The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors removing seat frame

How hard is is to remove the seat frame?

My cousin has some bucket seats with built in belts that would like nice in an old 'bolt.

If you are talking the frame the seat sets in , only 4 bolts .... If you talking about the frame welded in floor , lots of grinding , I think that frame has a lot to do with integrity of the cab ..I would not remove it ....

I was talking about the "tub" welded to the floor.

How do guys get away with buckets then?

Some extra bracing?

That "tub" that's welded to the floor doesn't do much for integrity of the cab. It's just spot welded and is for support for the seat, not strengthening of the cab. On mine (and my dad's 52) we just ground them out with an angle grinder and a cut off wheel. Make sure you wear full coveralls, safety GOGGLES (not just glasses), and ear protection. It's both loud in there and there are a ton of sparks flying around.

No extra bracing is needed after your remove it.

46gmcpu where do you get this , do you have anything to qualify this or just a guess , To each his own opinion . I think it needs to stay or be braced ....

I was thinking about extra bracing anyhow, since the bucket seats have the belts built in.

I also have an idea about hydraulic mounts vs. the oem cab shackles.

Yes, I viewed how it's installed in the truck. With my engineering experience, I know that it's not structural. If you've removed one, you'll see that it makes no difference in the rigidity of the cab and that it's not structural. If it was structural it would have to be placed under the floor in order to lend any assistance to the cab floor, and since the cab mounts are reinforced and at the edges of the cab, it doesn't help to secure them either. The only purpose of that piece is to hold up the seat and depending on the truck help secure the fuel tank.

We have 2 trucks where we removed this and didn't brace it and one has over 20,000 KMS on it since. But yeah, it needs bracing.

So it's an educated observation, observation from removing them, and experience with vehicles that we have done it on. If you have better reasoning as to why it's structural I would be glad to hear it.

It's definitely a good idea to put extra bracing where you bolt through the floor with the seats, but this can also be accomplished with a piece of angle iron or a thick/large enough piece of flat iron. If you want to add extra supports under the floor for the seat to mount to you can do as much as you like.

Well I'm not an engineer , so I can't put a stamp on it , just what kind of engineer are you .???? We can learn from a good engineer ,.... Until I see your degree I'll stand by what I said it is structural , just my opinion ....

That's exactly why I'm nearly done with this forum. Next you'll probably say I'm too young to know what I'm talking about.

Sorry to hear that , If you have a prob. with others opinions , you shouldn't have one yourself ....and I don't care how old or young you are ....

You rejected my opinion and asked me to explain it, so I did and asked you to explain yours. You still don't like my opinion but don't explain yours. Maybe heed your own advice? Oh darn, that's an opinion.

Sir , What you should understand IS , I'm not doing anything ,.....( there's nothing to explain ) You are removing what could be a structural part of a truck that is going to be on the highway ....just because you did this before doesn't make it right ( that you should qualify , you being a engineer you should understand that } Now I think you are really acting your age , And it is what ????\
Now hear this , you want to be the winner of this thread , So be it you are the winner , enjoy ,,,,

I am willing to bet that there are more AD trucks on the road currently that had that relatively flimsy, poorly spot-welded piece removed for aftermarket seats, than there are trucks in the original condition. Did those folks reinforce the floor due to the absence of that piece or did they put the aftermarket seats in and beef up the bolt holes in the floor with thick washers? I guess we can check it out at the next car show. Sure sounds like a better idea than a pointless pi$$ing match. Now both of you go to your rooms!
P.S., since I haven't officially taken sides, I am the winner.

Whitedog,

I don't want to enter the fray, but if you look at the components of a deco truck cab the two ~3/16 inch thick angle irons bolted to the cab that run parallel to the frame provide most if not all of the rigidity to the cab floor structure. If your floor sheet metal is in good condition, and your wood sections are solid and correctly bolted to the angle iron; I don't feel that removing seat tub would adversely impact structure. I am not an engineer so no structural stamp is provided, but I have spent many hours restoring the cab of my 41 truck. Now I am a restoration purist, so I do have thoughts about removing the seat tub and replacing the seats; but I will leave that opinion to myself.

