BEST ALTERNATIVE SEATS FOR A BAY WHICH DO YOU THINK????????opinions?

Wanting leather without the cost of a re-trim
I considered many different seats and tried a few!
most popular seems the saab but i found the seat too high and the backrest way too thick pushing me too close to wheel and too high
Old Xj6 also popular but same as above so I searched for a quality leather seat that was thin and quite low !
I have seen folks use old recaros or MR2 seats but just look too modern/sporty in my eyes
Porsche seats cool but expensivg
So I think I have found the perfect seat these are old XJS 80's seats the leather has kept great, so has the padding, the driving position perfect! slightly more leg support, backrest not too high and have a great classic look to them, and absolute bargain at £50 on ebay !!!!!!



What are your guys thoughts, anyone tried to fit any others there happy with ???
Carl

 

they are tres cool and very inkeeping

 

they look great, old jag seats are really comfy too.

Weve taken the saab seats out of ours and put og ones in. Fancy the xjs ones now.

 

How do the runners line up, any special mods needed or complete re-fit

 

I have Porsche seats

Perfect height in my opinion and very very comfy

 

I'm going with these hopefully (as I brought them months ago), MGF seats, havent tried them in, but measurement wise they have low profile bases and flat mountings after I've drilled off the original mounting brackets, so should be ok,

 

Nice seats, as are the Jag seats

 

944 turbo electrics in mine... bob on thickness, and super comfy for the miles too



electric bases mean you can slant them forward too

plus if you bide your time, you can get them super cheap too... paid £140 for mine

 

Mgf seats were my other alternative ! they look spot on!, cant argue with the porsche seats my other ride is a 911 my 5th Porsche they all have great seats and £140 a Bargain I have seen them go for £300+, I just wanted a lower back seat
As for fitting i used existing inner mounts and drilled two holes for outer mounts, took under an hour to fit both seats !
I just drove a friends Bay with original seats and was shocked how much better my jag ones felt !

 

My bay has Recaro seats from an Escort RS Turbo and they are too high so am looking at changing them. Its not easy climbing in and out of them. I have been thinking about putting standard seats back in but the original fittings are long gone. I like the look of those MGF seats, I might have to keep an eye out for some!

 

Yes, pre-1988 XJS seats do look great, no doubt about that. But Jag did change them in '88 due to regular complaints that they just weren't comfy enough (I know that because I've owned a few XJS's in my time - currently have a nice 1989 one). I've got Porsche 924 seats in my bus. In my opinion, they're the best alternative by far. Anything from a 1970s or 80s Posrche on a bus just looks right. They're technically the same company too. Previously had some Saab 9000 seats but they just weren't in keeping with the rest of the bus, just didn't look right and sat me and any passenger too high too.

 

those jag seats look ace especially for that cash O0

got porsche seats in the split (passenge side on swivel base) very comfortable on long journey and i've put a set of 88 spec rs turbo recaros in the bay yesterday afternoon doing to be retrimed in something more retro when van is finished, used to have a set of 90 spec recaro's in my old tdi t25 they were comfortable and held you in in fast corners but as said a bit difficult to get in and out of unless your van is v/low

 

my 2p worth....

if you carefully drill out the spot welds on the runners on the drivers seat and carefully remove the welds on the brackets for the passenger seat you should have the bits still intact enough to put back at some point in the future if you wanted... once this is done any seat with flat runners will fit quite easily by drilling holes and bolting through,

however please please make sure you get under the wheelarch and weld in some plates to reinforce the bolt holes as that tin is a bit thin and bendy and if the worst happened your seatbelt isn't going to be a lot of use if the seat rips the bolts out and detaches itself.

fishnet recaros with the 5 point harness hole / coke bottle holder from a Fiat 130TC Strada Abarth

 

I have a set from a Porsche 924 to fit. Need to do some mods and fond old worn seats first. I tried them and they are comfy and sit slightly lower than standard giving me a better view out of the rear window.

 

Im still loving my XJS seats I find them very comfy on long journeys but driving position obviously different from original XJS , I live near Silverstone If any one wants a drive in my Bay considering a seat change they are welcome !
Carl