In the late 60s I saw a 63 Biscayne 2dr with 409 badges and bucket seats. The buckets matched the rest of the interior. Was this an option or did owner have SS seats reupholstered? The owner was not around to ask but looking at the car I think it was a factory 409 car.
One of the problems with the SS was getting the paint repaired after some asshole used a screwdriver to pry off the 409 badges.
Could have been a special order deal, GM did that sort of thing back then. As an example, I have a 1961 Bonneville; in that year the only Pontiac that was available with bucket seats as a standard option was a Bonneville convertible, but in small text in the dealer album it said they were available in any other model as a special order. It would be unusual for someone to want buckets in a Biscayne (if they were racing, a bench seat weighed less) but I suppose it could have been possible if they had a dealer willing to push the paperwork through.
Buckets were available in 1961 Pontiac Catalina and Ventura model, so I imagine the Bonneville hardtop wouldn't be excluded. The myth of the factory would build anything back in the old days seems to persist and be propagated by people who have never been in an automobile factory. Bucket seat Biscayne are highly unlikely. Specials like that would require large fleet orders to make it worthwhile for the factory to engineer and release the specifications and manage the logistics to get the car built. They'd loose their shirt allowing any small town dealer to deviate from catalogued options.
There are number of them around that were so equipped, but according to all the factory information I have buckets were in fact a special order in Catalinas and Venturas that year. I suspect it wasn't the case for 1963 Biscaynes, but 50 years later it's difficult to say.
They were listed in the sales brochures brochure as special order, but the fact that they were listed at all suggests that special order wasn't really so special. Things like optional axle ratios were sometimes listed as special order too. The optional ratios were engineered, coded, and in the system, but because they weren't commonly ordered, lead times would be impacted, hence the special order notation. 4 speed transmissions sometimes had the special order notation because the floors pan had to be modified, ie hacked for the shifter, which required assigning someone on the line to do the surgery and install the tower for the shifter. In the case of the Biscayne with buckets and low level upholstery , my money is on an owner commissioned custom installation.
Did the seats have the chrome band over the top? Corvair used the same seat frames (but without the extra chrome trim) and used a lot of the same upholstery pattern. They could have been swapped out later.
Sounds like owner custom install to me, sometime in the last 50+ years. Pretty cool idea. Done right, it's a head scratcher, as evidenced here.
Or the 409 Bisquit. If it was a gennie sold to race car it would have or could had Van seats. The 409 car I bought had van seats, radio and heater delete. I put a heater in it because it was damned cold in the winter in SE Kansas. LOL
i agree with porknbeaner's assessment. you may recall that the ford thunderbolts were equipped with bucket seats from econoline vans...
Production line vehicles and mfg's special race projects are two entirely different kettles of carp. Hell, Pontiac sourced the hood scoops for their SD race program from Fords' big truck line. Doesn't meen even one saw the inside of their regular production facility. Anyone ever see a 427 "mystery motor" in any Chevrolet production line car?
Hell if I had a Mystery motor it would land itself in some sort of a production line car. The 409 cars came in a multitude of different trim packages, I see sport coupe 409s way more for example than I do bisquits. I have seen one Bellaire in my time but I cannot swear to you that it was a documented car. At the place in history that we are in now just to find an original hi output 409 in anything would be damned cool. I wouldn't even care if it had 5 gallon buckets from Lowes so sit on.
I'd think in the car in question the seats were installed by the owner. As far as the 409 being put in different cars I used to race against a 409 4 speed Chevy wagon in G stock at Little river /Temple Academy in 1969. The thing was a full on race car running on the record and my 69 Cutlass S was stock as a stove and ran 2 seconds off the record. Lots of laying the rule book beside the order sheets in those days to put the right combination together to run in Stock class.
Mystery Motor was never factory installed in any body style in 1963. The motors were passed out to the proper people. They did tell NASCAR they were available over the counter to anybody with the money at a Mfg's meeting. Guy from Ford said I'll take 2, and GM delivered them to Ford.
@sunbeam Sorry for the threadjack, hoping to get some input from knowledgable "Big Car" people. Care to share your thoughts on the 61 Chevy SS four door discussion. Here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/61-impala-ss-four-door.1005300/
I have seen an old lady come into chevy dealer and say I love the color of that ss car on your lot, but I couldn't live with those bucket seats.The bench seat interior was promptly swapped out from another lot car. She drove away in a bench seat ss.
Oh come on! Why would a dealer make a car unsellable just to sell another one. I can see them ordering one from parts and doing the swap, but only if they were a long time customer and were trying to maintain that relationship. Contrary to what the car commercials want you to believe, they are not there for "you".
There were a lot of crazy combinations sold back then from what ive seen. Im no expert on anything, but have spend the better part of my life eyeballin early 60's Chevy's....and owned/built quite a few as well. I can't say with absolute certainty that buckets were not sold in a Biscayne, or Belair for that matter when it left the assmbly line, but ive never, ever seen one that came that way. Sure ive seen them installed, when an owner wanted them. But not from the factory. Tony
Why would a plane jane impala with bucket seats be unsellable and not worth more ? It would be astronomical for a dealer to order an interior from parts. Most dealers also have cheap labor. I could write a book on what I have witnessed dealers do to sell a car.
I sold chrome wheels to a dealer for a new vehicle, he put them on a customers car, and added profit, Put it all on the GMAC payment plan.. I agree, they wanted to sell cars, Friend of mine ordered a 1965 Nova 4 door station wagon,with v-8 and a 4 speed, bench seat, smooth steering column,, took forever to get it from factory, I recall the 66's were out by the time he got it. It was a great car then, now, give me an automatic... I am old.
61 SS Four door was available. Hard part is finding one and then proving it is a real SS. Would of had to have a big block though. 348 or 409 Here's my 64 Biscayne 409, 4 speed, posi.
The SS availability was deleted from dealer ordering material after the brochure DRAWING was printed. SS was not available from the FACTORY on 4drs or wagons belairs or biscyanes. Impala sedan HT or convert. Lots of dealer or homemade version out there.
Dealer would never install non original equipment BEFORE the sale for legal and warrantee issues. And they would never take it off a production car. It would come out of the parts department after you bought it. Lots of legal issues doing things like that.
Your talking now days,, before so many hungry lawyers, I installed MANY dual exhaust systems on new cars AND trucks, before they were sold, then customer financed it on loan thru GMAC. I had a muffler shop across the street from Chevy dealer, even lowered a few, some just looked to high from factory. (Heat bottom coil, aah, Just right !!!)
You didn't steal it off one car to put on another. Plenty of add on in the old days but never off another unsold lot car.
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