How do you lower the seats ??

I'm tall and I sit too high in the 66 G. I was thinking maybe it was possible to chop the fenders a bit, put a shorter shock inside, and therefore have a lower platform to install some seats. Has anyone got any thoughts why this would be a good or bad idea?

I mean I gotta hunch down like a granny to see if the light has changed. Its just wrong.

Heavy

I have heard Pontiac Fiero seats are lower

I dont know how the chevys are set up but on my econoline I cut a section out of the wheel well and welded new metal in made like a channel for the seat bracket to sit down in.

The way mine is jacked up, I bet I could take 4 inches off the wheel well if it was needed. Unhook the top of the shock and see where the center of travel is, that will tell you if you have room to shave anything by lowering the mount. You will want to do that with the engine and trans in place.

The channel is probably what I'm going to do so long as the chair rail doesn't interfere with the shock mount.

To be totally honest, the perfect height for me would be sitting right on the actual wheel well. I'm not going to get that low, but I have to try to lower it as much as I can.

Right now I just have some "i don't now what" seats that came with the van. Previous owner found them in a school auto shop for free. They're not abnormally high, but definitely not short enough.

Thanks,

by G-Man Today at 1:20 pm


I have heard Pontiac Fiero seats are lower

I would Try the Fiero seats ........ every one seems to like em ....

The Fiero seats in my 65 are just right but the ones in my 67 are a little high. The difference is the motor cover. In the 2nd gen's the seats mount on the lip of the doghouse, that means you can only go that low unless you modify the doghouse. The stock fiero seat rails raise the seats about 1 1/2 inches more than they need to for the vans. In the 67 to get the seats as low as possible I flattened the fiero rails out straight and did away with that rise. Even after doing that they are still a little high for me and I'm only 5' 8".

In the 65 I'm using the same seats. I didn't flatten the rails in it. Just mounted them right to the wheel well on the outside and then used 3/4" square tubing to build legs on the inside next to the doghouse. They're not to tall. That's something you need to think about when either changing the doghouse or modifying the original for the V8 swap.

Here's how I did the 65.

I Like second gen seats for my 1st Gen !!!!!!!!

I ran across this image which confirms when I compare it to the above shot of where the seat rail lies on the fender, that one could cut and drop a trough for the one side of the chair so that if there was some distance between the bottom of the seat and the bottom of the rail, then it could be seated below to always keep the seat as tight as possible to the fender.

Or you could just do what Digz did and fab a bracket to lower the shock mount, get shorter shocks, and then you could chop as much of the top of the fender away as the wheel clearance will allow.

I have to assume my tires will probably never bottom out on the front as there are so many screws sticking through those fenders, that my tires would be shredded at this point if that were possible.

Tempting, although I would have to absolutely confirm the clearance before that.

I know it seems like alot of work, but I'm telling you. I feel like a freak in my van. Its like when you see a tall guy riding one of those rice rocket sport bikes. They just don't look right riding them.

I know that this image is not the greatest, as it was scanned from an old photo many years back, but I cut my wheels well down and also the doghouse @ 3" and lowered my seats to accommodate my 3 1/2" windshield chop! I also left the track off of the seats and bolted them directly to the floor! I used Fiero seats and they are the best, IMHO! My "line-of-site" is now perfect thru the glass! I just re-attached the lowering of the shocks and they worked well also. Hope that this is of some help? Oh I also used a 66 Olds Toronado Tilt, telescoptic wheel as well.

B.W.

How tall ARE you?

I have the same problem with VW busses, always hitting my head on bad bumps. Have learned to lean over off road or in town (about the same thing here).

In Europe and as an accessory for Mini Coopers they sell (am sure they are on fleaBay) these little prismatic mirrors the attach to the top of your windshield and allow one to see a panorama of traffic lights above your site line. Never tried one yet have seen them around for years.

Kind of like having a periscope inside your van--just a thought, Mark

5' 11" but there was distortion in the view I had, thus the dropped seats and better "Line-of-Sight" view needed!
B.W.

I'm with Vanish -- I like the look of 2nd Gen seats. They bolt right in, won't be too high, and I like the open part on the back. I've got one on the driver's side of my 1st Gen and would like to find one for the passenger side. Anyone got a spare? Even if it's in bad shape, I'll be reupholstering them.

I had Pinto seats in my first 1st Gen. They fit in real easily and were real comfortable (good luck finding any of those these days!). But now I think it doesn't look right having high-back buckets in a 60s van. Maybe because mine is a window van?

Im 6' an i put in toyota mr2 seats and i am at comfortable height, i did have to remove the original mounts as they were to high for me and didnt conform to the way vans place their seats. so i built some new mounts out of steel and they work fine and i can also still adjust them.

I dont have any good photos right now but will post some better ones later when i take them

2nd gen seats in a first gen sit very low.

I am running a 2nd gen driver's seat in my '65, and its almost too low. I'm 6'3" tall. If you want to sit low, and want something that is a true bolt-in, the answer is 2nd gen seats.

I do like the look and height of the 2nd Gen seats but, as Don pointed out, you can't set anything on them! It falls right thru that cool-looking opening in the back!

Two things, Low School: You especially need a low seat when you've got a console on the ceiling like that.

And where the heck did you get that little jump seat?!!

Low School, were did you get that console? I would love to get one for my 65.

@ VANagain it came out of a chevy s10 truck just built some mounts and welded in, not much to sit in but still a seat


@ jeepwrench i built it out of some plywood an round concrete cardboard form tubing.... hmmm i have a friend who does fiberglass maybe i can ask if he just do up a mold for me.

as to the height of the top console its the same as the top of the windshield except where the speakers drop. in reality it doent intyerfere with the view at all.