Clamshell conversion question
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 452
Likes: 158
From: Newark, DE
Clamshell conversion question
I'm putting 1979 clamshells in my non-pace car 78. What's the difference between these two seat tracks?
1978-1981 Corvette Seat Tracks 1978-1979 LH Excluding Power Seats
1978 Pace Car, 1979-1981 Corvette Seat Tracks
It looks like the first is for all passenger side seats and non-tilt/tele driver side seats. The second is for tilt/tele cars. My car was originally non-tilt/tele, but I swapped columns a few years ago. The bolt patterns are supposedly all the same. Why are there different rails?
1978-1981 Corvette Seat Tracks 1978-1979 LH Excluding Power Seats
1978 Pace Car, 1979-1981 Corvette Seat Tracks
It looks like the first is for all passenger side seats and non-tilt/tele driver side seats. The second is for tilt/tele cars. My car was originally non-tilt/tele, but I swapped columns a few years ago. The bolt patterns are supposedly all the same. Why are there different rails?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,682
Likes: 3,135
From: Shamong, NJ
The lower set is correct for your passenger side seat, and I think the upper set would be correct for the driver's side.
My 1980 (5-80 date), 1981 (9-80 date) and 1982 (9-81 date) Corvette Parts Books all list 472000 (GM number for the LH track) and 471999 (RH track) as the seat tracks for 78-80 driver's seat with tilt/tele, and 81 all with manual driver's seat (t&t became standard in 81 and a power seat became an 81 option). Strangely they are the only tracks listed in any of my Parts Books for the 78-81 driver's side "clam shell" seat. None of my Parts Books list tracks for a driver's side 78-80 seat with a standard column? This may just be an anomaly in the Parts Book, it's possible that there was only one set of tracks for cars with either standard or tilt/tele column? If it is an anomaly, Corvette America (who makes the seat tracks) likely just used the description from the Parts Book.
Just as an FYI, the Parts Book lists 470645 (LH) and 470646 (RH) as the two tracks for all 79-81 passenger side seats.
By the way, because of the new "tariffs" Corvette America (who make the tracks, AKA Top Flight) just had a massive price increase on most of the things they make. The tracks are now listed on Corvette America's website at $367 a seat set, twice the price on Central's site. If you want them I'd grab them pretty quickly, before Central updates the price to the current list.
My 1980 (5-80 date), 1981 (9-80 date) and 1982 (9-81 date) Corvette Parts Books all list 472000 (GM number for the LH track) and 471999 (RH track) as the seat tracks for 78-80 driver's seat with tilt/tele, and 81 all with manual driver's seat (t&t became standard in 81 and a power seat became an 81 option). Strangely they are the only tracks listed in any of my Parts Books for the 78-81 driver's side "clam shell" seat. None of my Parts Books list tracks for a driver's side 78-80 seat with a standard column? This may just be an anomaly in the Parts Book, it's possible that there was only one set of tracks for cars with either standard or tilt/tele column? If it is an anomaly, Corvette America (who makes the seat tracks) likely just used the description from the Parts Book.
Just as an FYI, the Parts Book lists 470645 (LH) and 470646 (RH) as the two tracks for all 79-81 passenger side seats.
By the way, because of the new "tariffs" Corvette America (who make the tracks, AKA Top Flight) just had a massive price increase on most of the things they make. The tracks are now listed on Corvette America's website at $367 a seat set, twice the price on Central's site. If you want them I'd grab them pretty quickly, before Central updates the price to the current list.
