never had factory buckets so i'm not sure about height differences. sits close to what my bench did when it was fresh though. to me they sit perfect. not too high and not too low. plenty of room on the steering wheel and high enough to put my arm out the window comfortably..
bolt in was straight forward. only two holes in the pass seat didn't line up where stock ones would.. other then that they bolted right in..
here is the thread of my install. you can see what i'm talking about..