Wood Blocks Under Bucket Seat Tracks

[hep1966]

In my 56, I have bucket seats from a 68ish Chevelle or similar. There are wood blocks under the seat mounts. I guess they help level out or get the seats to the height that the previous owner desired. Was that a common thing to do in the 70s? Should the wood be replaced with something else?

[chevynut]

There's nothing inherently wrong with using wood blocks as spacers for bucket seats as long as your seats and especially the seat belts (if you have them) are safely mounted to the floor. If you don't have seat belts the wood is the least of your worries.

[NickP]

In my little pea pickin brain, it would seem like a recipe for disaster but, as I have indicated many times, I'm NOT an engineer. However logic says, depending how tall the piece of wood any sudden stops may cause a shift in position and certainly, were that E-Stop to contain a front collision it could really be a bad thing.

Me, I would take the dimensions you have from the completed assembly and develop a proper seat mount similar in fashion to this possibly.

[WagonCrazy]

I'm no engineer either, but logic tells me that if the seat bracket has a bolt that goes thru a hole in the bracket and all the way thru the block of wood and thru the floorpan, and you have some very large (2" or larger) diameter flat-washers under the pan...and the whole thing is bolted together SOLIDLY...then in an accident...the seat probably won't move much.

But as Laszlo suggested, all bets are off on your safety if you don't have seat belts...

[NickP]

I'm no engineer either, but logic tells me that if the seat bracket has a bolt that goes thru a hole in the bracket and all the way thru the block of wood and thru the floorpan, and you have some very large (2" or larger) diameter flat-washers under the pan...and the whole thing is bolted together SOLIDLY...then in an accident...the seat probably won't move much.

But as Laszlo suggested, all bets are off on your safety if you don't have seat belts...

If, your intent is to insight or disturb or coerce or goad one into a discourse of unnecessary dialogue and I suspect it is, start your own thread and lash out at whomever you have determined to be your target there, rather than trashing another post that was genuinely asked. If your intent is to disrupt or destroy this site, then you're well on your way and when, if the owner decides, this site is gone then your flame will extinguish and you will have no more fun.

[markm]

I had similar issues with 1965 Impala buckets in my 55. I welded square tube to 1/4 inch plate and used factory threaded holes in floor on outside track.

[chevynut]

If, your intent is to insight or disturb or coerce or goad one into a discourse of unnecessary dialogue and I suspect it is, start your own thread and lash out at whomever you have determined to be your target there, rather than trashing another post that was genuinely asked. If your intent is to disrupt or destroy this site, then you're well on your way and when, if the owner decides, this site is gone then your flame will extinguish and you will have no more fun.

SAY WHAT???!!!!

Paul doesn't do that...someone else here does.

[55 Rescue Dog]

Good wood spacers should be fine. That would be the least of the tri-5 potential safety issues.

[rockytopper R.I.P 5-13-2017]

Hep1966 I'm only guessing I'm only a draftsman lol with an engineers title so pictures are worth a thousand words to me so to speak. I can only assume the reason the wood blocks are used is because the seat mounting points drop off in the rear pan past the raised area that the factory seat mounts to. If that's the case what is used underneath the pan is the thing to worry about as said above ie big fender washer to spread the load out under the pan. Does not matter what the spacer is made out of if this is the case I'm just guessing.

[Rick_L]

If, your intent is to insight or disturb or coerce or goad one into a discourse of unnecessary dialogue and I suspect it is, start your own thread and lash out at whomever you have determined to be your target there, rather than trashing another post that was genuinely asked. If your intent is to disrupt or destroy this site, then you're well on your way and when, if the owner decides, this site is gone then your flame will extinguish and you will have no more fun.

Huh? Is this a reply to wagoncrazy? Are you taking your meds today?

Seems to me that the suitability of wood depends on how thick, what wood (hardwood or pine), what kind of fasteners/washers, etc. The generic answer would be no, it's not suitable.