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Automotive News & Views Memories Of The Old GM And Its Cars
379 messages, Last post on Jul 01, 2009 at 11:43 AM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 30, 2009 4:39 am) |
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Some still wish for 6 passenger cars, but the center front is not meant for sitting, especially since there are no shoulder belts. The days of three across in a front bench seat went away with driving without seatbelts. BTW: Do big pickups have middle front seat shoulder belts? |
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Replying to: tomcatt630 (Jun 30, 2009 7:20 am) Here's a shot of a 2008 Silverado interior, and it doesn't look like it has a shoulder belt for the center spot...  Big pickups are starting to get sort of the same way big cars started getting with the advent of downsizing, where it seems like they make that center spot less comfortable. I've noticed that the center spot on a 2008 Silverado is worse than it is on my '85. The seat is more thinly padded, and the transmission hump is bigger. The bottom of the dashboard also juts out further. I think the dash and the seat are both higher up as well. Here's a pic of a 1985 or so Silverado, to compare...  Nowadays, I think most big pickups essentially have two thinly padded, flat buckets in the with a stationary section in the middle that can fold down into an armrest with a big, flat writing surface on it. I have a friend who has a 2005 Silverado, and I know the seats are individual, but I can't remember how they're set up, whether it's a 50/50 split, 40/60, or what. It's a stick shift, but you can still get 3 people in it...just not comfortably! |
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actually, it looks like they have added a shoulder strap to the center section of pickup truck back seats nowadays. Here's a 2007+ Silverado, with a seat cover on, showing the center shoulder strap... 
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Replying to: tomcatt630 (Jun 30, 2009 7:20 am) 4 kids in the back, one in the front with mom and dad. 
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Replying to: toomanyfumes (Jun 30, 2009 8:12 am) 4 kids in the back, one in the front with mom and dad. My grandparents had a '72 Impala 4-door hardtop. I remember as a kid, going on trips with them, actually climbing over the seat! If I got bored in the back I'd climb up front to sit in between Grandmom and Granddad, and then climb back over when I got bored up front. Sometimes I wonder how we survived our childhood, growing up in those carefree days! Back in college, I used to help out with the youth group in the church I attended back then. One time we took the kids to an amusement park, and I remember squeezing 6 of them in my '69 Dart hardtop. 4 in the back, and two in the passenger side bucket seat. The lap belt stretched enough to hold the two up front in, while the ones in back were on their own. Plus, that was long enough ago that nobody really cared if a back seat passenger wasn't belted in. Now, these also weren't big kids...just 10-13 year olds. I wonder how many you could pile into a 70's GM full-size, if you really put your mind to it? I think the last time I really tried cramming a car to the max, it was my '89 Gran Fury. Got 6 people in it. That car only had 56" of shoulder room, whereas any full-size car worth a damn should have 61+". However, that car was also slab-sided, and the dashboard and wheel wells were out of the way, and the driveshaft/tranny hump weren't all that bad. Plus, it had a solid bench seat up front (but still had an armrest) and no armrest in the back, so the center spots weren't too bad. Still not something I'd want to do for an extended trip, though. Plus, 6 passengers would probably exceed the GVWR of most modern cars!
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 30, 2009 8:21 am) |
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The 80's Gran Fury M-Body was actaully a slightly stretched Volare'/Aspen F-body [no, not related to the GM f body Camaro!], called a 'compact' in 1976. And sure those old big cars could fit 7-8 people, but safety is more important.
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Replying to: tomcatt630 (Jul 01, 2009 7:59 am) Actually, it was on the same 112.7" wheelbase as a Volare sedan/wagon, although there was a bit more overhang. I think my Gran Fury was about 205" long, whereas a Volare sedan is around 202. Not a huge difference. And sure those old big cars could fit 7-8 people, but safety is more important. Well, my Gran Fury had an airbag. Crumple zones. Rudimentary crumple zones by today's standards, but still had 'em. Side door guard beams. Fewer blind spots than probably any car built today. EXCELLENT brakes, as it was a copcar. Also had a beefed up suspension, and enough power to get out of its own way. It was also a heavy, solidly built car. Smaller than a Caprice or Crown Vic, but not much lighter. Your typical similar-sized car of today is going to be safer, as time has marched on and so has technology and safety standards. But I'd hardly call an M-body a death trap. I also wouldn't recommend 7-8 people, as it only had 56" of shoulder room! My guess is that it's about as big inside as a Ford Fusion, but actually feels roomier because of the big windows, no center console, less intrusive dash, less curvature of the sides, etc. |
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jun 29, 2009 5:07 pm) Considering that many W-car's have been sold to fleets as company cars it's probably a fair amount. My wife often has 3 other people in her company car when traveling to meetings and/or lunch. I find the backseat of her GrandPrix to be borderline dangerous as my head gets wedged between the roof and the rear window, it's horrible. It's fine for kids, but anyone over 5'10 and/or has long legs will not want to sit back there long. |
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