front seats? (1 Viewer)

[deanfj40]

So the 2 front seats on my 78 fj40 are toast rusted and chewed up. Im looking for some new ones online but im not sure if all seat brackets are universal or if the fj40s seat brackets are specific. Ive never been in the market for car seats so im in the dark on this topic. Also im making a trip to the local pic a part junk yard tomorrow and maybe hopefully ill find some seats that match the 40s?

ps. im not a welder or into fab work....YET

 

[CSteppe82]

I found a pair of Bmw e36 seats (manual) They were easy to work with. A friend that did my rollcage welded them in for me. I will send you the pics if you want. I think a few other people on here have also used the e36 seats.

 

[deanfj40]

I found a pair of Bmw e36 seats (manual) They were easy to work with. A friend that did my rollcage welded them in for me. I will send you the pics if you want. I think a few other people on here have also used the e36 seats.

yeah please send some pics. I do have a welder that im going to learn how to use. why specifically the e36 seats?

 

[CSteppe82]

I went with them because I knew they would work, after reading several threads on them. They are manual , so no electrical to mess with. Although some folks have installed the electric and made them functional. They are very comfortable. I’ll take some close ups of the frame/seat track today. I think I paid 140 for the set . They are very comfortable.

I think the Bmw seats make the 40 faster

 

[77landsitter]

Not too hijack the thread but watching closely as I have a set of e46 (electric variety). Would love to see more of how you did the mounts.

 

[CSteppe82]

I’ll take close up pics today

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Not too hijack the thread but watching closely as I have a set of e46 (electric variety). Would love to see more of how you did the mounts.

The electric seats are a bit of a pain to get to a comfortable height, pm me if you want some good info, or browse through my build thread.

 

[47coeman]

The electric seats are a bit of a pain to get to a comfortable height, pm me if you want some good info, or browse through my build thread.

I am just getting to the point of doing my seats as my roll cage is in process. Luke at 4x4 Labs suggested these seats and I am on the look, any info or where to get them along with install info would be good.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

I am just getting to the point of doing my seats as my roll cage is in process. Luke at 4x4 Labs suggested these seats and I am on the look, any info or where to get them along with install info would be good.

If your fuel tank is under the passenger seat it is a problem. If not it will be easy to get the seats to a comfortable height, they are about 4” higher in the ass than stock seats.

 

[CSteppe82]

If your fuel tank is under the passenger seat it is a problem. If not it will be easy to get the seats to a comfortable height, they are about 4” higher in the ass than stock seats.

We thought the same thing about the fuel tank being under the pass seat. He was able to remove more of the pass seat undercarriage and I now have both seats even. That was really the only problem he ran into. You can also adjust the height on the seats which makes it nice.

 

[REZARF]

I popped in a set of Saab 93 seats they've worked fine for the last 15 years but I am due for another set.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Sports car seats tend to sit lower than truck seats... I found that the lower seats were much better in a 40.
• I would look for 2 door car seats, then they usually come with a lever to fold them forward to access the rear. Sedan seats usually don't have this feature.
• I would sell a kidney to buy seats with heaters in them next time. I run my 40 topless about 80% of the time and heated seats would be awesome early in the day and late at night. On my next pair they are a must have, wiring and all... YMMV.
• I found a lot of the European manufactures would work on the 40, Saab, BMW, Volvo, VW etc. no idea why more of them seemed to fit in the space we have but they do. I found the US/GM manufacturers seemed to look bulbous vs the trim clean lines of the European cars. Japanese seats were hit and miss.
• I picked up a pair of grey leather seats in great condition for $150/pair fifteen years ago.

These are late 90's Saab 93 seats... they were the right size, grey and cheap.

Mine were easy to mount with a 1/4" plate of steel, drill and hacksaw... I basically mounted the FJ40 slides in parallel with the Saab slides which are on the inside of 40 rails. This was luck, but I just kept measuring till I found a set that worked. Now that I can weld and bend steel and fab what I want I will seek out the best pair I can afford that looks the best to me.

...and one more thing. Seat heaters... you're welcome.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

We thought the same thing about the fuel tank being under the pass seat. He was able to remove more of the pass seat undercarriage and I now have both seats even. That was really the only problem he ran into. You can also adjust the height on the seats which makes it nice.

