Lowering Seats

[KenB]

Is there a good way to lower the front seats in a CJ7 ? I put in a new set of Bestop seats, and they sit higher than the originals. This puts the top of my head close to the rollbar. It's even closer on the passenger side.

 

[BusaDave9]

How good is your fabrication skills?
I had to make my own seat mounts. I used parts from the OEM seat mounts but used different vertical supports because I had to lower the seats about 3 inches.

 

[CJim7]

I had to build new brackets also to lower the non-OEM seats Im using. The design of the stock folding bracket really doesn't allow any modification to lower it.

 

[gert]

I used seats off a 2000 and modded my floor pan to fit the 2000 seat brackets

 

[KenB]

My fab skills are pretty weak, and the only equipment I have is a hacksaw, grinder, and a 30 year old Craftsman cracker box stick welder.
Looks like on the drivers seat, I might be able to pull off the slider (don't need it) which might drop it 3/4 - 1". And, worst case, I could do without the folding on the passenger side (chop out 1 -2" and make it rigid?)
Hmmm, maybe I just need a shorter wife. Nah, took almost 50 years to break this one in.

 

[IOPort51]

thats why i went back to the original seats. low back 70's Gm van seats. there just wasn't room for the seat and me.
making new frames for the seats wouldn't be that difficult but I have never found a pair of after market seats that I liked well enough to go to the trouble.

 

[Sasquach]

Ken, I was in a similar spot awile back and I made some new mounts fairly easily by copying the original design but in a lower profile. With some flat stock from the hardware store, a torch, a drill and paint I was able to duplicate the factory mount but about 2" lower to get my new master craft seats at the right height. I could get you some picks if needed.

 

[KenB]

Thanks fellows. I was hoping there might be an aftermarket source, since this has to be a fairly common situation. Then again, maybe not. If not for the roll cage, it wouldn't be as much of a concern. One of the bars is directly above the passenger's head. Looks like it's time to dust off some tools and get to work. Pictures of what you all have done would be a real plus. The passenger seat is the biggest concern right now. The seat bracket on that side is 9" +/- from floor to seat, while the drivers side is lower at 8 1/4" +/-. Pulling the slider off should drop it another 3/4" +.

 

[Kane]

I had to cut and shorten my brackets for the seats and the fact that a fiberglass body has a thicker floor so everything sits up higher that is mounted to it. The folding seat bracket can be shortened by cutting and redrilling the holes for the pivot points. The non-folding brakcet must be welded.

 

[IOPort51]

If I were going to build seat mounts, I would start with a square/rectangular frame that will bolt to the seat and four plated that were drilled to bolt to the floor. then I would cut a spacer, wood blocks maybe, to hold the seat in the "right "position and measure length and angles for the metal uprights. I would drill holes in a piece of plywood to simulate the floor of the jeep and glue, nail, screw the spacer on the plywood to hold the seat frame in the "right" position. From there it's hack saws and welding rods.
I didn't say it was easy, just simple. Take a lot of pictures, I can see a how to "sticky" coming out of this project.
lots of us have pondered this problem and I think most of us just live with the steering wheel dragging in our lap.

cracker box welders never die, they just go on to the next garage sale.

 

[Sasquach]

Here are some shots of what I did.

 

[BusaDave9]

Good Job Sasquach. That looks OEM

 

[KenB]

Thanks for the pictures. That is excellent work.
I pulled the passenger seat and bracket this morning - and I had a brain fart.
If it would fold more, it would be lower. The latch pins are the stop for folding. If I relocated those and the latch mechanism it would go down farther. This would put the seat a little farther back, but re-located mounting holes could compensate for that if needed. Any thoughts on that?

 

[BusaDave9]

Do you still want your passenger seat to swing forward?
I removed my rear seats so I didn't care about having the seat swing forward. I lowered my seats by replacing the curved bracket with a short strait plate.

Even if you remove the stop (that horizontal bar in the picture) you still won't be able to lower the seat much. That curved bracket will hit the bottom of the seat.
It looks like Sasquach's seats don't swing forward either. Let us know if that's an important feature and we will see what we can come up with.
EDIT: actually that horizontal bar is not only the stop it's the release. The bar rotates to unlatch the post that also acts as a stop. I'm not sure how or if you can lower it and still have the seat swing forward.

 

[CJim7]

The seat brackets I built look very much like Sasquach's...

The seats Im using fold forward, so I wasn't real concerned with losing the swing-action of the original seat brackets

 

[BusaDave9]

The seats Im using fold forward, so I wasn't real concerned with losing the swing-action of the original seat brackets

Good point. Most (if not all) Bestop seats fold. But can a passenger still climb over the seat if it is folded?

 

[Sasquach]

I went rigid on the passenger for same reason as Dave-no back seat and did not see any value in the extra work I would have faced doing so. With a 5 there is not much room behind a tilted seat for that mater anyway.

 

[CJim7]

Good point. Most (if not all) Bestop seats fold. But can a passenger still climb over the seat if it is folded?

I think with a bit of athleticism...
I also removed the rear seat so passenger accomidation wasn't really a concern, I should have mentioned that.

 

[IOPort51]

outstanding job Sasquach. is this a heat and bend job or did you manage to do this cold??

 

[KenB]

I've removed the back seat, but would like to have the option to put it back in - i.e. folding the passenger seat. The set itself does not hinge, so folding has to be on the support mechanism.
The horizontal rod in the second pic is the rotating latch release rod. It doesn't function as a stop - the latch pins make the stop and leave a little clearance for the rod.
The seat has an open bottom, and the curved bracket will clear the seat mounting base. My current thinking is to remove the latch release rod, remove the latch pins/stops, fold the seat bracket down until its at the desired height, re-install the latch pin/stops at that level, then re-mount the latch release rod so that the catches will engage the pins. I'm thinking that moving them forward (new holes) at the same level would work?