[cballweg]

Was there ever an option where you could order bucket seats in a 4-door or a station wagon?Ive only seen 1 bonneville sation wagon with buckets seats that may have been installed later on and never seen them in a 4-door or anything else but a bonneville convertible and never seen Bonneville 2-door hardtop or a catalina convertible with them either.Thanks

[Stuart]

In 1961, those hard shell bucket seats were a regular option only in Bonneville convertibles, but they were available as a special order option in other cars. I've only seen them in Bonneville and Ventura two door hardtops, but theoretically they could have been installed in any other body style. I can only assume it was the same situation in 1959 - someone who has a dealer's album or salesman's handbook for 1959 may be able to confirm or deny that.

[cballweg]

thanks for your reply.

[CATBIRD]

cballweg…..according to the Pontiac dealer album for 1959 they were only available as an extra cost option on Bonneville convertibles……John

[cballweg]

Thanks,I was wonderting about this but back in the day you could just about special order anything but on these maybe not but thats maybe why ive never seen them on anything but bonney convertibles.

[Poncho60]

I've never seen any on anything but a Bonneville (1960 I'm referring to here). I'm pretty sure I saw them in a 60 Bonn 4 dr hardtop WAY back before I was even out of school (45+ years ago) which makes me think they were original factory installed as there was probably no interest in all this stuff way back then. Just my observation.

[cballweg]

The only thing I can think of for a 4-door car the seat backs would not tilt forward for rear seat passengers whereas all 2-doors and convertibles would have to tilt forward so I dont know if they would have made a special bucket seat that would not tilt for a 4-door.Just a thought.

[Jack Gifford]

Originally Posted by Poncho60

... as there was probably no interest in all this stuff way back then...

You're kidding, right?

[Poncho60]

Not kidding. What I was getting at was that this was probably in the 1965-69 timeframe. The car I was referring to (4 dr hardtop) was that dark brown Mahogany color with the tri-tone red interior.....which I have never been fond of. I was thinking that it would be very unlikely back then someone would replace the front bench seat with buckets and that they would also have them re-upholstered to match the color scheme / pattern, or that they found a set with the exact factory color match. That's why I tend to believe that this was probably a factory installation. Not implying that there was no interest in messing with cars back then in general....just referring to this particular instance.

[61-63]

Originally Posted by cballweg

Was there ever an option where you could order bucket seats in a 4-door or a station wagon?Ive only seen 1 bonneville sation wagon with buckets seats that may have been installed later on and never seen them in a 4-door or anything else but a bonneville convertible and never seen Bonneville 2-door hardtop or a catalina convertible with them either.Thanks

If you are a POCI member look up David J. Evans in LaMarque, Texas and call him and ask him your question. He specializes in and is pretty much the expert on the early Bonnevilles '57-'61. He has all of the dealer albums, etc., etc. and probably owns a couple of bucket seat '59 Bonnevilles as we speak.

A couple of years ago Todd Zimmerman acquired and then sold a '59-'61 era (I don't recall exactly which year it was) hard back bucket seat Buick station wagon which was an original car solid but in need of restoration. Not a Pontiac I know but if you could do it with a Buick back then I bet you could have with a Pontiac.

[cballweg]

Thats interesting.Maybe the 59 bonneville station wagon on e-bay was an original bucket seat car.That car was loaded and even had a power antenna,windows and AC.

[U47]

Originally Posted by CATBIRD

cballweg…..according to the Pontiac dealer album for 1959 they were only available as an extra cost option on Bonneville convertibles……John

Well, never say never. Harley Earl's wife's special ordered 1959 Catalina with a mostly Bonneville interior and factory buckets. see the link;
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/stagi...terior_Web.jpg
Although my dad's special ordered 59 Catalina didn't have buckets, it did have a tri-tone Bonneville interior along with a 420A with a solid lifter cam ( in the trunk at delivery ) and hand built in the Pontiac tool room like all nascar engines were, plus a heavy duty Super Hydramatic with external oil cooler.
Most, if not all Pontiac dealers in the L.A. area (west coast for that matter) had cars that were made in South Gate CA. Our car was ordered at A.E. England Pontiac in Hollywood CA., but was built in Michigan because of the engine and shipped by rail to the west coast. After six years of my dad racing it, it was handed over to me at the age of fourteen ( got my IHRA licence driving it ) and my regular licence in 1967 in it. I sold the car in 1969 and in 1978 went looking for it to restore. Sadly, I missed it by three months as it went to Clean Steel in Wilmington and was shredded. In my picture book on the car the first page is a picture of me in front of it with the dealer plates, and the last page is a copy of the affidavit from clean Steel stating it's date of demise.

