Installing bucket seats in a 1990

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bigboychevy

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Howdy folks, I’m installing these buckets seats mine has a bench seat, gotta drill 3-4 extra holes in the floor pan. Don’t Want to drill holes because my floor pan looks great zero rust. Wanted to know is it okay it won’t cause the truck to rust right? Is the proper method to spray some rustoleum where I drilled the holes and fill the hole with caulk then screw in the seat??
 

haroldwca

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It would depend a bit on whether you are in a snow/salt prone area. Where I live we see snow about once every four to six years. Salt is what we put on popcorn. Any rust here is from a vehicle that "immigrated" here from elsewhere. I installed factory buckets from a 1994 ECSB in my 1988 SCSB by doing just as you said. I drilled and bolted - no caulk. I have zero rust. Yes, I know I should seal up the holes a bit, but my intention is to weld a reinforcement patch and a weld nut on the underside of my floorpan for each hole. I just haven't gotten around to doing that yet. I do check each bolt/hole periodically. Still no rust. If you need to seal, I would suggest some direct-to-metal primer, followed by paint, and then as an extra precaution, seam-sealer. It's about $20 per tube at the local auto body supply shop.
 

bigboychevy

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It would depend a bit on whether you are in a snow/salt prone area. Where I live we see snow about once every four to six years. Salt is what we put on popcorn. Any rust here is from a vehicle that "immigrated" here from elsewhere. I installed factory buckets from a 1994 ECSB in my 1988 SCSB by doing just as you said. I drilled and bolted - no caulk. I have zero rust. Yes, I know I should seal up the holes a bit, but my intention is to weld a reinforcement patch and a weld nut on the underside of my floorpan for each hole. I just haven't gotten around to doing that yet. I do check each bolt/hole periodically. Still no rust. If you need to seal, I would suggest some direct-to-metal primer, followed by paint, and then as an extra precaution, seam-sealer. It's about $20 per tube at the local auto body supply shop.
Yeah it’s snows quite a bit during the winter here and they throw salt everywhere. I have a 60/40 bench seat that’s fading, found a 60/40 bucket seat same color at the junk yard and perfect condition. It’s really hard finding a tan cloth bench seat I tell ya. I got original bolts for the seats from eBay, I’m thinking of even painting them too to prevent rust
 

Rock Hard Concrete

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Be careful when mounting the seats. Don't just drill a hole in any old place on the floorpan. The p/o of my truck moved the stock seats back about 3 inches and it cracked the floor pan everywhere it was bolted. The stock location has gussets and nuts welded to the floor strengthening the mount.
 

bigboychevy

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Be careful when mounting the seats. Don't just drill a hole in any old place on the floorpan. The p/o of my truck moved the stock seats back about 3 inches and it cracked the floor pan everywhere it was bolted. The stock location has gussets and nuts welded to the floor strengthening the mount.
I was definitely going to do it exactly where it would be when the other screws are in the factory location. That should be fine right?
 

HotWheelsBurban

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Use some big heavy flat washers for reinforcement, under the nut between it and the floorpan. This will help spread the load of each bolt, and help keep the holes clean. You DO NOT WANT the bolts that hold the seat down to rip loose in a wreck!
 

bigboychevy

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Use some big heavy flat washers for reinforcement, under the nut between it and the floorpan. This will help spread the load of each bolt, and help keep the holes clean. You DO NOT WANT the bolts that hold the seat down to rip loose in a wreck!
Yeah that’s why I am bolting them all down instead of leaving a few holes. Don’t want to fly out with the seat in an accident lol
 

someotherguy

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Use some big heavy flat washers for reinforcement, under the nut between it and the floorpan. This will help spread the load of each bolt, and help keep the holes clean. You DO NOT WANT the bolts that hold the seat down to rip loose in a wreck!
That advice sounds really familiar; I think I've heard it come out of my keyboard a few times. ;)

The largest, thickest washers you can find that have the correct size hole so the bolt/nut won't slip through the middle. You'll notice when you get under there that the factory has added an extra layer of sheetmetal in the area where the factory seat bolts go, for stiffening.

Here's a freebie: until you get around to welding some nuts down there, lock some vise grips on the bolt while you go underneath to tighten the nut. The vise grips will spin around til they rest against the seat bracket, and you can one-man tighten the nut without a fight. Once it's snug get up there and move the vise grip away from the bracket so you can still unlock it before final tightening.

Richard
 

bigboychevy

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Hey I was gonna change the carpet while I got the seat out, is the regular insulation you get a lowes okay to use as insulation under the carpet??
 

someotherguy

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Hey I was gonna change the carpet while I got the seat out, is the regular insulation you get a lowes okay to use as insulation under the carpet??
I'd say no. Good replacement carpet will come with the jute padding, but there's also some heat-reflective foil-lined pieces under there that will not come with the new carpet. You'll either want to try to re-use yours, or replace it with a similar type of material. Aftermarket insulation products like Dynamat or similar will have offerings for the hot spots like above the exhaust, particularly the catalytic converter area. Depending on your paint color you may notice that area of the floor is actually discolored from heat!

Richard
 
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