Unobtainium: Police buckets for a box

[Heretic]

I am looking for a set of police bucket seats that will fit my 85 box.

Hey, I can dream that someone here will have a set they're willing to sell...

Thanks guys

[1987cp]

If you find a set of sliders, let me know! Last person I talked to who claimed to have cop sliders wanted $150 EACH and basically refused to verify exactly what they were.

Mustang seats bolt directly to my '87 cop-bucket sliders, thus the interest.

[zoomie]

i have found bucket seats from a 01 but they want quite a bit for them, somethign like 130 a piece, however i did manage to find a box police car that retains the seats, not sure if they are bucket ones or not

[1987cp]

Crazy what people want for used junk that will almost certainly all go in the crusher next week. :nonono:


Reminds me, though, do you know what the later seats bolt to? The early Panther seat-to-slider mounts are about 1" wider for split bench vs. cop buckets. Seems I have the measurements posted in that one thread I started in '08 or so .....

[gadget73]

Look for baby LTD or Fairmont seats. Pretty sure the box cop seats are just Fairmont kit. Sliders are probably nothing special either, likely you could adapt standard split bench sliders to fit the buckets with relative ease.

[1987cp]

Split bench sliders will need to be modified by welding extra tabs onto the sides of the feet somehow, such that they can be spaced narrower for the narrower bolt pattern on top while still bolting to the early-Panther floor on the bottom. I actually still need to look more closely at the one I have and see how easy that isn't .... especially if the full-bench sliders are the same as the split-bench ones ...... Seems, though, that my early experiments using Mustang seats and a Panther split-bench manual slider ended up with the seat being too high.

Can't comment on Fox seat sliders, but the SN95 sliders I've got are a complete nightmare ... floor mounting pattern is both narrower and longer than a Panther.

[Heretic]

Shit, I need sliders too? LOL

Well maybe someone will have complete seats for me... hint hint...

So I understand... "Cop" sliders are narrower on the top yet retain the same bolt pattern for the floorboards? I suppose if worse came to worse I could use different year/model seats and modify/bolt them to my bench sliders like I did for the Lightning seats... Baby LTD and fairmont seats will be searched for tomorrow, although those are probably rare too. Any particular year Fairmont?

[1987cp]

So I understand... "Cop" sliders are narrower on the top yet retain the same bolt pattern for the floorboards?

Bingo.

I suppose if worse came to worse I could use different year/model seats and modify/bolt them to my bench sliders like I did for the Lightning seats... Baby LTD and fairmont seats will be searched for tomorrow, although those are probably rare too. Any particular year Fairmont?

As mentioned, I know for a fact that SN95 seats can use the same mounting pattern as my P72 buckets. And that the only seat I've seen in person that looks like P72 buckets were those in a '78 Mustang II King Cobra - though of course Mike, Thain, Scott, and others strongly hypothesize the Fairmont compatibility. If only I still had the baby LTD wagon my dad got rid of back around 1996 ....

BTW, in addition to flopping around with only one-half of the slider assembly bolted to the floor, I also tried bolting my SN95 seats to split-bench sliders via adapters up top (1/8" bar stock), and as mentioned, I felt the seats rode too high. But, that was before spending time in actual P72 seats, so I don't have a back-to-back comparison. Maybe I should try that experiment again ....

[P72Ford]

I have two sets in my possession. The set in my '87 do not match the rear seat, so I was thinking of swapping in the other set of blue velour seats I have. But my Dad has been using the '88 that they are in, and they are a little pigged up. If they don't clean up, I won't be going that route. I may put something different in my car, in which case I will keep you in mind.

[1987cp]

Velour, like the ones in Nate Williams' late '89?

[P72Ford]

No.

His were a different style.

Mine are the typical police bucket style, but the surfaces are velour, and the sides are vinyl. And they were really mint. Still nice, but need cleaning.

[Heretic]

Thats my issue with the Lightning seats, they are WAYYYY too high for a box Panther. I am going to mount them back to their pan and most likely re-sell them on the NLOC, seeing as I no longer own a 90's F-150 and cannot afford another 90s Lightning (I REGRET selling my 93 L!)

What do I look for if I am trying to locate a set of 'cop' rails? Got any OEM part numbers?

And if you ever do wanna let a set go, irregardless of condition keep me in mind. I will pay shipping (of course), and my sister can re-upholster them if need be.

[zoomie]

i know where there is a small ford wagon that might have what yall looking for i just need to get to the yard and go take a look see. ill post pics and prices when i get a chance.

[1987cp]

What do I look for if I am trying to locate a set of 'cop' rails? Got any OEM part numbers?

You may have seen this old thread where I posted pics of mine and also the numbers that were on them. I never figured out how to make use of the numbers, but maybe you'll have better luck?

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?26096-1987-police-bucket-seats&highlight=police+seats

[1987cp]

i know where there is a small ford wagon that might have what yall looking for i just need to get to the yard and go take a look see. ill post pics and prices when i get a chance.

One visual cue is that the feet on the sliders (the ones I have, anyway) each have two holes, presumably to fit two different floorboard bolt patterns (and predictably, I've been unable to verify what floor bolt pattern was used on Fox Fairmonts/LTDs, so maybe you could help?). You probably already knew this; if not, check the link I just posted for pics.