Carl, you are still the winner!

Paul

The link kind of took an unusual turn... LOL

I just watched and kept my opinions to myself.

Right now I don't know what I'm going to do.

I have a perfectly good seat. It has been re-done by someone along the way. The green-metallic/diner seat upholstery, I'm sure isn't standard isssue for 54.

I saw the seats with built in belts and thought, "Hey, why not?" I already drive an F150, so I know they're comfy.

well if you drive a F150 enough said........lol

If 46gmcpu tells you something then hitch up the wagons
looks at his nice 46 that HE built. enough said
The winner

Whitedog,

I'm in kinda the same position. However, I think I figured out a way around it for the most part:

I'm going to leave the tub in my 52, cut a spare seat frame that I have down to take the back off of it, then use some channel steel to weld mounting points for the buckets. With the steel being shaped like this ], I figure I can take the end of it and make it look more like | on the ends so it will fit right on top of the old frame. At any rate, it's an idea that you can consider or throw out.

DELTA- Thanks for offering some sanity this issue.

I was thinking more on the lines of tacking some hat channel to the underside of the cab. I see the logic in saying the seat frame is structural. Considering you have a stamped steal structure spot welded in 5000 spots on the floor.

On the other hand, I know there's alot of trucks running around with bucket seats instead of benches.

To each his own I guess.

Chris

Sanity?!? Me?!??!!

I thought I had gone crazy since this is one thing that's kept me awake at night!

Happy to help! We should exchange cab pictures when we get it done to see how it turned out for the other.

Oh, I'm a long way off of that. I still have a millions hours of rust repair on the cowel and kick panels.

Just another opinion...Since the manufacturer placed the seat tub in the cab, it needs to be there! They installed that tub for a reason, structural or non-structural.

That reason was so the seat would sit on top of it...

It doesn't need to be there if it no longer serves that purpose, as it's not a structural member.

As wanderer55 stated...You win. Good luck with that.

Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual CAB sec.1-1
A UNISTEEL cab , the most durable type of all automotive body structures ,is used. In this UNISTEEL cab the four major panels ( the cowl,the back,the top,and the floor), with numerous reinforcing panels and braces, are all welded into one permanently rigid, integral unit .

Not wanting to win , just stating the facts ....

I agree! So I will, from this day forward, get off the road when I see an AD on the road, assuming that 9 out of 10 of them are customized and likely missing this seat frame, integral to the structural integrity of the cab, and without it, the compromised cab will likely fly into pieces at any moment. Thank you for your insight.

Just happy to help ....

As I stated earlier....The manufacturer welded that seat tub to the floor for a reason. If it were me, I'd leave it in. Here's another question....Why cut up a perfectly good truck cab?

I'm going the LFBG route: Lazy Fat Broke Guy. It'll stay in until I can't get the buckets in the frame.

I agree with 46gmcpu - removed my seat tub some 15 years ago and installed various buckets since, the latest being late model Dodge pickup seats with integral shoulder belts. With V8 power and a heavy foot I think the structure might have had some issues by now and it of course has not. The tub is NOT a structural part of the cab - spot welded seat riser.
"Until I see your degree" really? New to this site but I may just have the shortest membership ever if this is the attitude and feedback seen on the forums here.

I'm running a pair of buckets in my 46, has similar tub, to get the seats up at the best height I installed a thick piece of wood
on that tub. If I'd mounted these seats to the floor, would look like a lowrider.

Another plus with buckets in the 46 is now I can flip the seats forward to access that space behind the seats.

Hey Blue, don't sweat it. Lots of opinions in here. Some stronger than others, some rude, and some of actual value. Half of the fun for me is to observe abnormal human behavior, and the other half is figuring out who really knows what they are talking about. Incidentally, some in here have both traits. Stay with us and have fun.
Carl

OK 52Carl but like most forums I have seen there are some useful tips and intelligent answers then there are personal attacks when someone has a different view or opinion. I will stick around and see what category I can fit into.
I need to figure out how to post a pic of my 54 on here :-) maybe some tips there might help.
Dave

POSTING PICTURES