Is it just me, or do these dang bucket seats not have enough adjustment?

[moparedtn]

1968 GTX, factory buckets. The buckets are mounted in the factory floor hole mounts.
Seats are recovered and in fine shape; tracks and such look really good. I've had them
out of the car checking them out and getting the adjusters working again (old cables
were stretched/rotted).

Now, keep in mind, I'm only 6'-0, but the dang drivers' bucket doesn't go back far enough
for me to get some room between me and the wheel. Exacerbating the situation is the fact
the dang buckets don't have any tilt to their seat backs; one position, period.
This doesn't seem right. Not a comfortable driving position at all.

Is the fact that the thing has "normal" bolts holding the things down mean the bolt heads
are getting in the way of the seats sliding back any further in their tracks?
Wondering if anyone else has run across this...

 

[themechanic]

I would have to agree that seats designed in the 60s and 70s are uncomfortable. Especially, after driving cars and trucks made after 1990.

Since many of us are over 50 and have a clearance issue between our table muscle and the wheel they sell brackets to make the seat go back further. I haven't tried them but have seen them online.

Aftermarket seats are another option.

 

[hunt2elk]

There should be 3 sets of square holes in the bottoms of the seat tracks. If they are now in the middle holes, you might be able to gain an inch by moving the studs.

 

[moparedtn]

True dat on the holes in the tracks - but what the heck? Were people smaller back then? :no:

 

[GetX'd]

Look at the kids growing up these days - they're huge by yesteryear standards. Were folks smaller back then - hell yes! That's probably why they're set so tight. My seats are set all the way back and I have enough room - 6'0" here too.

 

[themechanic]

There should be 3 sets of square holes in the bottoms of the seat tracks. If they are now in the middle holes, you might be able to gain an inch by moving the studs.

I didn't know that. Whatdya know, those clever Chrysler engineers future proofed the seat tracks.

Photo of my 1969 Coronet seat track:

 

[moparedtn]

Sho nuff, just went out there and checked and the bolts were in the middle position.
However, there is some old weld slag around the front-most bolt holes, perhaps
indicating the factory had studs welded there.

Aha! Eureka! Or something like that...

I re-mounted the seat using those front-most holes and bought enough room for my legs
to relax and fit the pedals better. Halfway home!
Now, if I could only buy some extree elbow/wingspan up top, life would be good.
I'll take what I can get in the name of keeping the stock, pretty seats though.
Thanks y'all!

 

[themechanic]

Another satisfied FBBO member.

 

[69a100]

When you had the seats apart, did you keep things in order or get mixed up? If you get the slider tracks mixed up and installed on the wrong seat they will be backwards and the seat won't go all the way back. Good Luck

 

[YY1]

For the record, sit an a '68 torino or Malibu/clone.

You will be AMAZED how much better you fit in a Mopar.

 

[kellycom]

my 66 Charger's driver seat tracks have adjustments in the tracks. It allowed the seat to be lowered and moved back a bit. To get some more room between my legs and the steering wheel I got a smaller aftermarket steering wheel.

 

[moparedtn]

When you had the seats apart, did you keep things in order or get mixed up? If you get the slider tracks mixed up and installed on the wrong seat they will be backwards and the seat won't go all the way back. Good Luck

Never took 'em apart, just had them out to get the slide adjusters working again with fresh cable/wires. Made sure they functioned out of the car before putting them back in. They work, just wish the seatbacks had adjustment for angle.

- - - Updated - - -

For the record, sit an a '68 torino or Malibu/clone.

You will be AMAZED how much better you fit in a Mopar.

In my *cough* former life (many, many years ago), I owned a '68 Malibu in fact. All kinds of room in it, but it had a bench seat, too.

- - - Updated - - -

my 66 Charger's driver seat tracks have adjustments in the tracks. It allowed the seat to be lowered and moved back a bit. To get some more room between my legs and the steering wheel I got a smaller aftermarket steering wheel.

Wish these did.
Oh, I can't do a smaller wheel. Manual steering and small wheels don't work unless your first name is Ahhnold.

 

[Bruzilla]

I'm 6'6" and fat, so I need extra room. I modified the seat tracks by removing the old rear studs and adding ones an inch longer, then used a 1" spacer on each of the rear studs to raise the back of the tracks an inch. Then I drilled new holes 2" behind where all the original holes were, had reinforcement brackets welded on, and mounted the seats. The floor behind the seats slopes down a bit, so the spacers on the back raise the rear and compensate for it.

This gave me 2" of space and no one can sit behind me.

 

[Hemi 354]

Excellent Observation Bruzilla.....

I purchased a 66 Belvedere II and your comments about the extra spacers on the back hit home. Mine has that, and I was thinking..... "Why the hell are these installed here"? Now I know. My ride is an ex-Drag car that was converted back to street use and I have found several interesting things that were done to this car. I also suspect that the bench seats are NOT Plymouth, but some other *cough* make. However, once they were done with the proper upholstery, you could never know where they came from.

 

[moparedtn]

Yeah, the bit about there being no reinforcement where I actually wanted the seat mounts to come through the floor bothered me since I have no welding skills. Thought about just getting some quarter plate and drilling holes, but dismissed that pretty quick, not wanting to cheaply "engineer" some sort of rig.

Visions of something coming loose/collapsing whilst hitting 2nd hard danced in my head.

Anyone besides me ever notice that drivers look like they're too far forward in the car while driving by in old Mopars?
Might just be me, but even in the old driving test articles and videos they did back in the 60's, it always looked like
the dude driving was uncomfortably close to the wheel.
If they were wearing a helmet, it just amplified the effect, at least to me...

Fortunately, moving the bolts to the front-most holes in the seat frame bought me just enough room to at least not go into cramps while driving. It ain't perfect, but it's better than it was.

 

[Dennis H]

See those steering wheels in your chest in mid 60's Vettes? Who the hell can drive them. I got late model seats (well they used to be - 89 FWD Daytona) and I run them all the way back and relax the back rest. Straight arm. And, a no dish Momo Johnny Player Special steering wheel. These B Bodies are roomy and comfortable. Get in an E Body sometime.

 

[moparedtn]

Oh, I've owned an e-body or two. Always amazed me how small they were inside.
Guess that has something to do with those thick doors full of "side beam protection", eh? :happy3:

Nope, never enters my mind to go non-stock with these. OTOH, adapting some sort of seat back angle adjustment to the stock ones would make sense to me. I might have to fiddle with that one day...

 

[RT K_line]

I don't know what model my seats are from but they have a tilt function. Not the back but the whole seat has three tilt positions. Anyone know what they are from? Sorry for hijacking the thread.

 

[Dennis H]

Good thread. Mechanic pictures helped. Mine are going on the next square, can always use a little more room. Mopar is comfortable and roomy. Sit in a new Stang, then Camaro. Then sit in a new Challenger. Roomy. The seat goes back further than needed - can barely push in the clutch far enough. Love the Mopar comfort and expanses. Only 6'? I'm 5-10. Or used to be. Like the straight arm driving so Momo no dish wheel helps here too.

 

[Ghostrider 67]

The 6 way power seats in my Coronet are from a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. They the same width and length as stock. I'm 6'1" and I plan to move the mounting holes back a couple of inches as well.