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szegedin Samba Member
Joined: February 26, 2010 Posts: 21 Location: San Francisco, CA
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:54 pm Post subject: Different VW seats |
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Hey all,
The front seats in my base-model 1990 vanagon are pretty shot. Will the seats from any other VW - Golf, Jetta, etc - fit in there without any major retrofitting?
thanks, |
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syncrodoka Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005 Posts: 12008 Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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r39o Samba Polizei
Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 9800 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:50 am Post subject: |
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See the seat section the Best Threads sticky (FAQ.) See link in my signature below: _________________ "Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!
1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....
Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently) |
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Robw_z Samba Member
Joined: April 28, 2007 Posts: 983
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 12:00 pm Post subject: |
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Short answer is no. There is no other seat that will just go in. Eurovan seats need a little work even before they can go in. I modified a set of '89 Jetta Recaros to fit in my van, but I had to cannibalize my stock seats to do so, and I think a non-Recaro Golf/Jetta/Rabbit seat would be even harder. VW passenger cars utilize a completely different seat track concept which is not remotely adaptable to use in a Vanagon.
-Rob |
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r39o Samba Polizei
Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 9800 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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Recaros are sort of standard when it comes to those that have a bolt on guides system. There is a frame you can buy from Recaro. Look for the part number in the threads. You can also modify your old tracks. This is discussed in the threads. _________________ "Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!
1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....
Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently) |
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davevickery Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005 Posts: 2887 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject: Eurovan seats in a vanagon |
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I just did this today. Many thanks to whoever discovered that they can fit fairly easily.
It took maybe an hour to cut the extra lip off the eurovan tracks. Just aim the grinder (with a thin metal cutting wheel) in the corner where the extra lip sticks down. It takes about 10-15 min each track x 4 tracks. The seats look awesome. After doing it, they slide in perfectly and it now seems silly that I spent any time at all trying to clean up the old original 87 seats I had in there. It makes sense to buy a very good set of Eurovan seats if you are going to do this. |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4492 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:22 pm Post subject: |
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What he said. I did this, too, and it's more trouble finding the seats and fetching them home than it is modifying them to fit. Honest. Cost/ease/benefit ratio can't be beat unless someone gives you Recaros and installs them for you. |
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CREGAN Samba Member
Joined: April 26, 2008 Posts: 230 Location: Leduc, Alberta - CANADA
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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Please lead us to the land of magical wrecked Eurovans so I can vulture some seats! Here in the land of the sierra ram tundra half ton, finding a euro-seat is impossible. I have been trying for a couple of years now. Were eurovans just not that popular here in Canada or did they all just spontaneously combust (not a reference to fuel lines)? |
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r39o Samba Polizei
Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 9800 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 8:36 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan seats in a vanagon |
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davevickery wrote: |
I just did this today. |
Pictures or it ain't true! _________________ "Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!
1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....
Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently) |
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Gauche1968 Samba Member
Joined: April 13, 2006 Posts: 1518
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Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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CREGAN wrote: |
Please lead us to the land of magical wrecked Eurovans so I can vulture some seats! Here in the land of the sierra ram tundra half ton, finding a euro-seat is impossible. I have been trying for a couple of years now. Were eurovans just not that popular here in Canada or did they all just spontaneously combust (not a reference to fuel lines)? |
Canada got Eurovan versions never seen in the States. They are out there. Probably more common in the East and B.C. _________________ 1984 Vanagon GL
1984 Vanagon Westy |
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davevickery Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005 Posts: 2887 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:45 am Post subject: Pics of eurovan seats in a vanagon |
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My first try at posting a link to photos. I see other people posted photos in the gallery section of eurovan seats in a vanagon, so no new ground here, just my 2 cents.
I am happy with them, you do sit up higher but that is going from a Westy that has shorter seats to Eurovan passenger seats. The Vanagon passenger seats are also taller than a vanagon westy. Anyway, you notice it and the wheel is closer to your legs, but they work fine for me. The larger seat base is a huge improvement in leg support and comfort.
The last photos is what you cut off the eurovan tracks.
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davevickery Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005 Posts: 2887 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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I can't say if this will be a good mod or a blunder, but I'd heard that you could cut the seat foam down (from the bottom) to bring the seat height back down when using eurovan seats in a vanagon. They stick up about an inch more than a vanagon passenger van seat and about 2" more than a stock westy seat. That is the only thing I didn't like about them. So I finally decided to try cutting down the foam. I was surprised to see the contoured base and not as much foam to work with as I thought.
