I know that some of you guys will appreciate this, and some of you won't like it at all. I just hope that this will inspire some of you guys the way that some of you have inspired me to try things I wouldn't ordinarily do.

I am in a very long process of building a 70 Malibu. It will deffinately be a Pro-Touring build. One of the things I really wanted to change was the interior. My car didn't come with much in the way of interior, and after seeing a few at local cruz-ins, I decided that I really wanted to modernize the interior and add come of the current creature-comforts. Seats was a big deal to me, Comfort was top priority. I also don't like Vynal, or leather. Being a big guy, I seem to stick to them, I really like cloth. I also wanted black interior.

I use to drive around an 07 Dodge Magnum for work. I loved the seats, I could drive around all day, and not have a sore back, my legs didn't go to sleep. They looked good, and were the right color. So last summer before I traded that car in, I test fit the front seats and they actually fit pretty good. Just on a whim, I decided to test fit the rear seat. It was a bit too tall, and would need to be modified to make it work, but it matched the front seats that I wanted. They also folded down, so that would allow me access to the trunk if I wanted.

My Most Awesome wife bought me a complete set from an 06 Magnum with all of the trim pieces, and seat belts, and mounting brackets for Christmas last year. I didn't get a chance to really do anything with them until about March or April. The pic below is my first mockup with the new seats.

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P6110084%20(Small).JPG

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P6110086%20(Small).JPG

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P6110087%20(Small).JPG


As you can see they were about 5 inches to tall in the back. I sectioned about 5 inches out of the round tube that supported the seat, and also trimmed the sheetmetal plate. This turned out to be quite a bit more complicated than I expected. It also took me about 10 times longer to get them roughed in than I expected.

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P6110090%20(Small).JPG

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P6110091%20(Small).JPG

Fast forward about 5 months, and working on these seats on again and off again. Today I finally got them mounted, They need to be adjusted so that they fold down flat with the seat bottom. They way they sit now they do fold down, just not very easy and don't sit flat, The piviot point needs to be adjusted forward about 1.5 inches or do..... So here are the latest mockup pictures from today. This is just a bit rough. I still need to take these out to an upholstery shop and have the foam and covers modified to fit the newer shorter frames. But This is pretty close to how it'll look. Enjoy.

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P9190132%20(Small).JPG

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P9190133%20(Small).JPG




http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P9190135%20(Small).JPG

http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P9190136%20(Small).JPG


http://norcalttora.com/~steve/photos/Chevelle/Interior/P9190138%20(Small).JPG

You guys may notice that the rear seat sheetmetal has been removed. I drilled out all of the spot welds and sold the piece to someone that had theirs cut out. I installed a piece of 2X2 .125 wall tubing from side to side, just above where the inner and outer wheelhouse come together. I did this for two reasons. I wanted to keep the structural rigidity of the car, and give myself a place to mount my seatbelts to.

Anyway Enjoy!

Steve

Great idea looks like it will come out nice and look good when you are done.
I don't know that I would need a fold down as I will have speakers there anyway, but it does inspire me to check what I can find that is comfortable to pop in to replace the missing back seat.
Good Job man.

that's a neat idea, but I wonder if taking the structure out between the cab and trunk is a good thing structurally

that's a neat idea, but I wonder if taking the structure out between the cab and trunk is a good thing structurally


The square tubing that now runs along the top of the package tray 2X2 .125 wall tubing, welded to scab plates on both sides. I will also be adding vertical pieces for the seatback latches from the 2X2 down to the floor pan on each side. I think this will be at least as strong as it was with the sheetmetal inplace. Actually I think that it'd be much stronger than it was before.

that's a neat idea, but I wonder if taking the structure out between the cab and trunk is a good thing structurally

It looks great. You appear to be doing a really nice job too! :thumbsup:

...but I would agree that unless you reinforce that area of the body to replace the wall that you removed, you're in for a heap of "trouble".

With the body removed, you can go to a corner at the rear of the frame, lift and EASILY twist the chassis (varies by car). That rear wall keeps the body square and adds reinforcement so that the combination of body and frame work together to provide structural integrity.

