seat install process?

[GoMangoBoys]

We are trying to put in the rear seat.  The back is in place, and now we are trying to put in the seat bottom.  I don't want to damage it by doing it wrong.  We have the seat back bolted in, I thought that the seat bottom would slide in in the back, then lock in in the front.  That does not seem to be working.  Not sure what I am doing wrong.  The shoulder bolts for the seat belts on the wheel well seem a bit long. 
1.  What is the right order of steps to put this seat in?
2. Are the medium or shortest shoulder bolts supposed to go into the corner belts in the wheel well?  I put the bolts with the shortest shoulders in the front shoulder belts in the roof.  Should these short shoulder bolts be used on the rear laps belts on the sides instead?

[71vert340]

 The rear seat bottom is a pain to install. Make sure the brackets are not bent over. I have to push the seat bottom way back under the seat back and I feel the front wire frame of the seat slide into the bracket and slip down. Then I let it slide forward to latch in. I'll include a couple of photos of the front floor brackets. Straighten the brackets if bent. It slides along the top of the front part and then drops into the second part. New seat foam can make it harder.. Sometimes, the carpet can get in the way of the brackets. I used the heavy hammer to hold the carpet back to get the photo.
Terry W.

[GoMangoBoys]

Thanks.   We managed to get the seat installed.  We now seem to have an issue with the shape of the seat back vs the seat bottom.  They touch in the middle and on each end, but there is a gap on both sides where a person would sit.  Not sure if this is normal or if the interior guy who redid the seats did not get make them the right shape.  Seems like the latter is the problem.

[Jay Bee]

I have that problem too when the seat bottom is installed correctly. Since my car only ever had one bottom seat bracket hook on each side I had to push the seat's rod behind those bottom brackets. The pictures will show it. First one is installed correctly, second is in behind bracket, third kind of explains what worked for me.

[anlauto]

Yes, your problem is common, a good fix is shown in John's pictures 

[Dakota]

I have the same problem.  Great fix.   I learn something new here almost every day. 

[cudamadd]

Fantastic information I also learn some thing all the time from this forum. So in some cases there were two brackets each side .

[larry4406]

Fantastic information I also learn some thing all the time from this forum. So in some cases there were two brackets each side .

I think the "two bracket per side" is a convertible only thing.  Something about the vert's using the same floor pan piece as the hardtop but the seat bottom is different thus the added set of brackets.

[71vert340]

 The above photos I posted were taken of my convertible floor brackets. My 72 hardtop only has one bracket per side for the rear seat. I haven't checked the 71 hardtop yet.
Terry W.

[Jay Bee]

I think the "two bracket per side" is a convertible only thing.  Something about the vert's using the same floor pan piece as the hardtop but the seat bottom is different thus the added set of brackets.

Weird. My car is a convertible and the bracket picture is from the original floor. Maybe if it came with two per side I wouldn't have had to re-position mine in behind. The Dynacorn piece it was replaced with came with only one per side also.

I wish I could remember what it looked like when I bought it in '79, where it was hooked back then, and if re-upholstering made a difference. I'll also say it takes a fair bit of effort to install/remove the seat bottom from where mine is hooked but obviously it can be done.

[anlauto]

The double bracket is a Challenger convertible thing only to compensate for the 2" difference in wheelbase. You can't forget that the Challenger is two inches longer then the Cuda, yet they use the exact same convertible roof. The entire rear seat brace/seat section is moved 2" forward on a Challenger convertible. Those hooks are likely welded to the center floor in the hardtop position before the pan is entered into the line

[GoMangoBoys]

In looking at it, I think that my fundamental problem is that the seat bottom and back are not shaped right.  They are firmly touching on the ends and in the middle, but not in the areas where a person would sit.  I have since sent the pics to the guy who recovered my seats and he will redo them and fix the foam.  I will leave it as is for now and take it to him in the spring once the car is on the road.  As it is, if I push the seat bottom back further, it will only push the seat back up and leave me with the gaps still.