Bucket Seat "Upgrade"?

[JoeIsuzu]

I want to replace my bench seat with a pair of buckets, but I'm not really sure how to begin. I've made a few scouting trips to the salvage yards, to see what sort of seats are available, and to narrow down the choices some. I do not plan to use anything "Isuzu" because they've been gone from the US market so long, it's rare to find anything with decent upholstery. I'm thinking something from a small unibody car would be better. Unibody cars typically have lower floor pans, and slightly taller seats. That would suit me well.

The big issue seems to be in how they mount to the floor (or in some cases, the transmission tunnel).

I've read that all P'ups have inner mounting holes for transmission-side mounting rails, but I have not yet confirmed that.

Anybody have any tips?

Jack

[Halden]

I've read that all P'ups have inner mounting holes for transmission-side mounting rails, but I have not yet confirmed that.

I don't know that they come with the mounting holes. Everyone that I've seen do bucket seats had to weld or drill holes, but it isn't the end of the world.

If you do weld, avoid using a stick welder on that sheet metal, it's a little thin... Or have someone do it for you... Personally I would drill holes and use fender washers or something...

[timothy222]

Joe Isuzu / Holden or anyone out there in the Isuzu kingdom ; what have we learned about the bench seat replacement options ? Did Joe find one he liked ? Or has someone out there a solution or comment ? I want to drive cross county and would like to be in better comfort. Timothy222

[JoeIsuzu]

Not me. I can't say I've spent a lot of time looking, or that I've even tried any seats yet.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

Here I am, almost a year later. I bought some seats today. I was only looking at 2016 and later vehicles, and everything I saw was either worn or damaged. There was a Ford Fiesta seat that might have been nice, except that its airbag had deployed and ripped the side out. I gave up and was walking out, when I passed a 2000 Toyota RAV4 with a pretty well preserved exterior. So I took a peek inside and found these seats.

Word to the wise (too late for me). The job goes much faster with the right tools. I forgot my breaker bar. It normally goes with me, and I meant to bring it. I got stuck on one bolt. I managed to get a box-end wrench over it and use my heel to apply enough torque, and it broke free. Got the driver's seat out. Moving along to the passenger's seat, I got three bolts out easily. But on the last one, the wrench slipped and rounded the bolt just a bit. After that I was not able to get enough grip on it. I gave up and went home. I was concerned that even with the right tools, I had damaged the bolt head to the point it would not come out.

After cooling off at home, I started looking at the Pull-A-Part site again. I had neglected looking at Chevys, and there were some recent Cruzes and a Spark -- so I went back to take a look at them. This time, I had the breaker bar. The seat from the Spark looked like it had possibilities, but the driver's seat had already been removed. The Cruze seats were pretty trashed. So back to the RAV4 for one more try. It ended up taking less than 5 minutes. So below are the RAV4 seats. They'll need a good cleaning, but they're well preserved to be 22 years old.

Oh -- I forgot to mention -- Pull-A-Part had a 50% off sale on seats for the month of July, and I wanted to take advantage of it. My total was $40 and change.

Jack

[Red Truck]

....So... you chose to mount them facing the rear?

Joking!!!

Sorry, but I couldn't help but say that..../R

[JoeIsuzu]

....So... you chose to mount them facing the rear?

Joking!!!

Sorry, but I couldn't help but say that..../R

I couldn't help thinking of the Subaru Brat.

Jack

[Halden]

I'll be eagerly awaiting seeing how this turns out. I'd like to put bucket seats in both my trucks...

[JoeIsuzu]

I started cleaning with the worst part –- the driver's seat headrest. I should have taken a "before" pic.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

Driver's seat -- before:

Driver's seat -- after:

Passenger's seat -- before:

Passenger's seat -- after:

The cleaner solution wasn't quite dry when these were taken, so they may look a bit different once they're fully dry. Color differences between the pair are due to lighting.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

I hit a snag when fitting the first seat. This won't be as easy as I'd hoped.

The good:
After drilling a hole for one of the locator pins, I loosely bolted the front of the left track into place. Then I leveled the seat with blocks of wood. It aligns PERFECTLY behind the steering wheel.

The bad:
It's too tall. My head rubs the headliner. If I drill/cut/grind the "legs" off of the seat tracks and bolt them directly to the truck, I can possibly lower it by two inches in front, and maybe an inch in back. If that's not enough, the seats just won't work. I knew they were taller than typical truck seats.

Jack

[Halden]

Dang. I was hopeful! Those rigs are a dime a dozen.

[JoeIsuzu]

Dang. I was hopeful! Those rigs are a dime a dozen.

I haven't given up yet. I cut the brackets off of the left side (outside) slides. That dropped it by a couple of inches in front and maybe an inch in back. But now I'm trying to find suitable hardware to secure it.

Outside rear bracket - driver's side (now gone)

Regardless, even if they work for me, the seats would be too tall for a lot of drivers. I can see how something with adjustable height would be helpful.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

This proved to be lesson 1 of "what won't fit."

Even after removing the "legs" and bolting the seat track directly to the cab, it was too tall for me.

I measured the height, so I'd know what not to get next time.

And the factory seat, for comparison.

So I'll be looking for something else -- possibly with a height adjustment.

Jack

[JoeIsuzu]

Trying again. I decided to:

1. Stick with Isuzu seats from a body-on-frame vehicle, so I'll have a better chance of bolt holes lining up, and height will be compatible.
2. Ignore the fabric condition, as long as the core is good. If needed, I'll have them re-upholstered.
   Rodeos (and Honda Passports) are still pretty common in the yards around here.

So another trip to PulI-A-Part, and I bought these seats, from a 2003 Rodeo. I wasn't hunting specifically for power seats, but I definitely wanted adjustable height. So the power driver's seat is a bonus. I'll have to see how they clean up before deciding if they need to be reupholstered. I priced that, and in my area it runs about $500-$600 per seat. Door panels are another $100 each. These have a few little cigarette burns, but they're not all the way through, and not too noticeable.

I brought a drill battery, in case I needed to hotwire power seats, to get access the the mounting bolts. I connected bare wires to the battery, and nothing moved. Duh. I forgot, the controls were on the seat (not on the door or the console), so it still required operating the controls. That didn't hit me until I had them in the back of my CR-V.

Anyway, even though the seat was all the way forward, I was still barely able to access the front bolts. The transmission side front bolt was the last one, and with the seat tilted up, I could reach that bolt and turn it 1/6 turn at a time. That's slow, but it works.

There were also some nice manual seats in a 1995 Trooper (adjustable height and tilt), but I was concerned about the mount compatibility, and the height (they were TALL).

Jack