Thinking about it, I would reinstall the wall maybe after cutting out some access "ports" to the trunk. Depending on the size of the "ports" I would add a "frame" around the "ports" for strength.

An idea I have for that would be to cut a pair of nice rounded corner frame parts, one for each of the openings (one seat side, one trunk side) and secure them using body adhesive and rivets to give it an "aero-motive" look. High strength aluminum would be cool, but you could use painted steel too. A "trap door" might be another neat addition (see below for an example)

Finishing off the seat side with some kind of trim (trunk paint, cloth, carpet, or sheet aluminum) before installing the frames would add a lot to the look.

The square tubing that now runs along the top of the package tray 2X2 .125 wall tubing, welded to scab plates on both sides. I will also be adding vertical pieces for the seatback latches from the 2X2 down to the floor pan on each side. I think this will be at least as strong as it was with the sheetmetal inplace. Actually I think that it'd be much stronger than it was before.

If you want a full opening, maybe you should make a full perimeter frame for the opening with 2X2 corner reinforcements and the down-legs for the latches. There's nothing at the side or floor areas to "box" it in.

Forces will be transmitted to the ends of the upper tube and the floor ends of the down tubes.

If you want a full opening, maybe you should make a full perimeter frame for the opening with 2X2 corner reinforcements and the down-legs for the latches. There's nothing at the side or floor areas to "box" it in.

Forces will be transmitted to the ends of the upper tube and the floor ends of the down tubes.

I do want the opening to be a mostly open. I really don't want it to be a portal. The opening itself is relatively small as it is. And I'm not sure how the speakers I'll be adding to the package tray will hang down into this space. So I'd like to maximize the space as much as possible. At the same time I surely don't want to comprimise safety.

I'll be adding a piece of Angle Iron to the floor pan where the sheetmetal that was removed attached at the seat pan (Where the seat pan meets the trunk pan). That will help support the down bars at the floor and give them something to hold on to. This will provide support without taking up any space, and I'll be able to put sound deadener over it and carpet without having a big lump in the floor. I'll probably reinforce the corners just incase this car is ever in an accident. and to provide structural rigidity. I by no means want this to be unsafe. I am actually in the process of installing 3 point seatbelts for every seat in the car too. Including all three rear seat position. That'll have to wait until the rear seat is finalized.

The opening and the trunk pan will also be carpeted. Hopefully it'll be the same as carpet that I'll use for the front. But that will be quite a while away.

Thanks for the comments.

Keep up the good work!

Do you have any pics of the front seats mounted?

I haven't even begun to mount the front seats. It'll probably be a few months before I can have a chance to mount them. But when I do, I'll be sure to take pictures.

Those seats look right at home back there.Looks pretty cool.

Nice job. I think a couple pieces of 1" square tubing at the ends tying your upper and lower tubes together would be as strong as that piece of tin you removed as far as twisting would be concerned. Jim.

So, how Did this ever turn out?? How did you end up doing the front seats so that you could access the rear seats? I have a magnum so I know the front seats don't lean forward.

I'm also doing the same except no access to the rear. Got mine out of a 2000 something Nissan Maxima I think. I was at Pull a Part and looked at so many cars, I forgot what I pulled it out of. It fit with only minor mods to the bottom seat frame, and this is with a 2" mini tub on each side.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o132/chasesyc/IM000797.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o132/chasesyc/IM000800.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o132/chasesyc/IM000799.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o132/chasesyc/IM000801.jpg

Still a work in Progress... It hasn't changed much since the pictures, I've been working on the hinge mechanism and making it so that it folds down and the back is flush with the trunk floor. I started mounting the front seats, and tried to take the mechanism apart to lower it down an inch or two, and didn't realize that one of the bolts is left handed threads and broke it.... It's a very special double shoulder bolt with left handed threads that Chrysler doesn't sell seperately... I have to buy the whole $400 track assembly... Not going to happen, so I have a buddy with a machine shop that is working on making me a new one in his spare time. only problem is that he's been super busy so my bolt has been on hold. :) I guess I can't complain that he's been super busy. It'll be continued, just probably not for few months. These seats go forward pretty far, I think accessing the back seat will not be super easy, but not impossible. If it is I may try to find a set of black cloth seats from a challenger.

Steve