By Vann Von Luebben

1962-64 SUPER SPORT BUCKET SEATS & CONSOLEINSTALLATION

This month we’ll be addressing one of our most often asked readerquestions. Many of you have expressed interest in installing Super Sportbucket seats in your bench seat equipped Late Great Chevy. Most peoplethink that you simply need to get a set of factory buckets, maybe drill a fewholes and you have instant bucket seats. While this may be close to thetruth, it’s not as simple as all that. Read along and let’s discover the insand outs of installing factory buckets and a console in your Late GreatChevy.

Tools Needed: WelderBasic Hand Tool Set

Time Frame: 8-Hours

519158

562237

531391

Parts Needed:531391 1962-64 Bucket Seat Floor Bracket Set519158 1963 Console Auto or Manual562237 1963 Console Bracket Kit 519131 1964 Console Automatic511248 1964 Console 4-Speed561011 1964 Console Bracket Kit531236 1961-64 Full Length Floor Pans (Left) (Optional)531237 1961-64 Full Length Floor Pans (Right) (Optional)

Assuming you have already removed your current bench seatand carpeting, check the condition of your floor pans and seatmounting area. If you find any sign of rust, this will have to beaddressed. The last thing you want to attempt is installing newbucket seats and a console on weak and rusted floor areas. Ifrust not only appears in the floor pans, but has also made itsway to the seat mounting portion of the floor pans, I wouldsuggest replacing them with the full length pans P/N 531236(left) and P/N 531237 (right). These full floor pans not onlyinclude the front and rear pans, they also include the portiondirectly under the front seats. Be sure to also check out yourfloor braces at this time. If you find a great deal of rust in yourfloor pans, this simple bucket seat and console install couldturn into a much larger project. Consult your favorite salesrepresentative for the correct application for your floor pan andbraces needs. For now we’ll assume that your floors are niceand solid!

#1a

#1b

Photo #2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f & 2g: To facilitate the bucket seatinstall in non-Super Sport cars, Late Great Chevy has a niftybracket kit P/N 531391. These bucket seat brackets, along witha set of buckets with seat tracks, help to make the bucket seatswap a reality. Take a look at the left (drivers) seat inboardbracket and track placement on Project ’63 (Photo 2a). Lookclosely and you’ll notice that the rearmost portion that bolts tothe floor bracket is bent at an angle. The track does not boltsquarely to the floor bracket. In this bracket kit, there are twosets of brackets... one pair of brackets, one inner and oneouter, for the left (drivers) seat and one pair for the right(passenger) seat. The following photos illustrate how thisfloorboard bracket kit mimics the originals (Photo 2b). Whenthe inboard seat tracks are bolted to the brackets, you can get abetter idea of why you need the special brackets and tracks.Photos (2c & 2d) show the same inboard left hand bracket laidin place (in project ’63 it is shown over the original bracket) toillustrate how the bracket holds your seat to the track and thetrack to the floor of the car. Photo (2e) shows a spare right(passenger) Impala SS seat track that someone has modified. Ifyou look closely at the inboard rear track, you can see that it isbent straight down. The original shape of the track is bent at anangle where it bolts to the floor bracket. Shown in photos (2f &2g) is the track on the same seat and a correct unmodifiedtrack in two different views.

#2a

#2c #2d

#2e

#2f #2g

#2b

Photo #1a & 1b: In a factory Impala SS, the floor pans will havetwo sets of brackets on each side. These brackets are welded tothe floor pans of the car to allow the seat adjusters (the tracksunder your bucket seats) to bolt to the floor boards of the car.For this tech article we used the Project ’63, a factory SuperSport, because the bucket seat brackets were already presenton the floor boards.

Just as there are a pair of left and right floor brackets (one setof each seat), there is also a pair of left and right seat tracks.Due to the arrangement of the seat tracks and drive shafttunnel that runs between the seats, you must have the factorycorrect seat tracks. The major obstacle that most folks find isthat, currently, no one reproduces these tracks. Often a readerwill say they just purchased these bucket seats, but can’t figureout how to install them. The problem is, many people areselling bucket seat assemblies without the seat tracks. If you’reconsidering the purchase of used bucket seats for your LateGreat Chevy, make sure the tracks are included with the bucketseats! If you’re one of those readers who’s now looking forbucket seat tracks, all GM’s used the same tracks from 1962-64.

