The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Under The Drivers Seat.

**QUESTION ** Directly under the drivers seat on my 53 Suburban there is a compartment with no cover. Is there supposed to be a cover for it somewhat like the battery compartment cover??

Yes...Yes...Yes

As a matter of fact I just replaced mine recently with a plain old battery one...fit perfect. The other side is larger and harder to come by.

rod

be sure to clean it all up and paint it up before you go further...it will save you time and work. If that compartment is messed up, pound it down to straighten it up. Not much space, but mine was flattened out.

rod

Are you talking about the concave well that's the length of the seat?
If so,there is no lid or cover.
It's the exactly the same as a pickup truck floor pan. The only difference is that the seat risers are different in a truck and suburban.
Can you post some pictures of your floor pan ?

Mine's not a burb but a panel. It has the compartment you speak of with an access hole at each end. There are covers just like the battery cover to fit these. I cut a thin plywood lid for those.

The Suburban and the panel are completely different under the seats. (AD years)

cletis/Charlie is correct.

And, there was no cover for the storage compartment under the "driver's" seat.

My 52 panel has them under the seat on both sides. I have covers for mine.....and remember someone measuring the passenger side at the reunion in K.C. a couple years ago to try duplicate(?) but not sure.

The compartment measures 9" X 16" and appears to have never had a cover plate of any kind??? But am not sure of that.

Can you post a photo or two of the floor under the seats - door to door?

1950 Chevrolet Suburban seat riser.

1954 Chevrolet Panel seat riser from passenger side with seat flipped up.

Navy issue Suburban with Full Length "panel truck" Seat Riser. I think it was 1950 Suburban.
The "panel truck" riser was probably a special order to be put in this Suburban for the Navy.

I noticed on the "panel truck" seat riser, the longer hole is used under the passenger seat.
And on the Suburban seat riser, the longer hole is used under the drivers seat.
Note: AD Suburbans seat risers had room for only one hole, because the seat riser was stopped
short to make room for the folding forward jump seat. So passengers could gain access to the rear seats.

Tim,
Are you saying AD Suburbans were not issued a cover under the seat? But the hole was there?

jorb,

No one has ever shown a cover for the hole under a Suburban seat (that I can remember).

Have you seen a 47-55 Suburban tool box cover?

Group 17.269 - COVER - Tool Box SGL. UNIT (exc. SUB.)

[Note: SGL. UNIT = panel body]

Group 6.547 - COVER, Inspection (Battery, - etc . . . )

There is another Panel/Canopy floor cover (besides the battery cover). It is a different size compared to the Panel/Canopy Tool Box COVER. Can you find it in the Master Parts Catalog - I'll keep looking.

Here are photos of floor holes/openings from marzach:

photo 1
photo 2
photo 3

Does anyone have a floor cover for that opening?

I have never seen one.

Well I have come to the conclusion that there was never a cover for the AD Suburbans Tool Box Hole.
My reasoning is, if you look at the Panel Truck riser Picture 1 and Picture 2
Look at the outline of the hole openings.
GM stamped a 3/8 inch deep recessed lip into the perimeter of the Hole.
This is done so the Cover is relatively flush with the top of the riser or seat platform.
Now if you look at the Suburban Riser Picture 3 - (Click on Pic to enlarge)
There is NO 3/8 inch recessed lip stamped into the perimeter of the hole.
The opening looks finished with a nice rolled edge.

HERE are the Dimensions of the Panel Truck Holes.
The lip is recessed 3/8" deep, the width of the lip varies averaging about 1" wide.

I was thinking if you really didn't like the Suburban opening uncovered.
You could find a donor panel truck riser and cut out the tool box opening and butt weld it into the Suburban riser.
But then it wouldn't be stock.

Tool Box Cover Hole Photo Album

I looked and the only covers I know of are THESE
A. is used as battery cover and the panel truck under the driver's seat tool box cover. Corners are more square.
B. is the panel truck under the passenger seat tool box cover. Corners are rounded.

Regarding 47-55 Panel truck floor covers, there were three different sized covers, including the standard battery hole cover. As I posted earlier, I could not find both of the non-battery Panel floor covers in the parts catalogs. Can anyone find them (I gave section/part numbers in an earlier post).

I'll be clearing out parts of garages today, and I see if I can find the three covers I removed from a 1953 Chevrolet 3100 Panel truck.

Tim, E-mail sent with pics.

Thanks, Marty,

I have resized and hosted your photos:

floor cover #1
floor cover #2
floor cover #3

This is a quiz for readers (no prizes): Would people please ID the covers, based on their dimensions (which Martin kindly taped on the top of each cover)?

Martin, I'll ask you here (as I asked you in email): have you ever seen a cover for the under-seat tool-box area in a 47-55 Suburban?

Readers: Martin sells used, new, and specialty-reproduction parts. Check out the Swap Meet. Martin is knowledgeable and honest.

floor cover #1 Question Mark, 15 1/2" x 9 1/4"
floor cover #2 Panel Truck Tool Box Cover, covers hole under Passenger seat, 16" x 9 5/8"
floor cover #3 Panel Truck Tool Box Cover, covers hole under Driver's seat, 12 1/2" x 9 3/4"
.................cover #3 is also floor battery cover.

Thanks Tim, I don't have a suburban anymore so I cant walk out and test fit,, but one of the larger size lids fit the under-seat area in question on suburbans.