Front Seat Swap (Town & Country 2nd Row)

[djkeev]

[DuncanS]

The Bimmer seats look great. Why not carve the lower seat mount away and get rid of the height.

Duncan

[kamzcab86]

[bammbamm1961]

Does ANYBODY have a set of post install photos showing the total install Hgt???

Here is an image of bmw X1x3 seats in my 82, but they are not a great option due to sitting so high.. Looking to see if these pacifica 2nd row seat are a better option.

4" between Steering wheel and seat top puts the head of my 6'2" tall body nearly into the headliner.[img][/img]

[gtinseth]

Just a quick note to confirm that the newer Pacifica seats work with the German sliders. It isn't plug and play. The seats I bought had no underseat mounting rails or crossbars. I looked at the smallcar instructions for the Pacifica seats with their slider mounts. I used their idea to bolt on angle iron on both edges to the two spots they highlight. Then I bolted on the German sliders to the angle iron.

Here are the German sliders:

https://www.vw-t3-bus-shop.de/sitzadapter-fur-sportscraft-armlehnensitz-s91s81

I used 2 inch by 2.5 inch by 3/16 inch angle iron and M10 bolts as described in the smallcar pdf. Driver side, for my install, must be moved back to the stops in order to "stow" and I installed the passenger side onto a swivel base with no problems.

I haven't put any time into driving with them yet, but will soon. Feel free to message for more details. I have been super swamped and haven't taken any photos. Sorry. I just wanted to say they are usable with a little fabrication. Or you could buy the smallcar slider system and bolt it on.

[campism]

[rustednuggs]

I agree! I am looking for some as we speak! Located in Southern Alabama and will to drive a few..TY in advance!

[shagginwagon83]

The ~2015 brown leather looks great with brown/tan interior.
_________________
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram: @joannthevan

[rustednuggs]

Greatest post and awesome pics! So I have an 80 air cooled vanagon, with swivel seats. I have been looking but what year Town and Country would be best for me to grab the 2nd row, stow and go? Is the Town and Country the only ones I can grab?

Thanks in advance!

[vwwestyman]

Here are two pics of my Smallcar adapter on my 1978 Westy seat swivel. It is even currently turned to face the back!

I would say their T2 expert is mistaken. The stock seats could be swapped from one side to the other; I don't know why they would think the adapters that fit one set of rails wouldn't fit the other.

Unless he is talking about the increased height? Otherwise, I dunno.

It appears I was mistaken in thinking you could very easily bolt the frame of the SNG to the swivel; you'd need to weld a couple cross braces to the swivel and mount to that. But it would lower the seat a bit. But possibly create other sources of frustration, such as the seat itself interfering with the swivel base.

_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[dwill49965]

[vwwestyman]

Yep, I will do my best to take a look soon. But if you can also take a look and see if it looks like you can bold your seat straight to the swivel, that would be helpful. (I'm in the midst of a lot of house projects in preparation to move!)

Then we can hit it both ways!

I would very much appreciate if I can get it to mount lower on that swivel, as would my wife!

The SNG seat frames have their own fore/aft adjustment as a part of the frame, so that isn't a concern with not using the adapter.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[dwill49965]

[pnwkayaker]

[vwwestyman]

I used a pair of adapters, one for each side in my '78 Westy.

But as I'm considering your comment, it may well be possible to bolt the seat straight down to the swivel. I honestly never considered that!

If you're interested, maybe I can look at that a bit more closely, and if it looks like it would work, I'd sell you my passenger side bracket for use on your driver side, and we can both just bolt the seat to the swivel! (Or if you want to try bolting yours down to the swivel, then we'll know and I could sell you my extra bracket.)
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[dwill49965]

Yes, I have read all 29 pages of this thread over the last couple of weeks.

I am ready to do this seat swap in my '78 Westy - using leather seats from a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan. One concern I just noticed as I was about to order the Small Car adapter bracket from their website is that it does NOT list the bracket as being compatible with a 1978 passenger side swivel seat - only up to 1976, and nothing about '77-79 passenger side swivel seat.

"Seats and Mounting Brackets Fit the Following Vehicles:

1980-1991 Vanagon
1968-1976 Bay Window Bus: Driver's Side
1977-1979 Bay Window Bus: Driver's Side
1968-1976 Bay Window Bus: Passenger's Side requires a custom bracket
1976 Bay Window Bus: Passenger Side with swivel"

So I am not sure if I should order two brackets, or just one for the drivers side. I also recall from somewhere earlier in the thread that it is easy to install the seat directly onto the swivel passenger side, and I believe the '78 swivel is similar if not identical to the 1980-91 vanagon. Can anyone confirm that?

Thanks in advance.
_________________
Darryl
--------------
'78 Westy, Boston Bob built 2.0 L, FI, MSD 6A

[shagginwagon83]

Has anyone tried the Covercraft x Carhartt seat covers for their town and country seats?

My dad had these for his F350 and they fit like a glove. A set is roughly $450.

_________________
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram: @joannthevan

[weekendr]

I think I found a simpler, cheaper way to mount my Stow and Go seats.

I have a swivel on the passenger seat, removed my drivers seat swivel to lower the seat and access the area underneath.

1. For the passenger side I used parts from the base of the donor seat to extend the donor slider rails forward, attached crossbars using existing bolts, and bolted those to the top of the swivel base, lining up the bolts with recessed areas for clearance. I mounted the swivel top backwards for easy access to the battery without turning seat. Installed swivel mechanism and bolted at corners, plenty of room to access bolts with seat partially swivelled. Easy peasy.

2. For the drivers side I didn't need to extend the donor sliders. I bolted on longer crossbars and attached upper slider rails (with hinges ground off) from my factory seat. I adjust the seat with the stow and go slider mechanism and use the factory sliders to remove the seat for access to the stuff underneath. I drilled holes in the factory sliders at the front for easy access to 1/4" pins which lock the factory sliders securely. Sits as low as you can go, folds flat easily,
and adjusts all the way back to the jump seat for leg stretching on long drives.

_________________
Early 1986 Wolfsburg Westy Weekender 2WD GL manual with KEP EJ22

[veloandy]

[shagginwagon83]