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Old 11-09-2022, 03:28 PM   #927
HO455
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portland Oregon
Posts: 10,853
Re: Working Man's Burbon

Okay! Okay, I'm sorry! I've had some fastener issues to sort out.

The second row bottom seats had some rust on their frames which ruined some of the bolts. Fortunately although the threads in the frames were salvageable, five of the bolts were too rusted to use (Photo #1) and I did have 2 bolts that I twisted in two despite my best efforts. Being blind fasteners I had no way to get any heat on the nuts, even pentrating oil was almost impossible to get on the threads.

Anyway not only did I need some bolts, I also needed some of the flanged spacers that GM used to prevent the bolts from being threaded in to far and distorting the backs. Most spacers were deformed from the bolts being over torqued (Probably with a mis-adjusted air ratchet.) Some of them were less than half as long as they should have been.

My searches for another squarebody Burban at the u-pull-it yards didn't pay off. But I found some spacers that are used in cheap particleboard furniture that were almost perfect. I only had to drill the hole out. (See photo #2 the arrow shows a factory spacer with minor deforming, next to one of the furniture spacers.)

Next was to make the new bolt heads match the original bolt heads (It's an OCD thing you may not have to worry about. ) I chucked the replacement bolts up on the lathe and made a smooth, slight dome on the top of the bolt head. (Photo #3)

Once all of that was done I just needed a day when it wasn't raining. Which was yesterday!

I still need to remove the seat bottoms on both of the lower seats so I can loosen the bolts that hold them to the mounts. Hopefully then I can line them up better. Worst case I will have to take a grinder and slot the mounting holes. But I was happy with how they fit before so I'm guessing it is a tolerance stacking problem.

The only disappointing thing was the 503 green paint I got to paint the seat back latches isn't 503 but Detroit Diesel engine green. UHGG! You can kinda see it in the back of the last photo. Expensive paint that sprayed out really nice. Anyone putting a 471 in their truck need some paint?

And for CG's information the front seat is all the way back in the last photo.

Now I have the whole seat belt dilemma to get figured out.
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Thanks to Bob and Jeanie and everyone else at Superior Performance for all their great help.
RIP Bob Parks.
1967 Burban (the WMB),1988 S10 Blazer (the Stink10 II),1969 GTO (the Goat), 1970 Javelin, 1952 F2 Ford OHC six 4X4, 29 Model A, 72 Firebird (the DBP Bird). 85 Alfa Romeo
If it breaks I didn't want it in the first place
The WMB repair thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=698377
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