Joe (unlovedford) has pro-car buckets in his '72, Bruiser, with the rear seat covered to match.  They look great.  Maybe he'll chime in on the comfort aspect.

if you get another set of seat tracks, you can shorten the crosswire and use that as well as your original set to mount the buckets. I don't know about the older cars, but almost every 77-79 I have seen has the captured nuts already installed on the seat cross-support under the carpet.

So my bench is beaten down on the driver's side such that on the left side it's almost like sitting on the floor, but on the right side it's normal. After much time in the car, I know exactly what that will do to my back. So I was thinking of upgrading to buckets. I have the bench that has an armrest that can lower in the middle but is one piece on the bottom across the whole way. What can I do without welding?

Mac's Auto Parts shows some buckets that say they'll fit, but require a particular bracket. For 1971-74 Torino it shows one part number, and for 1971-74 Ranchero (OEM bench to bucket conversion) there's a different number, with another different one for 1971-74 Ranchero with OEM buckets. For my station wagon, would I want to get the 1971-74 Torino bracket, or the Ranchero bracket (OEM bench to bucket conversion)?

Or could I do something like the 2005 Mustang seats without having to weld anything? The website for one of my local junkyards shows black cloth manual 2008 Mustang buckets ("call for price" of course). If I could get those in without having to do metalwork that's out of my league, instead of waiting of however long it would take to send me brand new buckets from the manufacturer, there's some value in that.

have you had a look at the springs under the bench yet?

do you have a link to these conversion brackets?

The link to the seat is here:

https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford-bucket-seat-pro-90-with-headrest-right-42-86619-1.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.macsautoparts.com/ford-bucket-seat-pro-90-with-headrest-right-42-86619-1.html

It has the list of which bracket to use. I searched the part numbers there and found them at Mac's for $120, but no picture.

Find another bench seat car and pirate it's sliders/brackets. Trim the slider pull wire with the sliders installed in the car. center up your new seats on the sliders and work out new mounting holes as needed.

Mac's is screwed up. All years 72-79 use the same floor pan/seat mount scheme. They were better before getting captured by Dearborn Classics...

Only seat tracks that are different are for power seats. This includes 72-76 Thunderbird and Mark IV.

I've seen some posts here about using newer Mustang seats. One of my local junkyards shows 2008 and 2012 Mustang seats available. What exactly would I have to do to install one of those sets in a Gran Torino?

Have you heard of ProCar Seats by Scat Enterprises ( Same company as SCAT Cranks ) 

Procar by SCAT - I recommend it greatly. Vintage look, Vintage design. Not huge in the market yet, so you can get a good affordable deal.

I recommend "Tar and Feathers" for all your politicians. Then run them out of town on a rail.

(Actually, I recommend that for ALL politicians. Most celebrities too.)

Shouldn't be too hard to adapt. Torino had a level/square mounting for the seats. Center the seats, and measure to the mount points. If all 4 holes on your new seats land on the seat support, you could add new holes and move the J-bolts.

Plymouth Laser seats, solid AF

I removed the original bench seat. The holes for the bucket seats are in the floor already so all you need are the bolts. I found a set of 6 way power seats from a 2014 Mustang GT in tan/tobacco color, and cut the factory brackets off the tracks. Then made metal flanges with mounting holes that match the floor locations of the Torino bucket seats, and had them welded on. Have the drawings for the flanges if desired. 

Do you happen to have the link to the seats you put in your 73?  I'm in the process of replacing the seats in my 73 Brougham.  We tried to get the originals redone but that's not going to work so we are moving on the plan B!

Sal, PowerSurge, is no longer an active member here.  He hasn't logged into the forum since 2019.

I figure I should update my part of this thread:

I ended up buying a set of "Sport Seat" buckets from Corbeau, along with their lower brackets meant for a "Ranchero 71-74 with OEM bench seat." I was able to put a J-nut on one of the inboard seat bolt holes, so each seat is held to the floor with three of the four bolts. I was able to order the driver's seat with an air bulb to inflate a bladder for lumbar support, which helps my back a bit on a long drive.