Help me pick new front seats for my 80

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FloydtheDog

FloydtheDog

10 Year
Joined
Oct 5, 2011
Threads
13
Messages
179
Location
STL, MO / Middle USA
I've had my '95 FZJ80 for less than 3 months and the power leather seats need to go. Maybe I'm just used to the manual split bench in my '92 pickup, but I find the 80's driver seat position to be terribly uncomfortable. I want something that sits lower and farther back, about 2 -3" in each direction would be ideal. I was originally going to fix the broken gears and get the Landtank extenders, but don't care for the idea that they raise the front of the seat. I think that my main gripe about the 80 seat is that is is higher off the floor than my hilux seat.

I got to thinking that perhaps a set of manual front seats with new leather covers from Shane (AATLAS1X) might be the ticket since I've seen people mention they are lower and slide back as far as the power seats with the extenders. Do the manual seats clear the rear heater on the passenger side? It also sounds like I would need ones from a '93 or newer to avoid needing to swap out my seat belts.

Has anyone found a manual seat from a different Toyota model that would meet the criteria above, and be a bolt-in solution?

I've done quite a bit of work with the search function, but have not been able to find answers to these specific questions. Maybe I'm just not searching "properly".

Perhaps some aftermarket seats would better fit the bill, as long as I can retain the rear heater and OEM seat belts.

These Corbeau Sport Seats look pretty nice, but are $420-$490 each (depending on width & slider options) in vinyl with mounting bracket plus shipping costs. I'm not sure how/if the seat belts would work with them, or if their brackets will clear the rear heater.

Sadly my 80 will see more daily driver duty than off-road play for the next few years, so comfort, appearance, and adjustability are all significant factors.

Experiences, ideas, & criticism are all welcome. :steer:
 
I haven't seen any bolt in options, but I read on here about someone putting a very comfortable Saab seat in. If you could somehow get a captains chair from a conversion van to fit, that would be the most comfortable.
 
Subscribing to this. For some reason, most 80s I have seen tend to have rock solid foam and leather that adds to the discomfort. I would definitely be intersted in learning more about seat-swap possibilities.
 
I got cloth seats in my '94 and i love them. By far the best seats I have had to sit in (comming from my 1st gen 4Runner, and a handfull of subarus). Maybe find a local with cloth seats and try them out, then go on the hunt. I am sure they would be bolt-in, maybe cheap, although it seems if any part came out of a FJ80 people think its made of gold.
 
I've had manual seats and power seats in 80's and the manuals are definitely more comfortable, but still not very comfortable compared to some vehicles.
 
Am I the only one out there who thinks my seat is to low. Its so worn out, with foam puking out the side daily, the fabric is so gone. I'm thinking new foam, new stiched seat cover, and make my own lift brackets.
 
I purchased my 95 from a PO who had just the seat of the driver side re-skinned and not the passenger. The foam and leather are now new and feels very comfy. The pass side is rock hard and the leather has no give anymore. I too thought about replacing with landcruiser cloth seats until I had the chance to sit in a nice 94 1 owner and the first thing that i did not like were the cloth seats(not enough support or wrap around on the back). My new re-skinned driver seat with new foam felt way better. I came from a LR discovery and I'm currently looking into going that route as those seats were the best I've felt so far. The leather is way better quality too.
 
Not sure what you searched on, but there are many threads about seats. The challenge is the floor mounts and the space for the front of the seats due to floor & console structure mean you have to get very creative. The only bolt-in options are LC cloth, or from a handful of aftermarket manufacturers. No known seats from other vehicles bolt right in, you will have to make or buy brackets.

I had the Corbeau Sport seats (got them used in excellent condition) - I liked them, wife hated them. Now have Corbeau Moab and I love them, so does my wife.
 
For clarification, this seat swap is in hopes of gaining more leg room, as well as a lower seating position. I am used to driving my 1992 hilux extended cab pickup where the seat is much closer to the floor. This coupled with the extra distance to the pedals allows my legs to be more "straight forward" than the standard truck/SUV seating position, which I find more comfortable. As it is now, when driving around town I feel like I'm holding my leg up in the air in order to be able to switch from the gas to brake pedal, which as you can imagine gets tiring quickly. I'm hoping that an added benefit of the lower seat position will be that my left knee will no longer rub the door handle, and that my right knee will be farther away (lower) from the shifter.

