Author |
Message |
campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4491 Location: Richmond VA
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 2:49 am Post subject: Westy seat vs. non-Westy seat |
|
|
If you have a Westy and, like me, do not have access to any other Vanagons in order to compare what the differences are between your front seats and regular van seats, I thought I’d post this as a primer on the major differences. While my own ’87 Westy was in great condition when I bought it I felt from day one that the front seats could be much more comfortable and heard swaps could be done but had no access to replacements. I eventually found Eurovan seats for my van, but later came across these tan ones from an ’86 passenger van .
Here you’ll see the major difference between my ’87 Westy grey seat and a standard van seat; the Westy seat is made lower and flatter. Figure that an inch-thick swivel will raise it up to be approximately even with the seating surface of the tan. A fellow Sambanista is buying these tan seats from me.
Slightly elevated view gives a better idea of how much bolstering is on the standard seat. Much better thigh support and less feeling that you are sliding off the front of the seat.
Measured front-to-back the Westy seat cushion is about 20.5” long…
Compared to the other, which is about 2” longer. Again, better support = more comfort.
Overall seatback heights are equal, so the nearly all difference is in the seat cushions (tan headrest removed for shipping).
The tracks are the same, so all Vanagon seats will fit all other Vanagons without surgery. I have been told that early (‘80-’84) Westy seat cushions are even different from these '87 ones but I do not know that. If you are unhappy with your Westy seat you now have an idea of why it is different and what to look for in a replacement. The regular van seats will lift you about 1" compared to your stock Westy seating position (as did my EV replacement seats) but with no fitting hassles. These are a big enough improvement that you might not be interested in the reported welding/drilling required to fit Volvo or other seats, if you can find some of these in a junkyard. If you already have a non-Westy and want better seats you'll need to look to a different vehicle or to the aftermarket. Good luck!
Last edited by campism on Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
anthonywesty Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2007 Posts: 107 Location: Sunshine State
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
edgood1 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2004 Posts: 2049 Location: Plymouth, MA
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 6:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
great post.
I'll add a little info.
My van is/was a '87 passenger van with the tan seats with adjustable armrests. I welded in swivel bases that I cut from an '84 westy. Just to keep my nice tan seats clean during body work i took them out and I installed the stock westy seat from the '84.
The '84 westy seat is much much stiffer and less comfortable than the '87 passenger van seat. The padding is noticeably different.. ..so much so that it starts to hurt my back after a while.
the difference is night and day.
I've read lots of posts on here where people complain about their seats and seek replacements. IMO, the '87 passenger vanagon seats are comfy as hell. I want to clean them up and keep them for the long haul. _________________ 1987 Syncro Westfalia powered by Subaru
1963 Panel to Deluxe Bus project :::: (photo album)
'65 Westfalia |
|
Back to top |
|
|
DAIZEE Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2010 Posts: 7552 Location: Greater Toronto Area Ontario West Side
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
my Westy Captain's Seat are in excellent condition and foam. They are comfortable too. But as I get sore hips I am using a obus seat and back and of course have no problems. I did not have the Obus forms on my recent 4000 mile trip.
Just in case you haven't experienced this I'm here to tell you that with my obus forms and a heavy winter coat I can barely (its a chore) get my seat belt to click. Again is that I probably have the seat closer to the steering wheel than most guys. _________________ '09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
insyncro Banned
Joined: March 07, 2002 Posts: 15086 Location: New York
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
Not many know this.
Thanks for the post.
I am 6'1" and need all the extra room I can get in my Syncro Westfalia.
dylan |
|
Back to top |
|
|
spitsnrovers Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2005 Posts: 924 Location: Calgary, Canada
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
For a comfortable seat, other than a VW seat, I used Ford ClubWagon seats.
Not a straight swap, but possible.
The fitting is shown at www.griffco.ca/interest and look for the VW link. _________________ '88 VW Westfalia
'75 Triumph Spitfire 1500 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Howesight Samba Member
Joined: July 02, 2008 Posts: 3274 Location: Vancouver, B.C.
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Well, Campism, you have solved one of my biggest Westy conundrums. I used a '91 Westy donor interior in my '86 syncro after I converted my Syncro to a Westy. I just assumed that the back pain and vaguely "uncomfortable" seat feeling in my '91 front seats was because the previous owner thrashed the seats (despite no evidence of tears) or was some kind of hugely fat behemoth seat-killer.
Now I know. I'm going to transplant the '91 Westy upholsery onto some regular Vanagon seats!
Thanks for the post and especially the pics. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
thummmper Samba Member
Joined: November 25, 2009 Posts: 2015 Location: Meadow Valley, California Republic
|
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 7:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I had a trim shop for years and these seats are workable. they need the 22" deep base and more of a rake.
My coccyx gets sore with my 90 GL seats after 60 miles. I can't imagine any kind of trek up the coast or anywhere
else as they are now.
this photo sucks, but I don't have a good scanner.