[U47]

Originally Posted by Poncho60

Not kidding. What I was getting at was that this was probably in the 1965-69 timeframe. The car I was referring to (4 dr hardtop) was that dark brown Mahogany color with the tri-tone red interior.....which I have never been fond of. I was thinking that it would be very unlikely back then someone would replace the front bench seat with buckets and that they would also have them re-upholstered to match the color scheme / pattern, or that they found a set with the exact factory color match. That's why I tend to believe that this was probably a factory installation. Not implying that there was no interest in messing with cars back then in general....just referring to this particular instance.

There is no dark brown mahogany in 1959. see the link;
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorli...ntiac-pg01.jpg

[stevep]

Originally Posted by U47

Well, never say never. Harley Earl's wife's special ordered 1959 Catalina with a mostly Bonneville interior and factory buckets. see the link;
http://www.barrett-jackson.com/stagi...terior_Web.jpg
Although my dad's special ordered 59 Catalina didn't have buckets, it did have a tri-tone Bonneville interior along with a 420A with a solid lifter cam ( in the trunk at delivery ) and hand built in the Pontiac tool room like all nascar engines were, plus a heavy duty Super Hydramatic with external oil cooler.
Most, if not all Pontiac dealers in the L.A. area (west coast for that matter) had cars that were made in South Gate CA. Our car was ordered at A.E. England Pontiac in Hollywood CA., but was built in Michigan because of the engine and shipped by rail to the west coast. After six years of my dad racing it, it was handed over to me at the age of fourteen ( got my IHRA licence driving it ) and my regular licence in 1967 in it. I sold the car in 1969 and in 1978 went looking for it to restore. Sadly, I missed it by three months as it went to Clean Steel in Wilmington and was shredded. In my picture book on the car the first page is a picture of me in front of it with the dealer plates, and the last page is a copy of the affidavit from clean Steel stating it's date of demise.

I have seen that car.

One other thing to remember is that NOTHING was written in stone back then! That Bonneville Vista could have been built for some PMD Executive. If you look under the car, you will be able to tell if the buckets were added.

[Poncho60]

See my first post / response......I was referring to 1960...not 1959, just for the record.

[U47]

Originally Posted by stevep

I have seen that car.

One other thing to remember is that NOTHING was written in stone back then! That Bonneville Vista could have been built for some PMD Executive. If you look under the car, you will be able to tell if the buckets were added.

That's why I said never say never. As Bunkie Knudsen has said "there is always a way to do things"

[Centurion]

Originally Posted by 61-63

If you are a POCI member look up David J. Evans in LaMarque, Texas and call him and ask him your question. He specializes in and is pretty much the expert on the early Bonnevilles '57-'61. He has all of the dealer albums, etc., etc. and probably owns a couple of bucket seat '59 Bonnevilles as we speak.

A couple of years ago Todd Zimmerman acquired and then sold a '59-'61 era (I don't recall exactly which year it was) hard back bucket seat Buick station wagon which was an original car solid but in need of restoration. Not a Pontiac I know but if you could do it with a Buick back then I bet you could have with a Pontiac.

The particular car you mention is now located in my area of Washington state, and is undergoing restoration. This car is one of approximately 300 built -- 1960 Buick Invicta Custom Estate Wagon, with the leather bucket seat interior patterned after the 1959 Buick "Texan" wagon shown at the Chicago Auto Show. The car was actually produced as part of a low-volume production run and had many unique features, and was not simply a matter of someone wanting bucket seats in a regular wagon.

With regard to the 1959 Bonneville Safari wagon sold a few years ago and finished in Cameo Ivory with Sunset Glow roof, I am quite certain that the bucket seats had been added to that car. I recall some discussion about this car at the time that it was offered, and one individual had first-hand knowledge of the car.

[cballweg]

Thanks for the info on this.I remember the 59 Pontiac wagon on ebay a few years back

[cballweg]

Does anyone know if you could get an electric power bucket seat or not in 59?I know they had the power bench seat but not sure if there was a power bucket seat?Ive never seen one on e-bay for sale.Thanks for any replies to this.

[CATBIRD]

cballweg…..not according to the general sales brochures, accessorizor, dealer album, order form, service manual, or Master Parts Catalog……John