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Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:13 pm

Ok, either I'm a lousy searcher or just stupid but I failed to find much on replacement front seats outside of the $1,100 + Recaro's from GoWesty.

Who has replaced their front seats with units from another vehicle?

My Wife has mentioned that she finds the comfort of our 86 units "lacking".

To me It would be totally worth the investment to install seats that move the Vanagon from
"OK, we'll take the Camper"
to
"Let's take the Camper!!"

Any ideas or good links?

Dave

Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:20 pm

Eurovan seats fit. try the search. :wink:

There's also a whole section on seats and alternates in the FAQ's

Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:26 pm

My better half and I are more than pleased with the Corbeau seats we chose:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=431757
Nice to have heated seats in the winter and a brand new pair was cheaper than just one Recaro!

Mod added photo.......

Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:04 pm

PDXWesty wrote: Eurovan seats fit. try the search. :wink:

There's also a whole section on seats and alternates in the FAQ's

Absolutely did search..... Not new To the rodeo here...... Saying "use the search" is of absolutely zero practical help.

Porsche, Recaro and Eurovan are the three listed.

Then how to recover, add heater, remove, etc.......
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6236057#6236057

Looking for what people put in and are happy with.

Dave

Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:25 pm

The Corbeau Sport Seat appeals to me. The seat bolsters on the bottom sides aren't as tall As the GTSII which can/could be difficult for old farts to manuver over while entering and exiting.

More than reasonable in price at $598......
$890.88 delivered with Vanagon brackets....... Though I'm not convinced that the brackets are a "must have" for the stock tracks unbolt from the seat with no trouble. It shouldn't be hard to adapt them to the seat.

I also wonder if the stock Vanagon Armrests (86 non adjustable) could be installed on this seat. There's got to be a steel vertical frame supporting the seat back.
The Vanagon armrest is mounted to a simple steel support rod screwed to the seat backs steel frame.

Selection of colors,
Selection of faric or vinyl,
If only theybhad arm rests........
http://corbeau.com/reclining-seats/sport-seat.html

Dave

Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:32 pm

I'm interested as well. I'd like to find something comparable to my Mk4 Jetta seats (with armrests). One thing I like about the Jetta seats is the headrests. I did install Merkur XR4ti headrests to my 87 Vanagon seats which did make a difference (they tilt forward). Direct swap

Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:05 pm

Currently running Porsche seats and both my wife & I love them. Easy to install vanagon armrest on them. To install on the pivot seat bases, i removed the tracks from the pivoting base, easy to do with a spot weld bit and drilled and secured the seats to the base with bolts * large washers.

Found the pair for 250.00. Couldn't pass on it!

Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:08 pm

si2t3m wrote: Currently running PorschJe seats and both my wife & I love them. Easy to install vanagon armrest on them. To install on the pivot seat bases, i removed the tracks from the pivoting base, easy to do with a spot weld bit and drilled and secured the seats to the base with bolts * large washers.

Found the pair for 250.00. Couldn't pass on it!

Do you know what Porsche they are out of?

Dave

Tue Dec 01, 2015 3:48 pm

Here's the thread: Do Eurovan seats fit in Vanagons?

Aside from better support, softer fabric and softer headrests, this is the best feature of the Eurovan seats:

kourt

Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:18 pm

These links are in the FAQ

Quote: ■Seats (72)
Problems:
Rear seat won't unlatch

General info:
How to remove front seats
Installing lumbar support
Installing bolt-on swivel seat base
Installing Carat-style jump seat
Installing Porsche seats
Installing Recaros
Installing Eurovan seats into Vanagon w/ pix
Installing Eurovan seats w/ pix – pt. 2
Seat rebuilding, cleaning and heaters
Passenger Seat Reclining Mod
Arm rests – disassembly and reassembly
Installing headrests into rear bench seat

Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:29 pm

If you have a Westfalia, don't forget about stock Vanagon non-Westy front seats. A Westy's seat cushion is flatter, harder and shorter front-to-back than a "normal" Vanagon seat cushion, and is not as well bolstered or supportive. You might be able to find a pair of these cheaper than any of the other alternatives, they already have armrests and they swap right in without modification. If you know someone with a tintop ask if you can swap out front seats for a test drive. You might be pleasantly and cheaply surprised.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=401712

Tue Dec 01, 2015 4:55 pm

campism wrote: If you have a Westfalia, don't forget about stock Vanagon non-Westy front seats. A Westy's seat cushion is flatter, harder and shorter front-to-back than a "normal" Vanagon seat cushion, and is not as well bolstered or supportive. You might be able to find a pair of these cheaper than any of the other alternatives, they already have armrests and they swap right in without modification. If you know someone with a tintop ask if you can swap out front seats for a test drive. You might be pleasantly and cheaply surprised.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=401712&highlight=westy+seat

Yes, I have the camper shorter seats.
Honestly, I've had Beetles from 1955 forward, Ghias from 66 forward, Type 2's from 69 forward and squarebacks.
I've never enjoyed fully VW's seating choices.
My Brother has a Eurovan and that is better for sure.

I regret not going with my initial gut feeling and getting different seats from the get go. I instead got covers from SewFine and repaired my foam.
They aren't bad, but they aren't great either. 7,000 miles clearly showed us that.

On the otherhand there are many cars that have very comfy seats in them. I'd much rather go in that direction.

Dave

Tue Dec 01, 2015 5:05 pm

For me an arm rest is essential kit. That has a huge impact on available options.

Tue Dec 01, 2015 5:14 pm

I've mentioned this in other seat threads but it bears repeating...
I was very happy to discover that I don't miss arm rests.
The much-improved support of the Corbeau seats greatly reduces fatigue and the side bolsters do offer some arm support.
I actually prefer these seats without arm rests as I don't have to move them out of the way, and it's nice to have a wider aisle to move to the back of the van.
YMMV of course!

Tue Dec 01, 2015 6:13 pm

Those Corbeau seats sure do look real nice and comfy! For someone (like me) on the cheap Ford Club Wagon seats from a wrecker worked for me. Took a little work, but I'm happy.

Here's the "how to" link: http://www.griffco.ca/interest/vw/vwseats.htm

and for better arm rests:
http://www.griffco.ca/interest/vw/armrest.htm

Probably not for everyone's taste.

Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:26 pm

there's this guy, he used a wheel, looked very comfy, you might want to try it

Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:48 pm

photogdave wrote: I've mentioned this in other seat threads but it bears repeating...
I was very happy to discover that I don't miss arm rests.
The much-improved support of the Corbeau seats greatly reduces fatigue and the side bolsters do offer some arm support.
I actually prefer these seats without arm rests as I don't have to move them out of the way, and it's nice to have a wider aisle to move to the back of the van.
YMMV of course!
totally agree ..forget the arm rests, they are a pain, then a world of seats open up.
subaru, honda and previas work really well ...easy to modify to fit
..if you weld.
i like my outback seats..no armrests :?

Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:51 pm

Smallcar Performance installed Subaru Forrester seats in one of their conversions. Looked nice in pic,but can't locate the pic on their new website.As for comfort,I don't know.

Wed Dec 02, 2015 5:17 am

I went early Eurovan based on ease of install and low price at my local boneyard. I wish they were Beige however :)

I really enjoy my mid 2000's Caravan seats that have armrests to boot and I will look into adding those at some point to see how likely they are.

Wed Dec 02, 2015 6:20 am

Mine is replaced with a Toyota MPV seats, arm rest included.
I highly recommend arm rest for a long distance travel.
I have used Van’s OE railings, this gave me the advantage of original seat height.

The seats comparison.

It needs bit of fabrication work