[Jolly_John]

My 1969 Firebird has a power driver's side bucket seat. I have learned this power bucket seat was installed by the dealer in 1969, at the request of the car's first owner (who I bought the car from). So, keep in mind that the car came from the factory with a non-power bucket seat.

Here's my problem. When the dealer did the work in 1969, they simply secured the front mounting points of the power seat track by drilling holes in the floor pan and running some bolts and nuts through the seat track and the floor pan. This was done because the front holes in the power seat track did not line up with the factory-welded nuts in the floor pan. The rear mounting holes in the power seat track line up perfectly with the corresponding factory-welded nuts, so those weren't a problem.

So, what is missing with the power seat's front mounting system here....should the dealer have bolted or welded in some factory bracket to connect the front of the seat track to the floor?

Is such a bracket for power seat mounting available in reproduction at this time?

Did some kind of factory bracket help connect the power seat's front mount to the existing front welded-in nuts (where the non-power bucket seat was mounted)? Or, were the front welded-in nuts from the non-power bucket seat never used when a power seat was installed at the factory?

Bottom line....I'm trying to mount my driver's side power seat in the correct, factory manner, since I'm sure the factory didn't just drill a couple of holes and run some bolts down through them. Thanks for any help. John in Wisconsin

[Cammer-6]

Im not an expert on this but I will pass it on to someone that has parted a few power seat cars and still has some parts left.
Do you have all the plastic trim?

[Jolly_John]

Yes, the power seat is complete and looked completely "normal" when it was installed in the car. I only discovered the non-factory mounting set-up on the front mounting bolts when I removed the seat to put in a new carpet set. Again, my question is....am I missing some kind of welded or bolted in brackets to properly attach the front mounting bolts of the seat track?

[68bird400HO]

My '68 has a factory power driver's seat as well. From what I remember when I restored my car six years ago, it bolts in to the factory holes just like a regular seat would. There are no special brackets or anything.

Where in WI are you located? I live near Madison if you would like to take a look at it in person. Send me a PM!

[Jolly_John]

Here is a photo showing how the holes in the front part of my '69 Firebird power seat track to not line up with the factory welded-in nut in the floor pan. Note how the Pontiac dealer just drilled bolts and ran bolts to solve the problem. What kind of bracket should have been installed?

Just click on the thumbnail below to view an enlarged photo. Thanks, John

[Jolly_John]

Thanks for posting your initial thoughts up above. I have sent you a PM. John

[Cammer-6]

Get some pics posted of the whole assembly
Somethings not right
Perhaps you got an A or G body seat track.

[Bet Winner]

Side Note--

I have the factory electric driver's seat, and I believe this is a rather rare option. I'll try to find my info on it later.

[einstein]

Here's the facts. I've owned several of these seats.

The factory holes are in all 69 Firebirds. They used "nutserts", like the ones which hold the console in place. The non-power seat obviously used a welded-in nut (visible in your picture). But those holes where your bolts were added were already punched in the seat support, however they look a little boogered up by the installer - probably a low man in the dealer at the time. You'd just have to add the nutserts to make it accurate.

PS I believe the quantity of seats sold as factory installed was around 287 in the 68 Firebirds (a mid-year addition), and 906 in 69 models. The numbers were published in Mike Lamm's book "The Fabulous Firebird", I may be off by a couple of numbers quoting from what's left of my memory.

PPS to cammer-6: that picture is exactly what a Firebird seat track looks like at the front.

[Jolly_John]

Glenn, I appreciate you putting this question about my '69 Firebird Power Seat Mounting to bed. Wow, what concise, detailed information. I can now proceed to install the four nut-serts, and get the job done right. Again, thank you for the time you took to respond and help me. Best, John in Wisconsin

[Kurt S]

Originally Posted by einstein

They used "nutserts", like the ones which hold the console in place.

The term used in the industry is riv-nuts.
They still use them for roofracks, etc.

[Cammer-6]

Originally Posted by Kurt S

The term used in the industry is riv-nuts.
They still use them for roofracks, etc.

I believe the roof rack ones have been rubber for at least 30 years.

[Kurt S]

I guess it depends on whose roofracks. I have some riv-nuts laying around that I grabbed when I was in the Oakville plant the other year, from the station where they installed these for the roofracks.

[Cammer-6]

Care to share a few?
I need 3 of them to add to floorboard.
I made a device to crimp them with a hydraulic slave and pump assembly
normally used for chassis punches.

[Kurt S]

There are many sizes of riv-nuts. These are metric and a little smaller than the ones used for the floor. Sorry.