How to Install Bucket Seats in a Chevy Truck
by Russell WoodIf your truck has a bench seat like you'd find in a work truck, you can replace it with more comfortable bucket seats. Finding bucket seats is easy. Go to a junkyard and get seats from a higher model, and then install them yourself. It should take about two hours. The vehicle for this article is a 1998 Chevrolet Silverado, but the process is similar for other trucks.
Step 1
Unbolt the factory bench seat from the vehicle using a 3/8-inch ratchet and socket. With the help of an assistant, lift the bench up and out of the vehicle.
Step 2
Place the seats in the vehicle and bolt the seats to the floor. There are only two bolts on each seat that will line up. The other holes will need to be drilled before the seat can be bolted down.
Step 3
Mark on the carpet the location of the seat holes that do not have matching holes in the frame.
Step 4
Unbolt the seats again and pull them outside. With a razor blade and cut out the section of carpet around the mark you just made until you can see bare metal underneath.
Step 5
Place the seats back in the vehicle, and mark the seat holes again, but this time, the mark will go onto the steel of the floor.
Step 6
Unbolt and remove the seats one last time.
Step 7
Drill holes on the marks in the floor with metal drill bits.
Step 8
Place the seats back in the vehicle and drop a bolt and washer through the seat mount and through the floor.
Step 9
Crawl underneath the truck and attach a washer and nut to each bolt.
Things You'll Need
- 3/8-inch ratchet and socket set
- Razor blades
- Paint marker
- Drill and metal drill bits
- Open-end wrench set
- 1-1/2-inch long bolts, nuts and washers
Writer Bio
Russell Wood is a writer and photographer who attended Arizona State University. He has been building custom cars and trucks since 1994, including several cover vehicles. In 2000 Wood started a career as a writer, and since then he has dedicated his business to writing and photographing cars and trucks, as well as helping people learn more about how vehicles work.
