Bucket Seat Frames

['68OrangeSunshine]

'71 GMC Jimmy K/1500. Custom trim level.
My seats are shot. I bought this rig in 1995 and they weren't great then. A PO had installed some junkyard highback buckets out of an '80s Camaro/Firebird with a great flare for redneck engineering. Single 4'' posts are bolted to the floor to receive the front brackets. The rears of both seats are screwed into 14'' long 4x4'' wood blocks, in turn screwed to the floor. In a head-on collision, I'm a goner.
The pony car seats were done with a wire spring frame encapsulated inside the seat foam. Not a repairable configuration.
Now, big spring ends stick up to poke me and my passenger in the butt.

I need new bucket seats.
The vintage console is fine.

I was looking online at Shop4Seats.com and liked their products. When I called and asked for an ''expert'' to advise me about mounting brackets for seats, a girl told me she was it, and didn't understand what a GMC Jimmy was. She said they had brackets for Silverados. I explained that was a later trade name for a trim level. We were unable to come to an accomodation.

I'm not looking for period-correct, concourse-grade bucket seats here, I'm just tired of getting poked in the butt. New seats are fine if I can mount them securely.
Anybody know of a solution to this problem?

[zammer]

I thought i'd chime in with a possible solution if you are ok with still doing a touch of "redneck" engineering" I have an idea i have been thinking over for the same seat problem - trying to find some seat frames for a blazer/c10. If you look at the Gen 1 broncos the seat size and foam style, and back plate looks very close to our Gen 1 blazer/Jimmy's. There are a couple different mounting options reproduction 66-77 bronco seat frames available for 4-$500 from a vendor possibly here even. There is also a company that makes reproduction blazer seat brackets if you want the passenger seat to flip forward but you could also have the seats put on the bench sliding brackets or fixed frame that are also reproduced from vendors that some guys have done on here. Then pick up foam for your 71,new seat covers over your choice and the backing plates are all available.

I have not proceeded with this yet so i cannot comment how close the frame size is, Just ENSURE if you go this way you get the rough measurements of the Bronco seat frames and likely someone on here can give you the measurements of an OEM blazer/c10/jimmy bucket seat frame

This setup will add up very fast though that is the major drawback

Good luck let us know how it goes

[zammer]

example of a bronco seat set up

[72ironmike]

[QUOTE=zammer;9209876] There is also a company that makes reproduction blazer seat brackets if you want the passenger seat to flip forward

Zammer, Who is the company making pass side Blazer/Jimmy brackets ? Thanks.

[zammer]

Motor City K5, not sure if they do the rear passenger bracket though?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Thanks for the replies, guys.
I'm tending toward new seats, as going thru the Frame/Foam/Upholstery/Mounting etc. is going to take forever and cost a mint. Not heading to the K/5 Concours, this is a daily driver I use for work. My only runner just now.
I looked on Jegs and was unable to pull up bucket seats typing in GMC. It went to Jeep by default. Going on Summit's website, I got the opposite, with 1500 selections, but nothing right, or in my budget, so far.
Funny, in my '68 C/10 Orange Stepside, I've had a '69 F*rd T-Bird bucket back/bench seat w/electric controls since 1977. The Ford seat sits on 4 long legs of threaded 9/16'' [or 5/8''] studs that go thru the floor. A stop nut and large diameter washer is needed on top, and more nuts and washers underneath. Due to the 30 amp draw, the electric switch is not connected.
Looks like F*rd copied GM mounting the Bronco seats.

I'm interested in seat frame brackets that fit the OEM holes, to which I can mount Procar or TMI or other, ready-made lowback buckets.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by zammer

Motor City K5, not sure if they do the rear passenger bracket though?

Thanks Zammer. I took my rear seat out years ago. It's sitting cockeyed in the rear of my '67 K/10 Suburban, which is currently a storage unit.

And does Motor City K/5 have Drivers Side brackets, too?

[zammer]

I did not see any driver side brackets on their site , I believe they are the same mounts as the c/10 driver buckets on a slider. Some guys here have made the sliders from the bench seats work unless someone knows of some specific to the bucket seats made? I dont recall coming across them but havent dug too hard

['68OrangeSunshine]

Looks like buckets are available in your favorite color -- as long as that's Black.

[zammer]

Complete bucket frames? Or complete bucket seat sets?

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by zammer

Complete bucket frames? Or complete bucket seat sets?

I need the whole 9 yards. PO mounted some '80s Firebird/Camaro highback buckets on 4'' x 4'' post lumber blocks in the rear. They'd been on for a while, when I bought the rig in 1995. So 30 y.o. wood, maybe? In AZ's dry heat.

Best to start over. New mounting frames to fit new seats.
Low backs are fine. A headrest is not that necessary.

[Warrens69GMC]

What you can do is look for 1978-1985 malibu seats 50/50, and if you want them to fold forward grab 1982-2000 S10 bucket seat levers. This will allow the buckets to fold forward.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by Warrens69GMC

What you can do is look for 1978-1985 malibu seats 50/50, and if you want them to fold forward grab 1982-2000 S10 bucket seat levers. This will allow the buckets to fold forward.

Good to know.
Thanks Warren.