15. Front Seat

My 1979 Malibu Wagon had a bench seat and my Monte Carlo has bucket seats. The T5 shifter coincides with the front of a bench seat, resulting in a lot more work and a less than satisfactory swap. It is preferable to start with a car that has bucket seats or consider swapping the bench seat for bucket seats.

15.1. Bench Seat

The T5 shifter coincides with the front of a bench seat. In my 1979 Malibu Wagon, I had to move the seat all the way back and notch the front of the bench. After carefully removing the hog rings from the front of the bench, I cut a notch in the foam and in the seat frame. I then reinstalled the hog rings. The result was a dimple in the front of the seat. After modifying the stock shifter (Figure 11‑2), there was no more interference with the seat. To achieve a factory appearance, the front seat upholstery should be cut/stitched with a notch for the shifter, allowing room to move the seat forward.

15.2. Bucket Seats

No seat modifications are necessary when using bucket seats.