85-91 Sub seats in a 78 K5 (I've searched)

[SilverMiner]

OK - here's my plan:

I want to put the reclining seats w/armrests from an 85-91 Suburban into my 78 Jimmy. I've been searching tonight, so I know the seat brackets in a Sub are different than a K5, but here is my question -

Can I get the brackets from a similar year K5, bolt them to the Suburban seats, and then bolt the whole mess into my 78 without additional modifications or fab work?

If necessary, I'd be willing to install only the drivers seat, in case the Sub seat can't work with the flip-forward passenger seat.

Any info would be greatly appreciated!

BTW: Looking at DrEmu's brochures on Slosh, it looks like 85 was the only year for a single inside armrest per seat in the Suburbans. Is that correct?

 

[Muddytazz]

Would be easier to just get said nice seats and bolt them to your existing 78 seat brackets.

 

[SilverMiner]

Yep, it would, but I've found at least two threads here that mention some tab on the front of the bracket on the 85-91's that make them different than the late 70's brackets.

One thread even implied a little fab work may be required, but didn't specify what.

I kinda figured it should be a straight bolt-up, but couldn't find a clear answer to those to questions left hanging in some old threads.

 

[dyeager535]

What year did the passenger seats start sliding? I know the ones up to and including part of '85 didn't slide. If it's got a hook to tilt forward, the newer seat bases won't work. Since the slide portion is part of the base...

I don't know why the drivers side wouldn't work, since they slid in the first place, you wouldn't think anything in the seat base would need to have changed.

 

[Blue85]

I put some 1990 K5 seats in my 85. I used the 85 base for the drivers side and attached this to the 90 seat with two pieces of angle iron. This is hidden by the seat and not visible unless you stick your head on the floor. For the passenger's side I used the 90 base and drilled new holes in the floor. This one has a "double-sliding" base that lets you set the position of the seat with one track and performs the "tilt and slide" for rear seat access with the other. You can use both tracks and get that seat really far forward.

If your seats are coming out of a sub, they probably don't have any provision for rear seat access, so you will have to keep the flip-forward hook base on the passenger's side. Make sure you measure it off so that the seat doesn't hit windshield or dash before it is out of your way. Some people report putting in non flip/fold seats and climbing between the front seats to get to the back but personally I wouldn't do it this way.

 

[Blue85]

What year did the passenger seats start sliding? I know the ones up to and including part of '85 didn't slide.

The sliding seats started in either 86 or 87. I don't know if it was 100% or if they were optional. I wonder if a trip to the brochure site would answer this.

 

[dyeager535]

Actually they started back in '85, but it was a half and half thing. My tub is an '85 and is the hook style, but the parts manual for '85 shows the tilt/slide.

Maybe in '85 it was an option, but more likely just leftovers. After that I'm certain it wasn't an option, nothing later than that I've seen had anything but sliders.

GM at its best.