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Adding Fold Down Seat – Need Help Please

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327!275hp!Convt!

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am trying to install a 1967 fold down seat panel into the backseat of my convertible.

I have read on this site that the convertible seat is the correct size for the large flat panel that is secured down to the back side of the backseat.

I also have the correct 67 hinges that bolt down on both sides of the flat panel.

One side of this “flat panel” is very flat & smooth except for the contour around the perimeter. I’m sure this is the side that faces up with the carpet when the whole thing is installed & functioning.

The other side is not so flat & has large horizontal “ribs” molded into its structure (I guess for added strength).

When I try to lay down the ribbed side (facing into the springs & stuffing of the backseat, it will not lay down flat. So I can’t add the fasteners to hold it in place.

My question is: Should I have to remove same of the existing metal bars that are on the inside of the backseat in order to make the “fold down panel” lay down flat?

It looks to me like some of these horizontal & vertical bars would HAVE TO be removed in order to lay the fold down seat panel flat. Then the panel would make the seat structurally sound without the original crisscrossing bars.

Anyone have any experience doing this installation before? Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Pictures might help to understand what you're talking about but it sounds like you have a fold down seat back without the frame. I've never compared non folding/folding frames.
 
#4 ·
hey, i am willing to measure , but more descriptions,(on back of the seat you say?)which part? pictures would help.i have my 67 fold down seat out of the car & its been out so long i forget how it came out ..lol, slow progress delaying its return.
anyway to help..the folding half(top) is upholstered on one side and carpeted on the other.the (bottom)is stationary.upholstery facing up.neither of those fit your description.is it the divider panel ,passenger compartment/trunk that supports(braces) the hinge points to which you refer? i don`t know if i would cut there on a ragtop.
if anyone with a installed unit (or fisher body manual) would post pics of the attachment and other workings i would also like to see them.not in factory assembly instruction manual.
 
#5 ·
I think that you are trying to put the metal part only of the fold down into your car. If so remember that the fold down seat top part is the complete top seat. When seat is up the seat padding you see and when seat is down the carpet side will be flat and seat will be supported by bottom seat. If the exssisting seat is still there you will have to remove both bottom bolts and lift seat out. Then remove top 3 seat hooks. Braces on floor should be tack welded in place rather then drilling hole. Also when seat is down you will see thin carboard partition and lower support bracket facing trunk area.. Some camaros have the 2 upper support clips holes, predented where they should go. When i installed seat i used those holes as a guide to postion seat and hinges. You need to be careful about position because of the side panels need to be correctly placed for all things to line up. My car was a late July car and the upper locking tabs were pre dented, the factory must have made this panel the same for all cars. Also i have a complete 67 fold down seat that i recovered and painted up in the basement . So if you need certain pics i could take pics of one installed in my car or the one in the basement for questions. I kind of remember the ribs inside the seat when i took it apart to restore and recover.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
phils_crew said:
hey, i am willing to measure , but more descriptions,(on back of the seat you say?)which part? pictures would help.i have my 67 fold down seat out of the car & its been out so long i forget how it came out ..lol, slow progress delaying its return.
anyway to help..the folding half(top) is upholstered on one side and carpeted on the other.the (bottom)is stationary.upholstery facing up.neither of those fit your description.is it the divider panel ,passenger compartment/trunk that supports(braces) the hinge points to which you refer? i don`t know if i would cut there on a ragtop.
if anyone with a installed unit (or fisher body manual) would post pics of the attachment and other workings i would also like to see them.not in factory assembly instruction manual.
Click to expand...
Hey… Thanks.
All I have is the very large (basically flat) metal panel the attaches to the back side of the back seat.

I also have the 2 hinges that bolt to each side (of the large flat panel).

I am unable to post photos. There should be only one large flat panel that goes into an original fold down seat on a Camaro.

When the seat is in the down position, you see the carpet attached to it.

I can buy all the other necessary parts from of any of the Camaro vendors.

I just plain CAN NOT get the panel to fit on the back of my backseat.

I just need you to measure the width (like in middle, left to right) & the height (in the middle). That would mean your measurement would come down to the middle of the U shaped hump (that gives provision for the drive train tunnel).

You can see a good example of what I’m talking about in the following link. It’s the RED fold down seat photo. The seat is down & the red carpet on the back is facing up. You can also see one of the hinges bolted to the “large flat panel.”

I bought my parts from someone I know & trust. But, he might have made a mistake when he bought it (because he was TOLD it belongs to a 67 Camaro).

At this point, for all I know, my parts might really belong to a Nova or an old Corvair. Maybe that's why it doesn't seem to fit on the back of my convertible backseat? That’s what I’m trying to confirm through your measurements.

You too RED67L78. If you measure your panel too, it would be all the better for my confirmation.

Thanks. :)

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=161186&highlight=fold+rear+seat
 
#8 ·
I think you have half of the fold down seat top. I don't think you can use an original seat in conjuction with the top part of the fold down seat. There were very short screws all around the outer perimiter when i assembled front and back together of the fold down seat. I just looked down stairs and you have to have the correct fold down seat front. The bottom of your original seat was stationary and this one has a curved bottom to pivot in with bottom seat part. I think the carpeted metal top needs to lock into the top of the seat and then rolled into bottom of seat and held into postion by the screws at the bottom. You are going to need to find a front part of the fold down seat. I am thinking about what you are doing and it is like putting the rear seat top onto the metal swinging part to create a fold down seat (RIGHT)
 
#9 · (Edited)
:thumbsup:The seat is well worth having. I use it all the time. It's funny when i get groccery's ,and where i live, they still hand delivery your sacks to the car. Some of the kids , say groccery getter ha. I say yep! Also when i go to the feed mill to get sacks of corn, you tell them what you need , then go inside to pay. Every time i come out they are standing next to the car wondering what to do. I open up the door and fold down the seat. Put sacks in and away i go. I would never and i mean never own a camaro without it.
Car shows with a cooler and fold up seats. Kids like it when you put some kind of model display or distraction on it folded down. The 67 can be lowered or raised from either side of the car too. To me the key is the placement of the hold up clips. You need the right amount to hold it up and also be able to lower it. Too much either way would make it trouble some. Like having to go to the other side of car to snap it in or release. Take time to figure this out. There is slight adjustment on clips but take your time. Make sure you have the chrome hold up clips.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
red67L78 said:
Are we clear that you only have the top metal part of the top seat?
Click to expand...
Not really. I’ve been researching information & photos of these seats for a long time.

From what I can tell, I should be able to buy (repo) parts of anything I’m missing.

I might have to take the parts back to the guy I bought the seat parts from & ask him how it goes together. He owns a Camaro restoration shop & I’m sure has seen his share of these seats over the years.

It’s kind of hard to tell how everything should go together, because, all the photos I ever see (of fold down seats) ALREADY have everything put together.

If you have a seat that is already apart & want to post or email photos I’d be more than happy to look at them.

Thanks for your measurements.
 
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327!275hp!Convt!
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