jeff, Good info on Classic Industries They do carry Low back replacement covers. They are $149.00

GMC Pauls Carries the replacement cover kits too. His are $189.00

The supplier Clasic Industries uses for the seat foam is American Cushion Industries they don't show a listing for the 73-77 seats though.

Mother Truckers has foam kits for 71-72 low baks. I wonder if they could be made to work?

[ElGracho]

Originally Posted by u2slow

...
The regular cab tracks bent upwards at the back, and the Burb/crewcab ones bend down. I heated, bent, and blocked up the back of the regular cab bucket tracks to make them work on my crewcab. Not pretty and not quite right yet... hopefully I come across some Burb tracks at the JY soon.

Uggg. So you're saying you modified regular cab brackets for a crew cab? Let me put it this way. I've seen regular cab - BRACKETS ONLY - go for over $200 on Ebay. I bought a whole set of sub buckets, brackets and all for $50 at a local wrecking yard. Modifying those regular cab brackets is like sacrilege.

Ken: Those seat foams will be the same as the 73-77 low back buckets.