[FSJplumcrazy]

I was not thrilled with the low-back bucket seats in my 66 convertible, so out they went (traded for a good hood).
I kept the back seat...just by shear luck.

Someone has to have put in a taller bucket seat into a convertible, so show me what you found that works. Pros and cons of the decision and what you recommend. If you went with shoulder seat belts, all the better.

I have a set of mid-90's Firebird seats, but they seem a bit narrow and I would like to see other options.

Post up pictures and what you did to make the seat fit on the original seat bolts/studs in the floor. If you didn't use the original stuff, how did you make the seats sit level.
Again, I won't have a show car, but a nice driver when it's all said and done...something to take on a Power-Cruise down the road.




Wayne S

[lust4speed]

Here is a link to our club website where we just installed a set of 2005 GTO black electric seats in a 1966 GTO. Went much smoother and quicker than we thought it would. I've been on some rides with him and the seats fit really well - and the embroidered red GTO at the top of the seats looks excellent. Here's the link:

http://iegtoclub.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1198452726

[Rugratman]

Lust, if I may.....
How much were the seat's? Ballpark....
And
How was the bottom of the seats attched to the floor? Did you use the 4 stock bolts with a adapter plate? Was there a clearance issue for the seat componant's?
Honestly, next to my Caddy's seats, the GTO's are the next best seats in the GM line.
Very nice.

[engineer]

you can use any GM bucket from 1964 on. Just have to make up some bracket extensions for other track bolt patterns. you could have added headrests to your 66 seats, used GP seats, firebird with the taller seat, etc.

[Rugratman]

Also, how did the fit of the console go, between the seat's?

[lust4speed]

Rugratman, my friend paid $850 total including the $160 shipping from back east. He bought them off ebay. Surprising how many new GTO's are being wrecked and parted out. These seats really were like new - I think the wrecked car had only 4,000 miles on it.

We overkilled the measuring to insure that they would fit properly and clear everything, including my tall friend. Long story short, the original GTO studs and bolt holes are exactly centered and can be used to set up the new seats with no worry. We proved that with about 3 hours of measuring and re-measuring. The final position of the front holes were two inches back from the original studs (which did have to be cut off so the seat track wouldn't hang up when run forward all the way), and centered just outside the studs which brought the new holes in about an inch. We took the track off and positioned it so we could mark the holes. Also, these are tall seats and the lower the better on the mounts. Outside did have two washers to maintain same height as the inboard front mount. We also had to unbolt the emergency seat belt tensioners and then cut the bracket for them off since it wouldn't clear the center hump and console. After this the lower track laid nicely in place and we could attach the rear "L" bracket. We just went down to the hardware store and found a Simpson bracket that measured about 2.5x3 inches. A welding clamp pinched the bracket to the rear of the track and we popped a few welding beads to secure it. A little semi-gloss paint and it looked factory. We just marked the rear holes through the bracket hole and drilled through the floor. Only other thing we did was use the large fender washers on the bottom. It was rather scary ordering out seats and not knowing if they would fit properly, but it was my friends money so I felt pretty brave with the cutoff wheel and drill.

Wiring up the seats was also straight forward. After eliminating the retractors, there was only a red and black wire to run to a fused power lead. Seats look like they were made for the 66 GTO. While they are no wider overall than the stock seats, they are tall and long and the rear seat leg room was cut by about a third. Front seat passengers are sitting in luxury however. Seat to console distance is so close to the original seats that I can't tell any difference.

[FSJplumcrazy]

Those look nice...how low/high do they sit the driver?

Wayne S

[lust4speed]

Actual seating position is very close to a new original seat as long as you mount them as we did (note that they are behind the stock mount location and lower). The actual height of the foam portion of the seat is something like 1-1/4" higher, but the brackets are designed much lower than our originals to come within about a 1/2" of original. When you mount them off the raised stock mount everything pretty much works out.

His installed seats sit higher than my original buckets that are somewhat collapsed in the 4-speed car, but are lower than the red cruisers seats that have new foam. Bottom line is the position is just about perfect. Note that the floor pan dips really low on the outside mount and we made up for it with running the bolt up through the bottom with a washer and nut as a spacer. On the inside the mount goes right on the floor - well on top of the carpet everywhere. The other mounting idea that worked good was bolting the seat down to the bare floor in front and letting the rear portion of the brackets float at the height they needed to be at. We then took the L-brackets and clamped them on where they made good contact with the slope of the floor and the bracket. That's why in the picture showing the back bracket they are not positioned equally, but both lay dead flat on the rear pan.