I have a 69 400 convertible (not original) and want to replace the front bucket seats with some buckets that provide more support and are more comfortable.
Has anyone swapped theirs out for late model Firebird/Camaro or other bucket seats? I'm going to recover them anyway so I don't care about color. I just want to make sure they fit, not too low/high/wide, etc and don't need a bunch of customization to the floor pan or seat brackets.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks

Check with Daryl;
http://firstgenfirebird.org/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showprofile&User=2470

Drew here in Houston did , later model TA seats...email him for pics etc...
his email is KHelm@reliant.com

Drew and I did the modification to the seat in the same manner. Actually, he did his first and I copied. Much easier than re-inventing the wheel. We differed however on mounting the seatbelts with the shoulder harness.

The long and short is that if you are only doing the front seat it is pretty simple. No need to modify the floor pan at all. The front mounts of the seats are good as is. You just need to cut the rear mounts off and weld in a mounting bracket or tab that will line up with the hole in the floor pan. Basically, the late model seats' rear mount juts out from the track at a 90 degree angle. You need it to extend straight rearward. For the pass seat, you will need a 2" spacer for the front mounts. I just used a piece of 2x2 square tube and longer bolts. Of course I powdercoated the spacer, because I'm a kid with a new toy. Send me an email address and I will send some photos when I get off work.

Daryl

Please post the pics here. I'd like to see them too. I've got front seats that the previous owner recovered, but never fixed the frames or replaced the buns. I'm constantly thinking about something better.

I am in the process of the same upgrade, I just located a decent set of seats from a 94 firebird. I was also wondering about the mounting in the stock location for my 69 vert. If you can post pix of the upgrade you finished it would be much appreciated.
Thanks Larry

I volunteer to buy all of youse guys seats for cheap and hang on to them for 15 years and then sell them back to you for a rediculous price. Go ahead, ask me how I know.
That's just the helpful kind of guy I am. Give, give, give.

Robert

I don't have any pics online, but when I get a chance I can post some.

The front seats are a breeze. The rear is not hard, but does require a little more work. As Daryl said, the front seats are pretty easy. The fronts of both seat brackets match up to the factory holes. The passenger side needs a spacer. I used 1 x 2 square tube as a spacer.

The easiest way to do the rear brackets is to cut the "feet" off the bottom of the bracket. Use a 2.5" long piece of flat bar to make a new foot. Drill a hole in the center of one end of the flat bar and bolt it loosely to the floor. Position the seat over it and bolt down the front. Position the flat bar under the rear leg of the bracket and tack it together. Unbolt and remove from car and finish welding the new foot to the leg of the bracket. Now you have a direct fit bolt in 4th gen seat that fit a first gen.

The rear seats require a little more work. The seat bottoms bolt to an "A" shaped bracket on the floor of the 4th gen. You'll also have to modify the seat bottom framework a little by trimming the foam on one rear corner to clear the torque box in the 4th gen. The 4th gen seat back requires 2 brackets for each side. One for the hinge to bolt to and 1 for the upper seat latch. Easy to do.

I have a few pictures here at the office if you're interested.

Drew

I'll post some pics tomorrow. I need to take some close ups of the brackets for you guys and I don't have my camera with me today.

Trust me Bob, I am never going back to the stock seats after driving in the new ones last summer. I have already sold my seats and they more than paid for the seats I bought and the brand new seat covers that I installed.

Pics to follow this evening.

Due to several people interested, below is a link of my new front seats. The photos show the spacer needed for the pass seat and also the brackets made for the rear of the front pass seat. I do not have pics of the brackets of the rear of the front driver seat, but they are similar just not as high of the floor. Actually, they are right on the floor.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/daryl_keys/album?.dir=404dre2

Let me know if there are any specific questions or if more pics are needed.

Very nice Daryl! I did something along the same lines in my 68 back in 83. I installed 79 TA Buckets to replace the stock seats that were in poor shape. Back then it was next to impossible to find seat upholstery for the stock seats... and on a budget.

But the seats you have to choose from now are much nicer, and they really look good in the first gen... that would make anyone want to get in and drive!

Brett! (with original 40 year old seats)

Very nice, Daryl and Drew. As always, your taste is exceptional. Now what do we non-black interior folks do to get these seats?

Nash,

When I bought the seats they were not black. Actually, they looked pretty sad. I got them from ebay for about $250 and $75 shipping. Here is a pic:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/daryl_keys/album?.dir=/2c51re2

I then bought covers from Camaros and Classics.

http://www.camarosandclassics.com/M...=CTGY&Category_Code=CamaroUpholstery

They have about 70 colors to choose from. I had them make the 2001 trim style for the 99 seats. The covers cost me more than the seats did. I think I paid $350. But my original seats and belts more than paid for both the seats and the covers and new belts. I did the rear seat as well and it folds down.

Sorry, I have an error above. I had the 2001 trim style for the 1996 seats (not 99).

I got it now. Find the seats first, then order new covers from Camaros and/or Classic. The seats do look great, and much more comfortable.

If you're not going to be all original, you might as well be comfortable.

By the way, those prices were for front and rear.