I'm gonna do this to my vanny. shes that lite grey now.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/651905.jpg
I used to build seats fron scratch. hertz transit buses at lax used to
get my treatment. -new reshaped, progressive foam bodies and new covers. the drivers loved me, except the big ones cause there's only so much you can do...I did this scheme on a bay back in the eighties and it was swell. toddT |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 11:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
Front Seats from the 80-84 Vans isn't as much a seat as it is a hay bale on springs
if you owned an older bug like I did you'll recall the occasional piece of straw sticking you in the back from whatever that coarse material was VW used to stuff the seats. Well, they used the same crap in the Vanagon.
I've been looking for some newer seats since... so thanks for the info. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
85westybus Samba Member
Joined: December 22, 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Kent WA
|
Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 5:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
So, can anyone guess as to why the westy seats are shorter? Was it simply to make it easier to spin them around? Or some other obvious reason that escapes me now?
I was looking at Eurovan seats, but this is an easier choice, if I can find a set in decent shape.. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
joetiger Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 5076 Location: denver
|
Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 7:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I just swapped out my shredded corduroy Wolfsburg seats for velour Westy camper seats, and the difference is extremely noticeable. I feel like I'm lowriding with the smaller seat and my legs aren't as comfortable. On the plus side, I can see the tops of the gauges with no problem now and it is easier to jump in and out. The jury's still out on whether or not this is a permanent fix, though. I've had my eyes peeled for beige Eurovan seats.... _________________ Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32
"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron
"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond
Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present
www.josephtrussell.com |
|
Back to top |
|
|
66 dormi Samba Member
Joined: September 06, 2006 Posts: 600 Location: Ontario Canada
|
Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:55 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Interesting thread I had 87 seats in my 78 westy and yeah the seats were a bit squishy? compared to our new 88 which I find is a not as comfortable after 2 hours straight driving well this explains it! _________________ DORMOBILE TOP WANTED!!!!
1978 westy daily driver
1960 panel camper project
Mini R53 bob the tomato |
|
Back to top |
|
|
campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4491 Location: Richmond VA
|
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I picked Eurovan seats for my van because I simply could not find Vanagon seats for my Westy. Any Vanagon I found at a junkyard already had the seats taken. The EV seats I got and installed are at least as comfy as the tan seats in my post, and were no real trouble to install. Admittedly, the Vanagon seats slip right in but if EV seats are all you can find, keep in mind that the oldest EV is newer than the newest Vanagon (in this market, at least) so the seats are likely in better shape and they are not THAT much of a hassle to modify.
Here's a link to my Eurovan seat swap:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bike2vcu/_seatTransplant?authkey=0inUs01c7cI#
Last edited by campism on Tue Mar 02, 2010 6:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
joetiger Samba Member
Joined: January 27, 2005 Posts: 5076 Location: denver
|
Posted: Tue Mar 02, 2010 1:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm leaning towards the Eurovan seats not only because they are newer and more supportive (according to a recent thread here) but also because they fully recline. It would be nice to have a fully-reclining passenger seat as an extra lay-down area on the main floor for one of my kids when camping. _________________ Joe T.
'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32
"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron
"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond
Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present
www.josephtrussell.com |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Popsvan Samba Member
Joined: May 10, 2010 Posts: 112 Location: Louisa, VA
|
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Just came from a yard today with captains seats from an unknown year (mid 80's) passenger van. Put them right in my 82 Westy. Feel great, but a bit hard to slip out from under the steering wheel. may need to learn to move the seat back before exiting. Or get a smaller steering wheel?
Anyone know who sells foam for Vanagon seats?
Thanks,
Rory |
|
Back to top |
|
|
K58 Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2006 Posts: 1173 Location: Santa Barbara
|
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yeah I got '87 Vanagon seats for my '84 Westy and kind of regret it because of the height. Oh well, can't say i wasn't warned. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
campism Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007 Posts: 4491 Location: Richmond VA
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Are you guys finding that one additional inch of height due to the thicker seat cushion is providing that much boost so that your driving position is now impaired? The EV seats in mine boost me up a little, and about the only noticeable difference is that my left knee now brushes the turn signal stalk when signaling a left turn, but that's it. Everything else is great. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
JPrato Samba Member
Joined: December 15, 2006 Posts: 791 Location: Livonia, NY
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Does anybody know, do all eurovan seats have armrest? _________________ Joe
87 Syncro Tin Top project
84 Westy, 2.5L Subaru power
06 Subaru 2.5 turbo in waiting
46 Cessna 140 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
motelvw Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2005 Posts: 465
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I found the added height annoying enough to make me take out the swivel mechanism on the driver side. Now I feel like I'm sitting in a hole. Made some spacers to bring it back up to "Westy height" this weekend. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
syncrodoka Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005 Posts: 12005 Location: Santa Cruz, CA
|
Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 4:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: |
do all eurovan seats have armrest? |
no |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|