Looking for pictures of Suburban front bench seat frame.

[HO455]

I've searched quite a bit for some pictures of a factory bench seat frame from one of our Burbans (Without upholstery) and have become up empty handed.
I'm wondering if parts from a pickup seat can be used to repair broken springs. I would also like to know what is supposed to be across the top of the seat back so the sharp cut off ends of the springs don't poke through the upholstery (Like mine are).
Thank you in advance.
Be safe and stay healthy out there.
HO455

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by HO455

I've searched quite a bit for some pictures of a factory bench seat frame from one of our Burbans (Without upholstery) and have become up empty handed.
I'm wondering if parts from a pickup seat can be used to repair broken springs. I would also like to know what is supposed to be across the top of the seat back so the sharp cut off ends of the springs don't poke through the upholstery (Like mine are).
Thank you in advance.
Be safe and stay healthy out there.
HO455

I pulled the foam off to get these pictures, so If you need any specific shots, let me know. I have broken springs as well...but I've seen 10 foot rolls of it on either eBay or amazon for very reasonable prices...but there are 3 different gauges depending on the usage. Hope this helps!

Woody

[HO455]

Thanks for the pictures Woody. The seat back seems to be very different from the pictures I've seen of the pickup seats. Seeing yours I now know what is poking through the top of the seat back every time I lay my arm on it.

[Beach-Burban]

Originally Posted by HO455

Thanks for the pictures Woody. The seat back seems to be very different from the pictures I've seen of the pickup seats. Seeing yours I now know what is poking through the top of the seat back every time I lay my arm on it.

No problem, HO455. I read a Hot Rod Magazine article online about rebuilding a bench seat from a 68 C/10 truck and theirs was such a mess that they needed a complete donor bottom frame. The one they got was a "Deluxe" seat and was quite different than from what they had??? Also, mine is a '71/'72 version...so there might be a difference there as well??? No coils in mine for the back cushion, just a grid of flat welded-in spring rods. There was nothing at the top to prevent the welded ends from coming through the vinyl...so when I have mine re-done, I'm going to have something added!

Woody

[CG]

Originally Posted by HO455

Thanks for the pictures Woody. The seat back seems to be very different from the pictures I've seen of the pickup seats. Seeing yours I now know what is poking through the top of the seat back every time I lay my arm on it.

Weird I thought the truck and burb front seats were exactly the same except for the upholstery going all the way down on the back. I don't have any burb or truck seats that are down to the frame to double check.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by CG

Weird I thought the truck and burb front seats were exactly the same except for the upholstery going all the way down on the back. I don't have any burb or truck seats that are down to the frame to double check.

There are at least two different seats Standard and Deluxe, maybe more if you consider any year differences. The seat covers are different for them too.

Take a look at this thread and what Frank posted in posts #11 & #14.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=98169

And this thread by lolife99.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=510997

LockDoc

[HO455]

This link is for a 67 seat so I assume that this is what I will find under my upholstery.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=661876

And the 67 shown in this link also seems to be the same. It also shows a 71 which looks similar to the one Beach Burban posted.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=661233

[richard2717]

I have a 67 bench frame sitting in a parts truck that I will post up pics of when I get back to the shop.

[HO455]

Well after as much prying and peeling of upholstery as dared I have come to the conclusion that the seat in my Burban is not a 67, but a 69-70 version. It has no provisions for the seat back to fold forward and the seat mount is the 69 -70 style.

[HO455]

Here is a link to a site with information about the different foam styles that came on seats over the years.

http://www.americancushionind.net/pr...-gmc-suburban/

I decided to post it just in case the site disappears tomorrow.

69-72 Chevy/GMC/Suburban
67-72 Chevy truck cushions came in 5 models

6″ thick molded foam bottom with molded back. (#CT6972)
6″ molded foam bottom/coil spring back with thin pad.
Coil spring bottom with thin pad/molded foam back.
Coil spring bottom and back. Thin pad on both.
Some Canadian truck seats have been reported to be 1-2″ longer than American seat frames.

Questions? Call 1.800.643.3063.

[HO455]

Some more seat frame information.

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/rebu...h-seat-part-1/

[HO455]

Another link to some good bench seat information.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=735220

[Richard2112]

Great seat information in this thread and the links too. I didn't know there was that much to know about seats

[HO455]

Me neither. It is a wonder GM made money with all the various changes over the years.
I'll keep adding as I learn more.

I've seen these photos posted individually before but just found them in a single post by member MusicMan70. The date of publication on the last photo may or not mean they are square body seat pictures.

