Finished Leather Seat Swap**NOW WITH PICS**
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Finished Leather Seat Swap**NOW WITH PICS**
Not an easy task as some might think. First of all the seats were from a 95 Bonneville SE, and they were going into a 97 SE. I originally had cloth bench and swapping out for leather buckets.
Removing the seats were not really a problem, the only thing I noticed was that the stupid T-50 bit was a pain in the but, and the nut/washer underneath the car was welded to the chasis. So once I got underneath, sprayed some lubricant and slapped some vice grips on the nut, then I got in the car again with a air wrench and torqued away....it finally came out.
As I was putting in the passenger side leather bucket I got everything in allright, but when I went to test the seat belt, it did not work. The shoulder belt was not compatible with the seat belt clip on the seat, so a 97' (or newer most likely) will not work with a 95' clip. And this was the case for both the seats. Now I had to unscrew the rails off both my original seats, then install them on the new leather seats, with both 97' seat belt clips attatched. (So I would have the setup of a 97 seat rail with the plastic clips and electronics but the actual seat would be the 95' leather)
Once the rails were installed, it was just a matter of bolting the seats to the car and presto! It finally worked. I just have a gap between the two bucket seats, but I can easily find something cool to put there.
Removing the seats were not really a problem, the only thing I noticed was that the stupid T-50 bit was a pain in the but, and the nut/washer underneath the car was welded to the chasis. So once I got underneath, sprayed some lubricant and slapped some vice grips on the nut, then I got in the car again with a air wrench and torqued away....it finally came out.
As I was putting in the passenger side leather bucket I got everything in allright, but when I went to test the seat belt, it did not work. The shoulder belt was not compatible with the seat belt clip on the seat, so a 97' (or newer most likely) will not work with a 95' clip. And this was the case for both the seats. Now I had to unscrew the rails off both my original seats, then install them on the new leather seats, with both 97' seat belt clips attatched. (So I would have the setup of a 97 seat rail with the plastic clips and electronics but the actual seat would be the 95' leather)
Once the rails were installed, it was just a matter of bolting the seats to the car and presto! It finally worked. I just have a gap between the two bucket seats, but I can easily find something cool to put there.
#3
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That'* good information about the seatbelt compatibility. Who would have thought that they were different?
I'm curious about that nut on the underside of the car. I dismantled two 93 Bonneville interiors and never ran across a separate nut. Not to mention all of the other vehicles I've worked on back in my installer days. The threaded hole where the the seatbelt bolt inserts has always been a part of the body. Hmmmfff.
Congrats on a job well done!
I'm curious about that nut on the underside of the car. I dismantled two 93 Bonneville interiors and never ran across a separate nut. Not to mention all of the other vehicles I've worked on back in my installer days. The threaded hole where the the seatbelt bolt inserts has always been a part of the body. Hmmmfff.
Congrats on a job well done!
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Yea, I will get pics sometime soon and put them in this topic.
The nut on the drivers side remained attatched to the underside of the car, but on the passenger side it came off. I think the passenger side was beat up because of me wiggling and banging on it.
The nut on the drivers side remained attatched to the underside of the car, but on the passenger side it came off. I think the passenger side was beat up because of me wiggling and banging on it.
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That is a very interesting swap. Would've been nice to see before and after pics tho,..but at least u got instalation pics, right? RIGHT? OMG,..U didn't get instlation pics?
j/k
j/k
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would it be possible to get the middle part out of a bonie with the floor shifter? or would it look wierd? a 6CD changer would be nice in there
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Dude said it would cost me an extra 50$, so I said thats allright. I will be getting a nice aftermarket gray leather counsole with cupholders, and a storage place in the middle. Really, there is not that big of a gap between the two seats, plus the floor comes up a little bit as well. The floor shifter would look wierd, but obviously one could cut it off and make it look nice and make it adaptable. The changer is a cool idea, might have to look into that now!