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78 Eldo drivers seat removal ???

Started by xcaret, October 22, 2012, 11:26:13 PM

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xcaret

I needed a motor for my drivers seat and tried to get one out at an autowreckers. I wound up tearing the foam and springs out of the seat to see where the hidden bolts must be. I had taken the two front and two rear bolts out ( or nuts ,I just forget) but try as I would the seat just rocked as if there were two more bolts in the middle of the front and rear ones . I managed to undo the seat motor which was what I was after,and took it to an old taxi cab ( they used lots of Cadillacs up here in the day) repair garage , they didn't remove the seat ,but were able to just undo the bolts from the motor ,I could not as the seat woulndt move at the wreckers for lack of power. Now I'm looking at replacing the carpet , it is a one peice and goes under the front seat , but I am totally stumped as to how to get the seat free. I even have the CD of the factory manuals and nothing is in it . Has any one done this ?
Neil

Glen

If you need to move the seat but you don’t have battery power, like working on a car in the junk yard you can use a 12 V battery out of an uninterruptible power supply or some emergency lights in commercial buildings.  I’ve also used motorcycle batteries.  Moped batteries may also work. 

You do need to figure out where the connectors for the seats are and what wires you need to connect to.  If the switch is in the seat it makes it easier.  You can disconnect the connector, hook up the battery and operate the seat. 

It gets more complicated if the switch is in the door. 

HTH
Glen Houlton CLC #727 
CLCMRC benefactor #104

The Tassie Devil(le)

Plus, these seats have usually four bolts, or nuts at each corner.   That is each of the runners is held down so they cannot work loose.

A 1/2" AF ring or open-end spanner is required to undo them.

Plus, there is a plastic carpet retainer covering them if it hasn't been worked on before.

Bruce. >:D
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

xcaret

I know about the battery trick being an ex autowrecker myself, Yes I found the 4 bolts but as I said after removing them the seat trac just rocked back and forth and was secured in the middle. I was at a real junk yard ,not an autowreckers so I was able to tear everything to shreds ,but pry with a leaf spring , drive shaf,t and various other lever type things the seat would not budge , just kept rocking back and forth ,held down in the middle ..
A note ... ,I was working on a 1975 Eldorado at the junk pile , My car is a 1978 , it apears  to have the same seat assembly . I don't want to start removing the seat and find the same thing as in the 1975 one ..Theseare 50/50  seats.


One more question, at the junk pile ,before tearing the foam padding off the seat to get at the motor, I was looking for bolts to take the seat cushion off the seat so I could get at it . I couldn't feel anything that a wrench or socket etc. would fit onto . Anyone  know about that??

cadillactim

If all you need is the seat motor, it is held by two screws. Some have the two screws attached to the front of the bracket holding the motor/transmission. Others have the two screws on the bottom of the bracket. Since you have the seat loose, tilt it up to access the screws if they are on the bottom of the bracket.

I remove the bracket with motor/transmission attached. It is attached to the two front seat bolts. Remove the nuts, lift up the bracket, pull the cables free from the tracks, unplug the wires, and it's out.

Tim
Tim Groves

xcaret

As I mentioned in my post I removed the seat motor ,I also took the seat transmission for a spare ,but want to know about removing the entire seat so I can replace the carpet with a one peice one sold on the internet. 
As I mentioned I removed the two front bolts and the two rear bolts but someting I couldnt see or feel was in the middle of each seat track keeping it attached to the floor , hence the whole seat assembly rocked back and forth ,the front legs lifting off the floor as did the rear .
Neil

The Tassie Devil(le)

The only thing that could be holding the seat down would have to be the wiring, or the Earth Strap.

There shouldn't be anything else.

The front and rear being loose would account for all the runner attachments.

The only thing that I could think of is the Seat Belts, where they fit through the seat base.   You have undone the Seat Belts from the floor?

Bruce. >:D

PS.   Try pulling the seat harder. ;)
'72 Eldorado Convertible (LHD)
'70 Ranchero Squire (RHD)
'74 Chris Craft Gull Wing (SH)
'02 VX Series II Holden Commodore SS Sedan
(Past President Modified Chapter)

Past Cars of significance - to me
1935 Ford 3 Window Coupe
1936 Ford 5 Window Coupe
1937 Chevrolet Sports Coupe
1955 Chevrolet Convertible
1959 Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
1960 Cadillac CDV
1972 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe

xcaret

Wellbyou cant all be wrong , I undid the seatbelts and what ever I found , but as I mentioned it was a 1975 model ,and mines a 1978 so maybe mine will come out easier, If the 4 bolts don't do the trick I can just bolt it back in ,( or fly into a rage and smash everything) lol. Thats stress relief.
Neil

joewittmann

I have the exact same problem.  I spoke to a tech and he is telling me there are 6 bolts not 4.  2 in the front and 4 in the back, but I can't find those additional 2 bolts anywhere.

joecaristo

There are 4 bolts that hold the seat to the moving frame. There are 8 bolts that hold the frame to the floor. The 8 bolts are covered from the factory by color coded plastic trim "sleeves" that slide onto the frame covering the bolts.
Joe Caristo