Photo #3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e, 3f, 3g & 3h: If you have replaced yourfloor or are installing buckets in a bench seat car, then this nextsection is just for you. The best way I know to get everythingright is to take your seat frames (I say seat frames because yourseats could probably use reupholstering) and bolt the tracks tothe seats (Photos 3a, 3b, 3c & 3d). Use the contour of the floorpans as a guide. This is how your seat tracks, brackets andframes will look when bolted together, waiting to be set in thecar. I used my hand for a focal point since the brackets are

#3h

I measured from the inboard edge/seam of the rocker panel.This is where the rocker metal stops inside the car. I measuredbetween this edge and the outboard edge of the bracket.Starting with the left (drivers) side, here are the measurementsI recorded. Yours may differ slightly…

1 - Inboard edge of rocker panel to forward bolt in the bracket = 6-3/4 inches

2 - Inboard edge of rocker panel to middle of bracket (edge of bracket) = 5-7/8 inches

3 - Inboard edge of rocker panel to rear bolt in the bracket = 6-5/8 inches

Then I measured from the inboard edge of the bracket to theinboard edge of the inner bracket next to the drive shafttunnel. These measurements were…1 - Forward edge of outboard (closet to the drivers door)

bracket to the forward edge of the inner bracket = 13-1/42 - Middle edge of outboard (closet to the drivers door) bracket

to the middle edge of the inner bracket = 12-3/4 inches3 - Rear edge of outboard (closet to the drivers door) bracket

to the rear edge of the inner bracket = 12-1/4 inches.

hard to make out in a photograph (Photos 3e, 3f & 3g). I alsoused a set of sand blasted and painted frames for the photos inthis article. Now, set the assembly into the appropriate side ofthe car. In the photos, you can probably see what the next stepis. Measure the distance from a common point of referenceand then trace the bracket outlines onto the floor pans (Photo3h). Remove the seat track and bracket assemblies from thecar. Grind the floor pan metal to achieve a clean surface toweld on. Replace your seat assembles, outline a quarter inchfrom the bracket. In other words, don’t trace the bracket butkeep your marker outline one quarter inch from it so youwon’t be welding on a marked surface. Remove your bracketsfrom the seat tracks and place the brackets one at a time in thecar. This is where measuring comes into play; measure theplacement of the brackets against what you measured whenthey were still attached to the seats. Once you have the samemeasurements, break out your welder and weld a continuousbead all the way around the brackets, DO NOT stitch or spotweld, you do not want these brackets coming loose. If you arenot confident about your welding ability, get someone who isto do it. I would start by tacking the brackets into place andreattaching the seat tracks to the brackets to test for fit. Adjustthe placement of the brackets as necessary and check again forfit. When you are happy with the seat location, remove the seatassembly and begin to weld in the brackets.

#3a

#3b

#3c #3d

#3e

#3f #3g

#5a

Photo #4a: The right (passenger) side had similar measure-ments, but did not precisely match the left (driver) side. Oncewelded in, reattach your brackets to the seat frame and trackassembly. You should have a flush weld with out gaps. Thereshould not be any unusual tension on the seat tracks. In short,your seat should fit nicely like this. You’re now done with thebucket seat brackets.

Photo #5a & 5b: If you want to install the accompanying factoryconsole, then you will need a set of console brackets. For 1963cars, you will use P/N 562237. These brackets are used withthe 1963 reproduction console P/N 519158. This console isused with either the automatic or 4-speed transmission. Theseare exact reproduction brackets, same as in the project ’63(Photos 5a & 5b). Here is a set of reference measurements foryou on the console brackets. The forward bracket is approxi-mately 1/2 inch; this bracket goes forward on the transmissionhump and has two little “J” shaped protrusions. The bracket iseight inches overall with five inches between the “J” shapedtabs. The tabs are where the console is attached to the floorpan using screws. There is also a rear bracket. This bracket isdouble “T” shaped and 18 inches overall. It fits in the drop or

#5b

détente in the floor pan (Photo 5a). This bracket runs parallelwith the length of the seat tracks. From the front of the bracketto the détente in the floor is 5-1/8 inches. The front “T” is 5-3/8inches wide. The rear is 5-9/16 inches. Both “T”s have verticaltabs on each side for attachment of the console to the floorwith screws. Both brackets will need to be spot welded to thefloor pan.

For 1964 cars, use P/N 561011 console bracket kit with eitherP/N 519131 automatic transmission, or P/N 511248 4-speedtransmission. Regardless of model or year, I would wait anduse my new console as a guide for installing the brackets in thecorrect location. Again, contact your favorite sales represen-tative and they will be more than happy to assist you withordering the correct parts for bucket seat and console instal-lation. And there you have it; installing bucket seats and acenter console in your 1962-64 Chevy.