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Mon Mar 02, 2009 10:15 am

The rails on both my '87 Westy seats and my '93 Eurovan seats bolt on, but the hinge configuration is different so that would make them not interchangeable. Later EV seats might not have removable rails.

Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:59 pm

Bringing back the dead here...

How about swapping a Eurovan arm rest into my 86 Vanagon? The freaking brown adjustable arm rests are unobtanium these days, but I have seen plenty-o-brows EV adjustables....

Peace, Johnny

Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:36 pm

What model years of Eurovans had the proper seats for this swap? 93-??

This will make it easier as I scrounged the boneyards.

Gracias.

Sun Dec 19, 2010 6:34 pm

I am already looking for seats..even though my seats look near new..the comfort level with the present seats are not what they should be...even a small improvement would be great ..especially when we drive 2000mi in one go

Sun Dec 19, 2010 6:46 pm

I think that the seats change in '97.

Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:17 pm

Picked up some Eurovan seats for $50.00. The guy had 4 early '92 build date Eurovans. Three had the tracks that after grinding, would slip into the Vanagon or Bay Window tracks. My set of seats were in better condition so I thought I would try them. Any idea why they are different?

I was able to mount them on top of stock tracks using existing holes in the Bay Window tracks. Bolt from top and a nut placed inside of the track.

Also what is the small lever for in the last photo? It lifts a spring but doesn't seem to do anything else. My searches didn't pull anything up either.

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Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:20 pm

Do they really recline all the way back like that? That is sweet! Is it incremental, like at any angle in between also?

Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:23 pm

Yep, the ones in my '87 came out of a '93 EV and they utilize a wheel adjuster instead of a lever with notched increments. Very fine adjustment and they go back further than you are ever likely to need them to go.

Thu Jan 13, 2011 2:57 pm

I really want a set of those. Seems like it would be a perfect spot for one of the kids to sleep (while camping, not driving.)

Thu Jan 13, 2011 3:14 pm

JBange wrote: Vintageyacht wrote: just curious why you didnt just bolt the rails from the stock seats on the new seats?

I believe the bottom rails on the eurovan seat are part of the structure that supports the back, so are not really removeable.

And the rails on the Vanagon seats are not just bolted on. Quite a few sturdy welds to get through to get those off.

**EDIT** - never mind, somehow missed this whole second page :oops:

Thu Jan 13, 2011 4:04 pm

After I got my EV seats in my 84 Westy I couldn't see the top of the speedo or tach. I'm 6'2" and I have a later smaller steering wheel installed. So, I took the bottom of the seat apart and cut an inch of the foam out and put it all back together. Now I can see my gauges.

Thu Jan 13, 2011 6:59 pm

The additional height of the swivel seats are the issue. Camper vans got seats with a different base to compensate for it vs. a standard van from VW.

I am really surprised that people dig this thread up 2 years later and enjoy the information. I am glad that people can use the idea.

Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:36 am

heck yes! my butt is killing me, just got my "new" seats yesterday can't wait to do the install

Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:46 pm

Man, you are going to love the improvement. You will sit about 1" higher than you do in the standard Westy seat but I suspect that won't matter when you consider all the other benefits. Enjoy!

Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:56 am

syncrodoka wrote: The additional height of the swivel seats are the issue. Camper vans got seats with a different base to compensate for it vs. a standard van from VW.

I'm looking to replace the tired old seats in my 84-westy. I was looking at a pair of Eurovan seats and wondering about adapting them to my needs.

I see the rail-modification to make them fit, sweet! I'd like to retain the swivel ability on the passenger-side, but not on the driver-side. I love the idea of having a little bigger seat for the driver. I'm 6', but my wife is little at 5'2" and she doesn't get to drive my other girl. :P

Q: What do you guys think of making a mod to adapt the Eurovan passenger-side to swivel and mounting them in my westy?

Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:50 am

Quote: Man, you are going to love the improvement. You will sit about 1" higher than you do in the standard Westy seat but I suspect that won't matter when you consider all the other benefits. Enjoy!

Just got an '02 Eurovan Weekender. I'd like to install the swivel base on the passenger seat. My wife and I are both tall and I'd really like to avoide the 1" increase in seat height.
- Is there a way to customize the EV seat base to lower it by an inch or so?

- Will an EV seat fit on a Camper seat base/swivel?

Thu Mar 31, 2011 8:12 am

MJohansen wrote:

Just got an '02 Eurovan Weekender. I'd like to install the swivel base on the passenger seat. My wife and I are both tall and I'd really like to avoide the 1" increase in seat height.
- Is there a way to customize the EV seat base to lower it by an inch or so?

- Will an EV seat fit on a Camper seat base/swivel?

You might check this out, from Eurocampers.com:

http://secure.mycart.net/catalogs/catalog.asp?prodid=5191494&showprevnext=1

Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:15 pm

MJohansen wrote: Quote: Man, you are going to love the improvement. You will sit about 1" higher than you do in the standard Westy seat but I suspect that won't matter when you consider all the other benefits. Enjoy!

Just got an '02 Eurovan Weekender. I'd like to install the swivel base on the passenger seat. My wife and I are both tall and I'd really like to avoide the 1" increase in seat height.
- Is there a way to customize the EV seat base to lower it by an inch or so?

- Will an EV seat fit on a Camper seat base/swivel?

Looking at the earlier Picasa gallery, it appears so: https://picasaweb.google.com/bike2vcu/_seatTransplant?authkey=0inUs01c7cI#

Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:57 pm

MJohansen wrote: - Is there a way to customize the EV seat base to lower it by an inch or so?

- Will an EV seat fit on a Camper seat base/swivel?

To my knowledge there is no way short of major seat surgery to reduce an EV seat's cushion thickness.

The '93 EV seats I used would fit on a Westy swivel base or on a non-swivel base in a standard Vanagon. The EV seat is about the same thickness (measuring the thickness of the seat cushion) as the standard Vanagon seat. It's the Westy seat that has a thinner seat bottom cushion so that when it is mounted on the slightly taller swivel base it winds up being the same overall height as the standard Vanagon and EV seat mounted on the standard tracks.

If you have a swivel base and you remove the Westy seat from it and use a standard Vanagon or EV seat on the swivel you WILL be sitting about 1" higher up than before. This might make a noticeable and undesirable difference to you or it may not matter. I'm 6'1" and find that the steering wheel is a little closer to the tops of my thighs and that when the left turn signal is on my left knee brushes the stalk, but the overall benefit of the improved seating in my '87 Westy far outweighs any slight difference mentioned.

One other point to consider is that the EV seat does not seem to travel as far back in the tracks as the Westy seat so I used another Sambanista's trick of notching out the seat's rails so the seat goes farther back and gives me more legroom. HIghly recommended.

Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:32 am

hello

i just did install a vanagon swivel into my eurovan, but i guess my seats are the 96+ generation because the slide pattern are different. My only way seems to swap the bottom rail to the upper then cut to fit the vanagon sliding...

here are some picture...

eurovan track over the vanagon...

interior is from a 86 westy ...