forgot how to remove 73-77 rear seat

by fishhead Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:01 pm

Hey folks,i'm removing my 75 s3 furniture so i can replace the full floorpan and i need a refresher on the best way to yank the rear seat without damaging anything.Many years ago i seem to remember just pulling up really hard on the 73 chevelle bottom seat to get it loose and it worked fine but i don't want to risk damage on the s3.Can someone tell me the correct proc scratch

edure? Thanks.

by 77mali Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:38 pm

Remove seat belt retractors- use a breaker bar & the correct "Torqs" bit. Pay attention to how the belts & hardware are "stacked" for reinstall. Other than that there are only two other bolts @ the front of the lower bench section between the floor pan & where the seat rests on the "shelf".

by Mcarlo77 Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:24 pm

Mali is correct for removing the upright seat. If you have a Southern car, those T50 Torx bolts probably won't give you much trouble. If it's from the Rust Belt, they can be brutal to remove. Then, just lift up on the seat to unhook it at the top. They can sometimes be stubborn, but work it a little and it will come up and off.

The lower seat is held in place by a bolt on either end...underneath the front of the seat.

by 77mali Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:04 pm

Mcarlo makes a good point- if there's a lot of rust be careful or you might strip the torx head on the bolt. You may also want to have an extension handy for the breaker bar also to help with leverage. Mine were a @#$!% nightmare to get out.

by 74MonteCarlo Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:09 pm

It's also easy to break that torx socket completely apart. That happened to us once on a parts car. My dad got to break out of of his favorite tools to get the bolts off. His air chisel. Just chiseled the bolts away.

by fishhead Thu Oct 25, 2012 10:56 pm

Thanks fellas,i'm getting back to what i love after many years of "life happens".I recently got the 75"rustbucket" laguna S3 because the price was right and the body is pretty straight considering that it was stored outdoors for many years.The grill and all exterior chrome is in great shape but the interior is pretty shot.As for my 73 malibu coupe i'm still searching for a factory hood.I lost the original because the house it was stored in was completely destroyed during that alabama tornado outbreak. affraid

by Grand73am Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:45 pm

Yes, for removing the seat bottom, look or feel for a bolt on each side that is under the front bottom edge of the seat bottom. Remove the 2 bolts and just pull the seat bottom forward and out.

by fishhead Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:41 pm

Thanks for the help,I'm soaking the mounting bolts on the front buckets with penetrating lube..so far so good.I might hafta grind one off the drivers seat..it looks like it came off the ocean floor...kinda shapeless.. Cool

by fishhead Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:59 pm

Is it ok to remove the bottom of the rear seat first or is there a certain sequence to follow?Sounds silly but I don't like to destroy semi-rare (expensive)parts and its been many years since I've done this.I removed the 2 bolts and just want to be sure there aren't any hidden clips or such when I start yanking the bottom portion loose.Thanks for being a great help everybody,I'll try to send pics soon. study

by fishhead Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:01 pm

Is it ok to remove the bottom of the rear seat first or is there a certain sequence to follow?Sounds silly but I don't like to destroy semi-rare (expensive)parts and its been many years since I've done this.I removed the 2 bolts and just want to be sure there aren't any hidden clips or such when I start yanking the bottom portion loose.Thanks for being a great help everybody,I'll try to send pics soon. study

by fishhead Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:01 pm

Oops.

by 77mali Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:40 pm

If I remember right I took the bottom out first , it just lifts up after the bolts are out. Shouldn't be too hard.

by Mcarlo77 Thu Jan 03, 2013 6:59 pm

Yep, GM didn't exactly over-engineer these seats. With the two front bolts out, the seat will easily pull out. Then, as we discussed previously, the real fun begins in removing the retractor bolts (if they are rusty) so you can release the upper seat. If you have an impact wrench, try "burping" them back and forth to see if you can loosen them. If you use a socket (Torx50), be very careful to not let it slip while you're muscling them. All it takes is a few slips and you've rounded out the inside of the head enough that you'll never get a bite on them again. Guys at the yards put some heat to the threads of the bolts (underneath the car) to remove them.

by fishhead Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:12 pm

Yup,had some fun drilling a large hole in the head of one bolt..It popped right off with a little crowbar work between the retractor and floorboard runner.These rust-bucket restos are great for innovative thinking. tongue

by 77mali Thu Jan 03, 2013 7:24 pm

Mcarlo77 wrote:Yep, GM didn't exactly over-engineer these seats. With the two front bolts out, the seat will easily pull out. Then, as we discussed previously, the real fun begins in removing the retractor bolts (if they are rusty) so you can release the upper seat. If you have an impact wrench, try "burping" them back and forth to see if you can loosen them. If you use a socket (Torx50), be very careful to not let it slip while you're muscling them. All it takes is a few slips and you've rounded out the inside of the head enough that you'll never get a bite on them again. Guys at the yards put some heat to the threads of the bolts (underneath the car) to remove them.

^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^^^^
Words to live by

but if they do get stripped (& you have a compressor) 74montecarlo has the right idea w/ the air chisel. Wish I had one back when I did mine. You have to be careful with that though or you'll deform the threads and or bolt hole & then have to tap them (not the end of the world but I'd try my hardest to avoid it).

I ended up using a drill & masonry drill bit on the bolt head to install a "broken bolt removal tool"...not fun. Just be careful & take your time & it'll work out.

by ant7377 Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:06 pm

The torx bolts are specific to the seatbelts they go too.They arent all the same so pay attention to that too.

by fishhead Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:31 pm

Will do!Thanks.I got the bottom rear seat out smooth and easy but I think the top is gonna be a royal p.i.t.a...I seem to remember it requires a little extra back muscle.

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