Has anyone else done this? It seems to have come out o.k. but I am cautiously looking forward to a test drive. I only cut off about 1 inch of foam in those 3 slivers. The cover goes back wth no modifications.
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shizzon Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2006 Posts: 596 Location: Boulder, CO
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Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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davevickery wrote: |
I can't say if this will be a good mod or a blunder, but I'd heard that you could cut the seat foam down (from the bottom) to bring the seat height back down when using eurovan seats in a vanagon. They stick up about an inch more than a vanagon passenger van seat and about 2" more than a stock westy seat. That is the only thing I didn't like about them. So I finally decided to try cutting down the foam. I was surprised to see the contoured base and not as much foam to work with as I thought.
Has anyone else done this? It seems to have come out o.k. but I am cautiously looking forward to a test drive. I only cut off about 1 inch of foam in those 3 slivers. The cover goes back wth no modifications.
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How hard was it to remove the base/seat cover and cut the foam out? What is the verdict on comfort and height with some of the foam missing?
I'm thinking about doing this, but I have no power steering and thus a big steering wheel, so its important for me not to raise the seat !!! _________________ 1989 Bostig Syncro Westy |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4492 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:44 am Post subject: |
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For those who have not had the chance to compare, here’s a look at the difference between an '86 GL Vanagon seat (the brown one) and a '93 Eurovan seat (the blue one). Both of these are shown in my '87 Westy and are in place of the stock Westy seats. I had already installed the EV seats in my van because I could never find regular GL seats. The stock Westy seats were in great original condition but were extremely uncomfortable. I later found these GL seats and grabbed them for resale. If they’d been grey I’d have sold the EV seats instead, but that’s life. Here you can see that both have good bolsters for good support and they appear similar. Both are vastly more comfy than Westy seats, and both are shown as installed on the stock seat swivels. The EV seat did require minor surgery to the rails in order to fit and that is well documented elsewhere, but the GL seat simply slid into place.
_________________ '87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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davevickery Samba Member
Joined: July 16, 2005 Posts: 2887 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:02 am Post subject: |
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campism wrote: |
For those who have not had the chance to compare, here’s a look at the difference between an '86 GL Vanagon seat (the brown one) and a '93 Eurovan seat (the blue one). |
Is the eurovan seat higher than the stock non westy vanagon seat? It doesn't look like it in your photo, but my initial impression without measuring them, was that the non westy seat is higher than the westy seat and the eurovan seat is higher still. Since you had them side by side, maybe you can settle that.
I ams still working on modifications to the eurovan seat foam. That first bit of trimming above did not get good results. It feels like I created a hole in the middle of the seat and the edges all are too high now, especially the front from the seam forward. I may have ruined the seat, but I'll trim some more and see it I can improve it. I should have practiced on the passenger seat. |
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shizzon Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2006 Posts: 596 Location: Boulder, CO
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:36 am Post subject: |
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I think I will embark on my foam cutting this weekend .. Davevickery, any tips you have would be great!
Can you upload higher res versions of your pics?
Did you just make a straight cut across the bottom, or did you cut on each face of the foam? _________________ 1989 Bostig Syncro Westy |
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syncrodoka Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005 Posts: 12008 Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 11:32 am Post subject: |
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davevickery wrote: |
Is the eurovan seat higher than the stock non westy vanagon seat? It doesn't look like it in your photo, but my initial impression without measuring them, was that the non westy seat is higher than the westy seat and the eurovan seat is higher still. Since you had them side by side, maybe you can settle that. |
The EV seat is 1/2" taller than a non westy seat from what i measured long ago. |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4492 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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What he said. I would add that the EV seat feels a little firmer so would probably not "settle" as much as the GL seat that is a little taller. In use they would wind up being about the same with a person seated in either one. Keep in mind that I only had the brown seats for a short time a couple years ago and did not use them since I was selling them. _________________ '87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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shizzon Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2006 Posts: 596 Location: Boulder, CO
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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Uhm, actually, he said that the EV seats are taller than the GL seats, not the other way around... _________________ 1989 Bostig Syncro Westy |
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campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4492 Location: Richmond VA
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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Okay, so I was wrong. _________________ '87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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