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Seat Upgrades- Or Lets Beat This Dead Horse!

6K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  j persons 
#1 ·
Did some searching and read over a bunch of posts about installing late model seats in gen one Mustangs. Every time I read one, I think "That" is the seat I need.
Most of them are good write ups about installing a seat someone came across at a good bargain.

So, if you had plenty of time and wanted to search for on certain seat, what would it be? I am still at least a year out so I have plenty of time to search...be it Fox, SN95 or later....GT, Cobra, Mach 1, Bullet.....

I want comfort of course, I want good support to keep me in place during hard corning, and of course, I want it to look good. I installed a one piece convertible seat pan and am an average about 5' 11" and my wife is 5' 4" so leg and headroom shouldn't be an issue.
 
#2 ·
I bought a set of 1990 fox seats for $100, but they're really rough and need recovering. BUT they do fit and look right in the car.

Bought new seat tracks for a 65 seat and just had to drill one hole on each side in the bottom of the fox seat to mount them.


I didn't really realize how much it would cost to have them recovered with leather ($750 just for the leather seat covers from TMI), so I was searching craigslist and found a set from an 02 mustang that are black leather and look like they were barely used...probably run around $300...but that's a lot cheaper than getting new leather covers for the 1990 seats.
 
#3 ·
your biggest problem will be getting the seat low enough (because you have a seat pan) to be physically and visually comfortable. For the price and the effort, aftermarket is probably the best way to go because used seats will need to be reupholstered adding to the cost, and in the end you come out about even. Some seat makers will upholster the seat in any cover you want, as long as you provide it or know what that cover is. I personally purchased Cerullo seats, and had them covered to match my interior. Super business, very friendly, Cerullo Seats .
 
#13 ·
The pricing depends on what you want. Last time I checked, about a year ago, for leather and Alcantara on the seating surfaces and vinyl on the non seating surfaces, I think it was around $1100 per pair. There are a bunch of options, fabrics, leather, stitching, etc. and that's what determines the price.
 
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#5 ·
I found a pair of leather Mitsubishi seats I liked the look of in a junkyard. I cleared the stuff out of the car so I could sit in one. I bet I went back to that car six times jumping in and out of the seat to be absolutely sure it was wanted I wanted to be sitting in and STILL wished I could have driven it. I personally wouldn't buy any seats I didn't KNOW I liked to sit in.
 
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#6 ·
Get a set of Fox body seats, cut the risers off, weld new tabs on the tracks with the same seat spacing as the o/e dimensions. I made the tabs to push the seats back as well.
The Fox seats were cloth so I had them redon in leather to look similar to the 68 seats.That worked for me.


Fox seat at left, o/e 68 seat on the right and the recovered fox seat in the center.
 
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#7 · (Edited)
Get a set of Fox body seats (dime a dozen), cut the risers off, weld new tabs on the tracks with the same seat spacing as the o/e dimensions. I made the tabs to push the seats back as well.
The Fox seats were cloth so I had them redone in leather to look similar to the 68 seats.That worked for me.


Fox seat at left, o/e 68 seat on the right and the recovered fox seat in the center.

 
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#8 ·
Not a cheap option and getting more and more rare, but the E21 Recaro seats are really pretty nice to sit in, and have a 4-6" lower profile than most seats with a headrest which IMO helps them look more at home in the early cars and not like the headrest in next to the roof.

I looked around fairly consistently for about 2 years for my set, which I have to send down to Aardvark racing in San Diego to have Dave rebuild them ($750-800). I will be $1100 in to my set when it is all said and done. Then I have to decide on which Sparco I buy for my track/autox seat which will end up costing me 75% as much as my Recaro's ...
 
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#9 ·
Yeah, I like the look of those. Looked at the prices.....they ain't given' em away!
 
#10 ·
2004 Mustang seats on the 69 mustang seat rails. Had to drill a hole in the seats for 1 of the bolts, and built a spacer out of some washers for the drivers seat. Was very self explanatory.





Even converted the back seats to fit.
 
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#11 ·
Fox seats are going to be the best fit because they have a lower (less tall?) seat base. It seems like the newer the car, the taller the seats get. This can be an issue not only for overall seating height, but also potentially interfere with things like the arm rest on the door.

I personally don't love the way fox body seats look or feel, and went a different way with mine. These are '05ish Acura RSX seats. I love how they look and feel, but it is worth noting that I would prefer them to be an inch or two lower, so I'll be lowering the seat pans at some point. Also, the side bolsters are wide enough that they could hit the arm rests if they were moved up too far. Nobody else drives my car, so I hard-mounted them to keep them lower. No seat tracks at all. I'm 6'3" so having them this far back is perfect. It all boils down to what works for you and what kind of look you're going after.

 
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