I did find a bunch more info when searching yesterday by searching for "corbeau" on the forum (previous searches were "seat", "toyota seat", "aftermarket seat", "lower seat", etc.)

It sounds like my best options here are to go with a set of manual seats, or either the Corbeau Sport or Moab model.

Searching has indicated that the manual seats seem to slide back about as far as the electric ones after adding the landtank brackets, and many complain about them being too low, so this may be exactly what I want.

As for the Corbeau seats, I like the more stock-ish appearance of the Sport seats, but it seems like everyone uses the Moab. I found a dealer local to me, so I am going to see if I can rump-test these two models at their warehouse before making a decision. I have noticed that many people complain about how low the Moab seats are, so again, this may be what I'm looking for.

Assuming the desired comfort is there, the manual seats along with a new set of leather covers from Shane would probably be my best looking option, but may not be the cheapest. I have asked Shane for a quote for the covers, so once I have that number it will be a question of how much I can get the seats for. I'm not looking to pinch pennies here, but if the difference works out to $400 or more between this route and the Corbeaus, (between $660 & $840 plus tax, per pair in vinyl with double locking sliders) I may go the aftermarket route.

For those who are curious, I did see where someone indicated that the Moab with Corbeau's slider/mounting bracket would not clear the PS rear heater until they added some spacers to raise the seat up, so it looks like that is a non-issue.
 
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Fwiw I have manuals and my knee rubs the area by the window switches.

Sent from my 4" laptop using the IH8MUD app
 
In case this hasn't been brought up yet, IPOR sells CarPro seats that are plug and play for the 80 series. I had a chance to test ride a seat from IPOR in a FJ60 last week and it felt very nice. The bolsters were firm and plenty.

Just a FYI.
 
alia176 said:
In case this hasn't been brought up yet, IPOR sells CarPro seats that are plug and play for the 80 series. I had a chance to test ride a seat from IPOR in a FJ60 last week and it felt very nice. The bolsters were firm and plenty.

Just a FYI.
Click to expand...

I have seen that option, checked the web & they are $780 plus S&H. I did not actually see where anyone said they put them in their 80 (a few in older LC's though), so no real feedback that I've found.

Bueller, Bueller... Anyone?
 
I am not shilling for Corbeau: the passenger seat fit perfectly fine over the heater w/o any spacers. I opted to use poly shock bushings between the seats and brackets as I found them too low. I cut them to provide a bit of angle (slightly higher front to rear) and now have seats that are perfect, except for the color which I don't care about.
 
These are nice, but pricey. :flipoff2:

Recaro Topline Trend Style Recaro Specialist Expert Ergomed Orthoped Topline Seats
Recaro Ergomed ES Facts WS.webp
 
girraffe said:
These are nice, but pricey. :flipoff2:

Recaro Topline Trend Style Recaro Specialist Expert Ergomed Orthoped Topline Seats
Click to expand...

Dang those are nice seats but talking like 6 grand in two seats! I've been really happy with my Sparco Monza seats, they hold your butt right where it should be when on the trail and are very comfy on long drives... I've kicked around selling them or trading them for stockers again as the rig has less HC wheeling these days and has become more family friendly.

-Ammo
 
little_joe said:
I am not shilling for Corbeau: the passenger seat fit perfectly fine over the heater w/o any spacers. I opted to use poly shock bushings between the seats and brackets as I found them too low. I cut them to provide a bit of angle (slightly higher front to rear) and now have seats that are perfect, except for the color which I don't care about.
Click to expand...

Joe, how long have you been running the Moab's, & how have they held up?
 
I'm watching this...

My leather is well aged and not like a supple catchers mitt! I was thinking about the heated Volvo seats I put in my old FJ62, those would be nice in my 80, if I can find 'em in tan... I want heaters, leather, comfort (any order) :cheers:
 
FloydtheDog said:
Joe, how long have you been running the Moab's, & how have they held up?
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I've had them just shy of a year now and and they've held up great - they still look and feel new.

Another seat I looked at is the Bestop Trailmax - they look quite nice and the base has virtually the same mounting dimensions as the Corbeaus. I couldn't find anywhere local to try them out, though.
 
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