How to Install a Split Bench Seat

By IROCZDave(iroczdave@aol.com)

For those of us who were not blessed with the split rear seat option these instructions are based on my personal experience.

First locate a 3rd gen car with the split rear seats and grab the following;

1. The seats (DUH) only the backrests are needed, your exsisting bottom cushions will be OK

2. The center floor mount bracket

• Before removing the center floor mount bracket, take the measurement from the back edge of the bracket to the body seam, this is how I located where to install it on my car.

3. The drivers side seat catch bolt and mount bracket

• This one is a little more tricky but if you get this thing off without much distortion it should be easy to figure out where it installs on the wheel well.

  NOTE: When removing these mount brackets be very carefull, they are spot welded in place, I used a hammer and chisel to get these off and they distort very easily!

4. The drivers side trim panel, (OPTIONAL) that is if it’s the right color and you dont want to attempt locating the exact spot to drill a hole in your exsisting panel for the cacth bolt to go through, (instructions on how I did this to follow because I was not that lucky) it’s your call.

OK at this point you have all the parts needed for the conversion, go ahead and remove your entire rear seat, upper and lower.

Also remove the drivers side interior rear quarter panel trim, ( start with the rear speaker grill, then the "B" pillar moulding, then the arm rest lower moulding) then you will have to remove the rear hacth latch trim panel to get the quarter panel out.

Also your going to have to remove the rear seat belt receivers to get the carpet to peel forward to install the "T" center mount bracket.

Then take the new mount brackets and test them for fit, if they’re not quite flush get a hammer and get them right.

Then take the mount brackets and drill some holes for the self-tapping screws you will use to install them to your car

4 holes for the center mount bracket
8 holes for the wheel well mount bracket
Install the center mount bracket to the floor using self-tapping screws (1\2"- 3\4") don’t forget to measure from the body seam forward for the final location, don’t worry about pre-drilling the body, the self-tapping screws will go right in!

Go ahead and test the passenger side seat at this point since the cacth post is there already there, the seat should lock in place easily.

The drivers side wheel well bolt cacth bracket is next, place it up in position and put in a couple of screws in to hold it in place (don’t put all the screws in at this point this is a temporary installation) insert the cacth bolt and tighten it, then install the seat and test it for fit and latching, then if all is well go ahead and put all the rest of the screws in the bracket , if there is a problem with the adjustment on the seat latch, first try adjusting the cacth bolt, and if that dos’nt work your going to have to move the bracket in the right direction.

OK at this point you should have both the brackets installed correctly and now it’s time drill that hole in your existing quarter trim panel (if you have a replacement panel with the hole already there move on to the next paragraph).

This is how I located the position of the hole, I installed another same sized bolt ( you can use the GM catch bolt if you must) then I put White Out on the head of the bolt, then I installed the quarter panel trim loosely from the rear forward and then I slightly pressed the trim against the bolt head and there you go, you now have located the spot where the hole must be!

Remove the trim and drill a hole (about 1" or so but not larger than the black trim cover on the catch bolt!) and re-install the quarter panel trim.

When it’s time to locate the hole have some patients, this for me was a bitch, but I did find the nut!

Re-install all your trim and you are set!

Hopefully you found a seat with the right upholstery and you wont have to do what I did, I had a shop transfer my fabric from my old one piece to my new split seats, it cost me $60 and was well worth it!

I hope I didn’t forget anything if I did please feel free to drop me a e-mail and I’ll answer your question to the best of my ability!