Outer Limits 4x4 Board

thanks misery!! lexplay what do the gti seats look like when fitted in?

thats the kind of idea im leaning towards trying to stay away from sports seats and something like gti comfortable buckets!

There is a place at the high end of moss st on kingston rd that sells seat out of the imports for $2-400 a pair depending on what car they came out of. last time i looked they had r34Gtr seat pulsar ect might be worth a look there

thanks, ill keep my eyes open and use the phone book!

i drove past them today the shop is Asia or Asian auto spares cant remember

here are some pics of my car with the GTi seat in.


also look good from the back.

Just be careful with seats from wreckers:

Some of the popular japanese seats are from lightweight cars that have correspondingly light seats. They can be quite worn by the time they have reached us.

Also, seats may have been damaged as a result of the accident that wrecked the car. This damage might not be obvious and have nothing to do with physical wear due to age/use.

Always check that a seat is tight and that slides etc lock properly. It might not be possible to do this unless the seat is bolted down.

Check that the seats haven't been hacked into some other car if buying privately. The threaded bolt holes in the seat bases need to be in good condition as they can't easily be repaired.

Also, Recaro's seem to really hold their value (as they should, they're the finest seats in the world) but they too can be worn beyond feasible repair. any significant looseness in the backrest is likely to be due to wear in the recliner mechanism and is not really repairable. Don't get caught paying $400+ for a pair of worn out seats.

However, at least with recaro, there are agents in most cities that can recondition/repair the seats.

As an aside, we buy our shoes and clothes to fit us but very few people think of buying a seat to fit. Generally, seats in road cars are designed for the 96th percentile so they won't be very supportive if you have, say, a 32" waist. When buying an aftermarket seat, you're looking far a seat that FITS you.

As an example, Recaro fixed back seats come in a range of sizes - mine won't fit anyone with over about a 34" waist, but it's the most comfortable seat I have ever owned.

Just some thoughts.

Steve.

mick85 wrote:... am looking for something with cloth trim as its more comfortable and that you can spend the day in wheeling without feeling shit when you get home!!

Just a suggestion from someone that has had stock sierra cloth, stock sierra vinyl and slightly better than stock monza cloth...

Can I suggest that running a cloth seat of any value in a soft top sierra would be similar to running carpet or aircon in the same car - more trouble than it's worth, and it will cause you to miss out on half the point of driving a car with no roof.

Certainly in the conditions my driving is done in - if you can't hose out the car at the end of the day (or 4 weeks later in my case), then fitting a cloth seat would be a disadvantage. both due to being a pain to clean, and also because you will be spending all your time trying to keep your dirty feet off them - i.e. it will be much harder to climb accross the car.

My suggestion - given that you appear to be keen for something more bucket like (i.e. "sporty") - make sure it's something you can clean easily. i.e. buy any seat you like and get it recovered in canvas.

P.s. just to be even more difficult - IMVHO - buckets suck for trail driving because they are a pain to get in and out of when you spend the whole day in and out of the car...

Flame away you comfy cloth seat no doors no roof drivers

greg wrote:P.s. just to be even more difficult - IMVHO - buckets suck for trail driving because they are a pain to get in and out of when you spend the whole day in and out of the car...

This was the reason I took the one-piece fibreglass seat out of mine, nice once you are in but what a pain getting in and out... especially when you are on a bad side lean!!

I like my buckets due to the support, especially when doorless or running low 1/2 doors, but do admit they can cause bruising around the ribs after lots of rough driving and there is a real knack to getting in and out (I'm running Sparco Sprints) However both times I've been over in my car neither me or my passenger have even moved in their seats, so the safety benenfits of fixed back buckets can't be underestimated.

Unforunately sierras aren't big enough to run the US style "suspension" race seats made my Beard, PRP and Mastercraft (as examples) ehich are much better suited to off road work.

Note too that the cloth favoured in most race seats REALLY traps debris like dead leafy twig bits etc that can make for an itchy drive home if you've been running door/windowless, so the canvas reupholster is a great idea.

Steve.

Gwagensteve wrote: However both times I've been over in my car neither me or my passenger have even moved in their seats, so the safety benenfits of fixed back buckets can't be underestimated.

Having been on the high side on one of the times Steve is referring to I can vouch for how well I stayed in the seat. I have just got a pair of fixed back seats for my Sierra but this was also partly due to their thin back and the lack of space in a ute. The Recaro's I have in the Vit are too big for the Sierra and I didn't want to be that intimate with the steering wheel although they have also kept me in my seat nicely when I have been on my side.

can anyone point me to what stock seats from other cars can fit into a swb vitara?

joyride wrote:can anyone point me to what stock seats from other cars can fit into a swb vitara?

Nissan Pulsar or the equivalent Holden Astra aren't too bad.

want33s wrote:

joyride wrote:can anyone point me to what stock seats from other cars can fit into a swb vitara?

Nissan Pulsar or the equivalent Holden Astra aren't too bad.

thats what i have put in the new LWB. They are very comfy and have a bucket style feel to them, and most of all they will be cheap as chips.

i think i know the seats youre talking about, they are from 84-87 models (N12?) and are super comfy!! did you keep the vitara rails and slip the pulsar seats on it, or used the pulsar rails?

another thing, can i legally remove the rear seats from my SWB without an engineering cert?

joyride.. on your ID plate under the bonnet... is it a classified as a two seater!?? id see no hassels about removing the rear seat in any case.. but i dont know alot...

greg wrote:

mick85 wrote:... am looking for something with cloth trim as its more comfortable and that you can spend the day in wheeling without feeling shit when you get home!!

Can I suggest that running a cloth seat of any value in a soft top sierra would be similar to running carpet or aircon in the same car - more trouble than it's worth, and it will cause you to miss out on half the point of driving a car with no roof.

exactly why I've still got my vinyl stockers.
Not so great on the kidneys, but neither is beer & i still drink my share...

joyride wrote:i think i know the seats youre talking about, they are from 84-87 models (N12?) and are super comfy!! did you keep the vitara rails and slip the pulsar seats on it, or used the pulsar rails?

another thing, can i legally remove the rear seats from my SWB without an engineering cert?

i fitted them to standard rails, minor modification needed, extra hole here, spaced up here etc.