Gen I seat options

[Mojave Jack]

I'm planning a longish drive, down the Baja Pensinsula and back, and am thinking about improvements to the seats. I'd like to eventually get the seats re-upholstered, but in the meantime, can anyone recommend some really well fitting covers? The set I have was the $30 ones from Autozone, and they're already getting pretty ratty.

Alternatively, has anyone tried to replace their front Monty seats with Trooper seats? The Trooper seats have great armrests, which the Monty lacks, which gets a bit tiring over long drives. No idea if the bolt pattenrs would even come close, but I assume the seat dimensions must be similar given the similar dimensions of the vehicles.

My last option is building a higher center console. I'll definitely build something for it, since cupholders are more of a necessity these days than a luxury, but may keep it lower if the Trooper seats are a viable option! Anyone do a custom console build in their Gen I?

 

[Toasty]

Gen 2 seats have the armrests, Mongo put some in his Gen 1 LWB. I think they went in pretty easily, not sure about the trooper seats.

 

[rxinhed]

Dan's seats are super comfy. Of all the vehicles I've driven up and down our road, his is by far the nicest ride and quiet.

Those are Gen II? I thought that '91 Gen I LS were available with arm rests? Maybe I'm thinking of lumbar support.

 

[jdavis]

I'd agree Gen II seats and add some bouncy seat frames.

 

[Mojave Jack]

That's good to know that Gen II seats fit, thanks! Do the bolt patterns match up, or is there some adaptation necessary?

I missed my chance on some bouncy seats a while ago when someone here had a couple sets available. D'oh! I don't mind the stiff ride so much, but I know my wife would appreciate them!

 

[Toasty]

I know the bases are different but i think the actual seat adaptation is a matter of drilling a hole. I remember Mongo saying something like 3 of 4 holes lined up.

 

[Jay Ayala]

You know, I drove Mongo's truck yesterday and also ride shotgun. Gen II seats, dual bouncy was a nice treat in a Gen I. The ride was very comfortable indeed.

 

[off-roader]

If you do the gen II seats, here's what i've learned on them.
1) Non SR Monteros (94-97) are available with cloth seats & a suspended seat base (aka bouncy). I'm not sure about the earlier 92-93 LS/SR availability.
2) SR Monteros (94-97) are available with leather seats and a non-suspended seat base. Driver side is electric while the passenger is manual.
3) The passenger seats are interchangeable between the bouncy/non-bouncy bases.
4) The driver seats are not (easily anyway).
5) 98 SR's came with heated seats.

HTH.

 

[plh]

Some added info:

Daughters '93 SR came with dual bouncies and leather. Now they are new leather with heat added.

My '92 RS came with fixed bases and cloth. Now has the bases replaced with dual bouncies. Passenger side from '95 SR - not sure what year the driver side was from. Cloth upholstery was replaced with leather and heat was added.

'99 passenger side bottom foam from a manual seat (passenger side) is the same foam across all the manual seats, however the internal metal in the seat bottom is Gen 2.5 specific and is way different mounting than the Gen 2. So you can remove this foam and use in the older manual seats. Passenger side typically gets much less use so the foam is generally firmer and in better condition. I know this because I did this to my '92 driver side seat.

Gen 2 power seat bottom foam is completely different than the manual foam bottoms. Not sure about the Gen 2.5.

For the heat, I bought the cheap kits from Amazon, about $45 for the pair including switches, relays, heating pads, wiring, etc...

 

[ultrakill]

I purchased these for my Gen 1 LWB. I hear you on the lack of armrest. I wish I had an armrest for long trips, but these faux leather seat covers are really nice and comfortable. I have bouncy drivers seat and these covers still fit over that perfectly.

The front 2 seat covers fit perfectly, the back bench fits decent (it's a little loose on the bench, since the seat cover is bigger than the actually seat). It comes with the right amount of straps to make it tight, but there is just a little more material than what is needed.

Super comfortable seat covers and way better than my $30 set from Ebay (which also disintegrated after a year).

 

[Oso]

That Mongo must be a popular guy.

I have dual gen 1 bouncy bases in my rig. Gen 2 seats (non SR models) bolt up with minimal fuss other than 2 minutes with a drill. And they come with arm rests. I miss the lumbar support of the Gen 1 seats but the arm rests make up for the loss. Seat covers - Cabelas.com. I have their house brand. They are rugged and wear like iron. The back seat cover is a bit big (universal fit) but i can be made to work with little fuss.

Have fun on the Baja run. Been there, done that, & have the trail scars. Lots to see and do. Give yourself plenty of time as there are a lot of distractions and trails that aren't on the maps. Or maybe i was just lost....

 

[Mojave Jack]

Shoot! it's been almost a year and I realized I had 1) not acknowledged all the feedback, and 2) never updated the thread with my results!

So first and foremost, thanks to all of you for your info, and please accept my apologies for being rude and taking so long!

I still haven't found the bouncy seats, but keep it in the back of my mind for when they finally pop up. That didn't slow us down, though. We still made the trip and had an absolutely fantastic time. Here's a couple shots of the Monty loaded and on the road. We spent a fantastic 16 days wandering the peninsula, and are still dreaming of our next trip.

 

[Recon45]

Here is mine. They came from a 00 chevy van. The cool thing is it was simply to fit to the bouncey seat base.