I looked at gutting the bottom end of my seat to lower it but it looks like it may be more of a pain than what it is worth.

The lemonade ain't worth the squeeze.

I still may look to swap a non electric seat in place of the power one on the passenger side, if I can find a matching one. Reminds me, were you able to pull a measurement of the seat for me? From the bottom of the seat bracket to the base of the seat.

 

[CSteppe82]

I looked at gutting the bottom end of my seat to lower it but it looks like it may be more of a pain than what it is worth.

The lemonade ain't worth the squeeze.

I still may look to swap a non electric seat in place of the power one on the passenger side, if I can find a matching one. Reminds me, were you able to pull a measurement of the seat for me? From the bottom of the seat bracket to the base of the seat.

I’ll measure today

 

[deanfj40]

I went with them because I knew they would work, after reading several threads on them. They are manual , so no electrical to mess with. Although some folks have installed the electric and made them functional. They are very comfortable. I’ll take some close ups of the frame/seat track today. I think I paid 140 for the set . They are very comfortable. View attachment 1665439View attachment 1665440 View attachment 1665441

I think the Bmw seats make the 40 faster

Wow those seats look great! I'm heading to the junk yard tomorrow morning. Hopefully I find something. Thanks for the pics.
Also the sab seats look great also

 

[REZARF]

If you go look for seats I would submit this is the most important dimension to get correct.... where I marked the RED line. The shorter the better, otherwise you will not be able to use the factory steering wheel and won't have the leg room to get in and out like normal. When I get new seats this is the area that I will shorten to make sure the seat sits lower. I'd bet the factory seat is HALF the height of the seats I have these are still pretty low profile. I found Corvette seats were the lowest I found but I didn't like the way they looked in a 40.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

If you go look for seats I would submit this is the most important dimension to get correct.... where I marked the RED line. The shorter the better, otherwise you will not be able to use the factory steering wheel and won't have the leg room to get in and out like normal. When I get new seats this is the area that I will shorten to make sure the seat sits lower. I'd bet the factory seat is HALF the height of the seats I have these are still pretty low profile. I found Corvette seats were the lowest I found but I didn't like the way they looked in a 40.

View attachment 1666091

That is my exact problem with the BMW seats, they sit about 4" higher than stock. I fabbed a frame for both seats lowering the drivers seat to a suitable height, the passenger side I could only go so far with due to the fuel tank being under the seat.

 

[Maximus924]

First thought is always reupholster, but I have procar seats by scat in my 72 K5 because the oem buckets we're long gone. Somewhere around $260 for a compete manual reclining bucket. And they are pretty "period" feeling in styling. Simple to adapt to my stock blazer seat frames, some Fab work required

I had my original fj40 seat repaired and reupholstered by a local shop for way more than these new ones are.

They have alot of different models but these look right at home in a 70s rig.

 

[deanfj40]

I popped in a set of Saab 93 seats they've worked fine for the last 15 years but I am due for another set.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Sports car seats tend to sit lower than truck seats... I found that the lower seats were much better in a 40.
• I would look for 2 door car seats, then they usually come with a lever to fold them forward to access the rear. Sedan seats usually don't have this feature.
• I would sell a kidney to buy seats with heaters in them next time. I run my 40 topless about 80% of the time and heated seats would be awesome early in the day and late at night. On my next pair they are a must have, wiring and all... YMMV.
• I found a lot of the European manufactures would work on the 40, Saab, BMW, Volvo, VW etc. no idea why more of them seemed to fit in the space we have but they do. I found the US/GM manufacturers seemed to look bulbous vs the trim clean lines of the European cars. Japanese seats were hit and miss.
• I picked up a pair of grey leather seats in great condition for $150/pair fifteen years ago.

These are late 90's Saab 93 seats... they were the right size, grey and cheap.

Mine were easy to mount with a 1/4" plate of steel, drill and hacksaw... I basically mounted the FJ40 slides in parallel with the Saab slides which are on the inside of 40 rails. This was luck, but I just kept measuring till I found a set that worked. Now that I can weld and bend steel and fab what I want I will seek out the best pair I can afford that looks the best to me.

...and one more thing. Seat heaters... you're welcome.

How did you connect the seat warmers?