[HO455]

This thread is all about square body seats. Which at first glance wasn't in the scope of this thread. But father on they talk about how the 73 and later big trucks (C40 and up) used 67 -72 seat tracks.
It appears to me that many of the spring components on our seats seemed to be used on the 73 and later seats. One may be able to get parts or foam to repair a 67-72 from a 73 and later seat. Hopefully GrumpyOldMan will chime in and confirm or deny this theory of mine.


http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=733808

[CG]

I knew the basics of the seats, full foam vs thin foam and springs, fold forward and non fold forward. But I had no idea about so much more. I bookmarked this thread.

I used to think burb third row and blazer rear seats were exactly the same in all aspects, but now Im probably wrong on that one too haha.

[HO455]

Yet more information on seats. A set of 6 videos from USA1 on recovering our seats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j0wREPYMzU

and a source for springs too!

https://www.usa1industries.com/1967-...ng-repair.html

[HO455]

A thread on repairing springs. With some additional links.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=655352

[HO455]

Did some measuring of my newly acquired 71 seat and compared it with my current 69-70 seat. I noticed that the lower seat mounts relates to a taller seat back. Now I assume that the 67-68 seat would have an even shorter seat back to maintain the same 30" overall height for the rear window. If anyone has a 67-68 seat and could measure it to confirm this it would be nice. I did not have the 2 seats side by side. My 69-70 seat is still mounted in the truck. It is also possible that this is just manufacturing differences between 2 random seats. I kind of doubt that due to the difference being 1 1/2".

Once again, I am assuming that GM in response to customer feedback they lowered the seat heights and as a result the backs were raised to maintain the look of the interior.
I plan on putting the 71 seat in the Burban and see how it feels.

[HO455]

Time to backtrack and disregard my drawing from the previous post. Now that I have the 2 seats disassembled and can compare them more accurately, things are not as they seemed at first.
It turns out that the seat back frames are the same height from top bar to bottom bar. The difference is in the curved mounting part on the bottom.
First photos the 71 bare frame with the 69-70 frame next to it. Not much difference is evident although the seat cover is hiding the difference in the bottom. And how they bolt to the seat base.
The next photo shows the 71 back attached to the 69-70 seat bottom. Notice how vertical the back is. The second big difference with this combination is the seat back will not go back nearly as far as the 69-70 did. If fact it is so far forward I doubt I could safely drive the truck.
The 3rd photo shows the 71 back on the earlier bottom. Notice how reclined the seat back is.
I tried to demonstrate the differences in the seat back angles but setting up an adjustable square as shown in the 4th photo. Look again at the first photo as see how the square compares to the seat back angle.
One more difference is in the gap between the bottom of the back and the top of the bottom. There is about 1 to 2 inches of clearance. I think that if the 71 seat back frame had its cushion and cover I would not have been able to bolt the 2 parts together without a lot of effort.

[CG]

This thread can be confusing LOL! Basically if you compare year for year, truck and burb, the seats are exactly the same except that the burb upholstery goes all the way down in the back.

For instance ... If you took a 71 pick-up full foam style seat and stripped it down to just the bare metal, and you did the same with a 71 full foam style burb front seat, you would not be able to tell the difference, because they are exactly the same.

Thats what Im getting from all the threads I read. As far as a folding bench seat in an early burb, I wonder if they just did it like the non folding seats in 68's? No reason to have a folding seat in a burb ... Just a guess though =)

[HO455]

I too have come to the conclusion that that other than upholstery the seat frames are the same for trucks and Burbans.
The 71 seats I put in I got to drive on today. They are terrible compared to the 69-70 seat I took out. The sliders don't let the seat go back as far and the seat back is bolt upright. The difference is night and day for me.
I have also noticed that the seat back in the 71 seat reaches about 2 inches farther up my back than the 69-70. It must be due to the location of the holes in the seat bottom frame.
I apologize for make the thread so confusing. I couldn't find any information before I started the thread and one thing has lead to another and here we are. As I find more I'll just keep collecting it here.
I encourage anyone with more seat information to post it.

[CG]

You dont have to apologize for any of your threads. I read all of them and have learned a ton. You are learning along with us and always update ... Cant go wrong with that. I really appreciate everything you post!

[HO455]

Thank you for the kind words sir. I do appreciate them.
Stay healthy and safe.

[HO455]

I finally got a chance to strip off the covers and foam so I could compare the seat back differences between the 69/70 seat and the 71/72 seat. It is pretty obvious in the photo. The nearest back is the 69/70.