Hi guys, I'm a new member with a question. I have a '67 SS that I have owned since 1977 and plan on restoring. The bucket seats do not have the back release button. They're just like the ones in a '66. Some people have told me they could be either with or without buttons that year, but most have told me ALL the '67's have them. I have researched it some, and found that the seat back release button did become a requirement that year, but the law didn't take effect until March 1, 1967. So, could it be possible to have one with an early build date that have the non-button seats? I think probably so, especially since I have owned the car for 33 years, and know for sure that these are the seats that were in the car all that time. (Although I can't say what could have been changed in the first 10 years of its life.) I really don't care either way, but it would be nice to be able to answer someone's question about it at the local car shows. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Tim

Welcome to the site Tim!

I have a few questions about your car. Does your trim tag show the bucket seat option? What is the build date of the car?

Next, do your seats have covers with the correct 67 pattern? If they don't, I would say they were probably changed. If they do & they match the rest of your interior, your theory may be plausible.

Please post your trim tag info if possible.

No. All 67 SS should have button release. 67 started a bunch of new safety laws and 67 Chevelles saw many changes for this reason.

I think when people see things that are not as they should be, they default to this theory of maybe my car got leftover parts from 66 or maybe GM didn't care because they had to use up parts.... Not so, especially with safety issues like padded dashes and collaspable steering columns and several other new to 67 items.

Mike

Have to go with Mike 100% here. GM didn't use 'left-over' parts from one year in the next year's build - especially when safety laws were concerned. :noway:

Someone changed then early in life. As Pete suggested it may have originally come with a bench seat and someone liked buckets. A quick post of the trim tag, or at least the trim code (TR) from the trim tag would determine that. Depending on color, bucket seat codes for 1967 are numbers 731, 738, 750, 763, 778 and 784 and, depending on the assembly plant, may have -B following the number. Any other number is a bench seat code and may or may not have -A following the number.

See http://chevellestuff.com/1967/chevelle/interiors/index.htm for more.

Someone changed then early in life. As Pete suggested it may have originally come with a bench seat and someone liked buckets.

Another possibility ( maybe more of a stretch), is maybe the seat backs needed to be replaced, and the '66s were available to the owner...

maybe pull off the rear panel, and see IF the remnants of the side release button (holes) are still there... It only requires removing two bolts to disable the latch mechanism (I have done it)...

I always assumed it was a bucket seat car, although I will check the trim tag as soon as I can to be sure. The floor has a bracket I always though was for a console (which I didn't get with the car). There is also an unknown wire there, which I assumed was for the clock.
As for the seats having the correct '67 pattern, that's impossible to determine, since the whole interior had been customized. The front and back seats, door panels, and package shelf had been padded and re-covered and buttons were put in about 4 inch squares. My now deceased father-in-law (who was an upholsterer) called in a "biscuit" pattern, if I remember correctly. One more thought, do the seat frames have a date stamp on them anywhere?:confused:
Thanks,
Tim