When I redid the factory seats in my FJ45 pickup, I replaced 5 broken springs, and refoamed, installed new burlap, removed mouse nests, etc. When I was all done, I sat in the seats on the ground and they felt great. I even added a tapered lumbar support foam slab to the seatback and that hits at just the right spot. The local upholstery shop suggested this.
What I didn't count on was that the steering wheel location puts you closer to the right edge of the driver's seat, which didn't have enough support. So, while driving, your hips twist and get uncomfortable. Last week, I took the seat completely apart again and added two seat springs to the right-hand edge, between the existing springs. I wired the new springs to the old springs to hold them in place. Driving to work today, the seat was a real treat - you can clearly feel the new springs doing the job to hold up the seat. I no longer feel like I'm going to fall off the seat while driving. I used to dread making a left hand turn, as that loading made the seat feel hopelessly soft.
Another note: The springs were cobbed from a 1970 FJ40 seat, and several springs were much stouter in resistance than some others. They appeared to be the same wire gauge, however. So, if you part out an old seat and save the springs, use the heavier ones for jobs like this.
I also added (as have others on this list) a 1" rubber body mount spacer to the front edge of the seat (under the front seat legs) to provide thigh support. You could use a steel sleeve or anything else, but these rubber spacer donuts work nicely.
Steve
What I didn't count on was that the steering wheel location puts you closer to the right edge of the driver's seat, which didn't have enough support. So, while driving, your hips twist and get uncomfortable. Last week, I took the seat completely apart again and added two seat springs to the right-hand edge, between the existing springs. I wired the new springs to the old springs to hold them in place. Driving to work today, the seat was a real treat - you can clearly feel the new springs doing the job to hold up the seat. I no longer feel like I'm going to fall off the seat while driving. I used to dread making a left hand turn, as that loading made the seat feel hopelessly soft.
Another note: The springs were cobbed from a 1970 FJ40 seat, and several springs were much stouter in resistance than some others. They appeared to be the same wire gauge, however. So, if you part out an old seat and save the springs, use the heavier ones for jobs like this.
I also added (as have others on this list) a 1" rubber body mount spacer to the front edge of the seat (under the front seat legs) to provide thigh support. You could use a steel sleeve or anything else, but these rubber spacer donuts work nicely.
Steve
