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Zekewalker Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2014 Posts: 1 Location: United States
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:05 am Post subject: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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Does anyone have a suggestion (or experience) to upgrade. The front seats of my 1999 Eurovan , full camper? I am only aware of the GoWesty replacement seats. Can an Audi/VW seat work? Aftermarket seats? |
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paddygarcia Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2020 Posts: 89 Location: VA
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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Are you specifically looking for a bolt-in? Almost any seat can work in any car, with a little fabrication to match the sliders of the new seat with the flat base of the original seat. Here's a good vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PIKVUlBABY
I would have centered the new driver's seat at least, one may notice the 1-2" shift that the video author ended up with when driving. If so you'll want to measure and test before settling on a location to make sure of clearances to the door, etc. |
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jonathannickel Samba Member
Joined: September 28, 2015 Posts: 38 Location: Saratoga Springs
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 5:11 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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I bought Recaros from a racing equipment supplier and the adapters from GoWesty. Very pleased with the result but also very expensive. On a budget, I'd try to find some Recaros from a wrecked Audi or Jetta and see if the GoWesty adapters would fit them. |
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veloandy Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2010 Posts: 356 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 7:05 am Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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Vanagon seat mounting options slide right into Eurovan front seat tracks with no mods. (A slight mod is required to go from Eurovan to Vanagon, but you probably don’t care about that)
I used to have Eurovan seats in my Vanagon, and recently upgraded to Chrysler T&C stow-and-go seats. Way comfier, cheap, nice leather, easy to add my aftermarket seat heaters, have arm rests, fold into a flat table space.
There’s a monster thread on the swap in the Vanagon forum. You can order bolt on brackets to adapt the seats for $120-ish each…but I just bought $20 of 3-inch bar stock and drilled it to mount both seats and the Chrysler sliders as described in this excellent post in that excellent thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8776031&highlight=#8776031
I expect you could mount these seats in your Eurovan EXACTLY the same way.
Good luck!
-Andy |
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Zeitgeist 13 Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009 Posts: 12115 Location: Port Manteau
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 7:38 am Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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I think it's only the '93 models that have the Vanagon type seat rails. I have a van here at the shop currently with the T&C seats, and I don't find them to be very comfy. _________________ Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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veloandy Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2010 Posts: 356 Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 12:23 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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Zeitgeist 13 wrote: |
I think it's only the '93 models that have the Vanagon type seat rails. I have a van here at the shop currently with the T&C seats, and I don't find them to be very comfy. |
D'OH! You're totally right...My Eurovan seats were from a 5-cylinder model (I bet only '91-'96ish Eurovan/Vanagon seats swap), so no help to the O.P. with his 1999.
Seat comfort is highly subjective. In my opinion: 1981 Vanagon Seats < 1993ish Eurovan seats < 2015ish Chrysler stow-and-go seats. YMMV.
I haven't found a lot of options besides the above that have arm rests and low bottoms...but those were self-imposed constraints. Let us know if you find something else good! |
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paddygarcia Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2020 Posts: 89 Location: VA
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 3:57 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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I did some measuring. Porsche factory Recaros (from the sports cars, no idea about the SUVs) should be a nice fit, although no arm rests...
Our 2003 EV sliders are about 15.25" center-center.
Aftermarket Recaros and Porsche factory seats are 16" center-center.
A flat stock adapter as described above should be pretty easy.
Porsche factory Recaros from 80s through 1998 have flat slider bottoms like the Eurovan. 1998-up have some nubs that need trimming to make them flat.
Eurovan seat is about 7" high from slider top to front of seat cushion.
Porsche and aftermarket Recaros are about 6.5" from slider top to front of seat cushion.
Porsche seat bases may be too well bolstered for upright driving but most are adjustable. I'll have to do an experiment one of these days. |
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Zeitgeist 13 Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009 Posts: 12115 Location: Port Manteau
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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If you're real intrepid you can pull the seat covers and weld EV arm rest posts to just about any seat frame. I've long wanted to install Audi TT seats into a VW van. _________________ Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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bigfoot_ev Samba Member
Joined: March 13, 2018 Posts: 158 Location: Anacortes, WA
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Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:55 am Post subject: Re: Eurovan Seat upgrade |
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jonathannickel wrote: |
I'd try to find some Recaros from a wrecked Audi or Jetta and see if the GoWesty adapters would fit them. |
I also put Recaros in my EVW and love them. But I went with refurbished ones, still spendy but less than new. The refurbished ones look exactly like the ones that come out of a GTI/GLI. The person that refurbished them also added EV arm rests which makes me wonder if you take the cover off a GTI Recaro do they have the arm rest mounts hidden inside? I bought the Gowesty adapters and everything just bolted right up. |
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