One last problem with rear seat removal

by fishhead Tue Jan 08, 2013 11:55 pm

On the 75 Guna rear seat(top portion),I found a flat metal tab on both bottom corners of the wire seat frame that appear to be part of the assembly.I thought maybe they are just rust- welded from too much water damage? I didnt have this problem with the 73 malibu,the top portion just slides down into place.The Guna has definite rust issues,I've seen better examples for sure.Anyone dealt with this on their 75 Guna?As I see it my only options are a hammer and chisel to separate the seat frame from the tabs or risk destroying the seat belt housing which is bolted to the floor with the flat metal tabs. Head Bang

by Joe73 Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:38 am

If I remember correctly, its been years since I've had my rear seat out, my 73 has those flat tabs as well.

by 1973 454 MONTE Wed Jan 09, 2013 6:54 am

Those flat tabs go behind the seat belts and are a part if the seat frame

by 77mali Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:12 am

Do the best you can to save the seat belts- they are extremely hard to find in good condition anywhere. If you have to cut the tab- it can be re welded or another one made up- they are pretty thin.

The problem is that in some cases the bolts are rusted on pretty solid if water gets at them. Get a buddy over with some propane or map gas under the car & heat the bolts from underneath while you are inside with a breaker bar and some lube like PB Blast- it may take a while but be patient. Make sure heat is concentrated on the bolt itself (needs to get "red-hot") and of course if the gas tank is on the car USE EXTREME CAUTION. Removal of the tank will make it safer and easier to access those bolts which are a pain to get at.

It's one of those jobs that just s@cks.

by dynchel Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:15 am

I ran into the same problem (on the pass side). I ended up cutting the "wire portion" with a saws all. The hold down bolt rust welded itself in the floor. I could not use heat (like 77 mali said) due to the fact the fuel lines were within one inch of that bolt underneath. Stuff like this sure makes something that should be easy and turns into a pain in the a$$ real quick. Good luck.

by Mcarlo77 Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:33 am

Why GM ever decided to switch to those friggin' Torx head bolts in the first place is beyond me. Let me guess...they were 2 cents cheaper than std hex-head bolts?

I've wrestled with this on many a car trying to extract seat belts. There's no easy solution if the bolts just won't budge. Will just have to decide what's the best course of action for you. Like Mali said, sometimes it's just easier to cut the metal hold-down tabs as close to the retractor as possible and fabricate a new extension. Don't see why a person couldn't simply bolt that into the floor separately at that point. For that matter, not sure why anything more needs to be done. The seat is held in place pretty securely at the top and the lower seat cushion presses against it at the bottom. But, if you're doing rust repair back there on the floor, those retractors will probably need to come out one way or the other.

By the way, I've got a couple retractors if you should need them.

by 77mali Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:39 am

They should have put those tabs on the middle seat belt holes or secured the bottom of the seat cage independently of the belts altogether. Most of these cars (like mine) leak through the back glass, side windows or rear glass channel at some point & the water does the rest. Rolling Eyes

Like Mcarlo said the top is pretty secure- it was a probably a federal mandate.
LOL.

by fishhead Wed Jan 09, 2013 11:57 am

Thank you!Looks like I'll be cutting those tabs.I wish GM would have spent a little more for hardened torx bolt heads,they're soft as butter even without rust issues.Griping aside, I'm still 100% bowtie blood,born into a Chevrolet household.

by 77mali Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:08 pm

The only bolts I'm reusing are the ones on the trans tunnel for the front lap belts. The others will be grade 8 Hex heads for sure.

by Landonus Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:14 pm

I had this problem just recently. The one on the driver side wasn't even identifiable due to the rust. I couldn't get my saw to bite so I used a grinding wheel on my dremel. I've yet to figure out what to do about the anchor bolt but I am looking to to rust repair. My back glass does not leak but both opera windows do.

by Mcarlo77 Wed Jan 09, 2013 12:30 pm

Don't know how I'd exist without my Dremel!

by thatfnthing Wed Jan 09, 2013 4:44 pm

Landonus wrote:I had this problem just recently. The one on the driver side wasn't even identifiable due to the rust. I couldn't get my saw to bite so I used a grinding wheel on my dremel. I've yet to figure out what to do about the anchor bolt but I am looking to to rust repair. My back glass does not leak but both opera windows do.

Ditto. When it came time to do mine, the corrosion was so bad that the entire anchor just twisted right out of the floor in a rusted lump on both sides. Not having a welder, I had to improvise: after cutting away all the rotted sheet metal, I cut 1/4" steel bars to about 20" or so and hammered them into the correct contour, then bolted the ends with two grade 8 bolts each to good metal on both the upper and lower with hardened washers to distribute the load. Afterward I hammer formed sheet metal over them to actually provide a "floor" in those sections and epoxied it to the existing good sheet metal. The seats belts bolt directly to the 1/4" steel bars through the sheet metal. Ain't the prettiest thing, but it's strong, and that's what counted.

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One last problem with rear seat removal

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