The Camaro Club (UK)

My 1968 Camaro is being restored and I want to fit head restraints.

There are lots of websites telling me that only 2,234 '68 Camaros had them but they became mandatory on the 1969 Camaro.

I would therefore have expected to find plenty of references to ways of converting '68 seats to take head restraints. It would be odd if all owners of '68 Camaros were so keen on originality that they did not want to investigate making their cars safer. Occasional strings on chat sites fizzle out inconclusively, often with unhelpful suggestions for alternative solutions.

The Parts Place of Dekalb, Illinois sells a headrest mounting kit that “can be used to add headrests to '67-68 seats that do not have headrests”. The kit “includes inner channel that headrest slides into, lock with knob, escutcheon, backing plate and 4 screws”. This looked promising but the seller is unable to provide either an illustration of the kit when fitted (with the back of the seat removed) or instructions on how to fit the kit. Without these I am reluctant to buy.

I am looking for either absolute confirmation, with photographs and illustrations, to show that such a conversion can be (safely!) done or, equally and again with visual evidence, of why it cannot. It seems such an obvious thing to want to do and so very baffling that there is not a definitive statement on the subject one way or another. I have attached a photograph of one of my seats with the back removed.

Does anyone have any knowledge?

Unless you already have them there is little chance of finding '68 head restraints .
There were 4 different types used on !st gen cars - 67 type, early '68 , late '68 and the more common and popular '69 type .
probably best to opt for the 69 as all the other parts ( locks ,shaft plates and tracks are available) unless you want total factory date correct originality.
Good luck .

Thank you, firebird68.

I should perhaps have made it clear that the kit from The Parts Place is sold as being for a 69 car but can be used on a 67 or a 68 car. I am happy to use newly-manufactured 69 head restraints. I am just looking for (and have been unable to find) a properly illustrated kit to allow my 68 seats to have head restraints. Do you have some links to help me locate the locks, shaft plates and tracks?

This is the message from The Parts Place, which I did not find encouraging: "Unfortunately, we don’t have any instructions to send you on how that should be fitted. The manufacturer does not offer any and I am not sure where you can find some at."