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Installing bed seats in a 1987 Brat


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Getting ready to install the seats.  I have done some searching and understand that the bracket that holds the bottom of the head restrant bar is absent from my Brat.  Does anyone have a set (or one) of the brackets available.  If not, can someone point me to a drawing or picture of the bracket.

 

Seat location: obviously they need to be centered left to right, but can someone give me a dimenstion to locate the seats front to back.  How many inches from the front wall to what part of the seat frame?

 

Seat belt attachment: same questions.

 

I am about 100 miles from my Brat so I will not be able to go look at it until the middle of next week.

 

Anything else I should know?

 

Thank you,

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The 87's did not come with seats, so the lower headrest bracket is not there. You would have to weld one (2) in. Also, the seats are welded in as well. Bolting them in is not a good idea unless you reinforce the tubing of the frame. It is thin walled and will buckle while tightening and most likely buckle or break with people in the seats if there were ever to be an accident. If bolting in, I recommend 4 pieces of 1/4" plate drilled and tapped to the appropriate bolt size then tack welded to the underside of the bed in the appropriate places. Reinforce the tubing with angle iron to form a half box over the top of the section you are going to run the bolt through. That's what I did when I put seats back in my '84.

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The 87's did not come with seats, so the lower headrest bracket is not there. You would have to weld one (2) in. Also, the seats are welded in as well. Bolting them in is not a good idea unless you reinforce the tubing of the frame. It is thin walled and will buckle while tightening and most likely buckle or break with people in the seats if there were ever to be an accident. If bolting in, I recommend 4 pieces of 1/4" plate drilled and tapped to the appropriate bolt size then tack welded to the underside of the bed in the appropriate places. Reinforce the tubing with angle iron to form a half box over the top of the section you are going to run the bolt through. That's what I did when I put seats back in my '84.

Thank you for the recommendations.  At present I am planning on attaching them in six places to the bed.  I will be welding the six "feet" that remained on my seat frames to plates and then the plates will be welded to the bed of the Brat.  It will be as strong as the original installation.

 

But I still don't know how far from or close to the rear wall of the bed to place them.

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Greg, is that the stock location for the seats? Just curious whether you reinstalled seats and that's what looked good to you, or if they were still in the factory position.

 

This is the stock location for the seats with the factory seat mounts.

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Now I need the location of the seat belt bolts.  If someone can measure from the wall and from the front of the bed to the center of the bolt hole on one side and then the spacing across to each of the other bolt locations it would be great.  I can then properly locate the belts in the stock locations.  Prefer to not be guessing.

 

Thank you,

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The seat belt mounting bolt is:

4-3/8" from cab wall

5-3/8" from side bed wall

(these are to bolt centers)

 

same on both sides

 

 

Hope that helps 

 

Greg

Yes, that helps alot.  That locates the outside seat belts.  How far from that anchor to the one for the inside belt?

 

thanks,

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I have an extra frame for the seats. The frame was welded to the bed, and the stock seats bolted to it. You're welcome to it for the price of shipping. Send me a PM if you're interested.

I don't have an interest, but I would recommend posting its availability in the For Sale section as that is where people look to see what is available.  There was a person that was looking for just the frame and was willing to pay freight not too long ago.

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OK more measurements

 

Inner seat belt bolt holes are

 

2-1/2" from cab

23-1/2" from either side

to center of bolts

 

That should be all of them now....... :D

 

Greg

Greg, Thanks a lot!  That is all the measurements that I need.  It is good to get those numbers on the board as I expect there are others that can also use the information.

 

Again, thanks a lot!

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Ok, I just now thought of another question that I probably should have thought of earlier but didn't.

 

When installing the seat belts, do the rollup ones go on the outside next to the bed walls or the inside or are they always on the passenger's left or right? 

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