Updated June 23, 1998

May 26, 1998

Way back in the dead of last winter, someone e-mailed me about how they had put seats from a late model Mustang in their classic coupe, and that it looked great and was an easy install. I tried to write back, but couldn't and didn't hear from him again, but I was inspired enough to run right out to the local junkyard and snap up a pair of '95 Mustang bucket seats (GT Style). They are dark grey cloth with black vinyl inserts on the backs and sides. Very sharp looking. They were comfortable to sit in in the garage while I was pondering other projects. But that's not really why I bought them so this weekend (Memorial Day - a three day weekend) I decided it was time to install them.

So, I began by removing the old seats. Since the nuts underneith are protected by rubber plugs, they weren't rusted, and came off easily. Then I measured the distances between the seat posts, and compared them to the measurements of the new seat tracks. I also measured the built-in seat riser on the coupe's floor (I had to remove the carpet to get a good look at it, and of course I had to pull the underlayment (old pieces of rubber-backed floor mats), sill plates and kick panels too, and I'm going to go ahead and replace them all too).

Surprisingly clean under here.

After drawing some pictures of how I thought it was going to work, I went out and spent about $40 on brackets and hardware to secure the seats with. Ultimately, I only used four bolts. Oh well. I set up the brackets and bolted them in, and set the new seat on them and bolted it on, and immediately noticed that there was only two inches between the seat cushion and the steering wheel. And the wheel doesn't tilt so..back to the drawing board.

We did some more measuring (by now the hubby was helping - those seats are HEAVY), and decided that it would be a big improvement to remove the tall tracks off the new seat and replace them with the old seat tracks, which are a lower profile. (at this point, the hubby sensed he was getting roped into real work and bolted back into the house) I removed the tracks from the seats (new and old) and determined that, by some stroke of luck, the distance between the track mounting holes is the same on both seats. I mounted the front of the tracks on the existing front holes, using the bolts for the new seat, and marked where to drill the holes to mount the other end of the tracks. Using a carbide bit in my handy-dandy Wagner rechargable drill, I drilled the holes. (I can't say enough good things about that drill, I use it all the time, and it never runs down on me.)

Here's a seat with one track installed

Here's a seat with both tracks installed

When I mounted the new tracks, I had to bend the adjustment arm (the part you push on when you want to slide the seat forward or back). I had to bend it so it was flat and actually it had to angle down a little to clear the front of the seat. I also cleaned the tracks, hit them with some paint and greased them. I mounted them to the seat with two thick washers between the seat and the track at each bolt, to give the adjustment mechanisms room to move without binding on the cloth. I also used lockwashers to hold it all in place.

Test mounting the seat looked good. We sat in it and decided it was comfortable and not too high, so I repeated everything on the other seat. Now both seats are sitting in the car, waiting for me to finish installing the Hurst shifter, so I can put the carpet back down and bolt them in, but I'm sure they're going to work out fine. It took a lot of work, because I took the wrong path the first time, but the final solution was pretty easy. If that's what the guy who e-mailed me in the first place did (swapping tracks), then he was right, it was an easy install.

June 22, 1998

I finally finished the shifter (see the engine page for that little project) and reinstalled the carpet and padding and was able to bolt in the seats for the final time. They fit great, are comfortable, and look really sharp. I can't wait to install custom door panels with the same fabric, and I'm already looking for a shop to upholster the back seat to match. As you can see in the picture there's plenty of clearance between the seat and the steering wheel.

I reinstalled the old lap belts temporarily and took it for a cruise today and it was great. The seats are very comfy and supportive, compared to the old buckets. Knowing how to do it now, I'd recommend it to anyone with a daily driver who'd like to have better, safer seats.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional mechanic, and do not assume any responsibility for you taking my advice on anything you see here, no matter the consequences. I can't guarentee I did this the best way possible, I'm just letting you see how I did something, so maybe you'll get your own great ideas and do me one better. Use your own best judgement when working on your car and installing safety equipment.

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