legacycentral bbs

Hi there,
Just bought a 94 touring wagon and the seats are not very comfortable (as others have mentioned here). I have a lead on some wagon seats out of a 2002 impreza and wondered if the rear seats could be modified to fit and if anyone has done it??

I have searched and found out the fronts fit with no problem just a bit higher and that people think the rears just plain don't fit.

I am willing to give it a go but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions from trying it

TIA!!

James

Ok so I have bought the seats. They look like they will fit but I have found a problem first.

The inside rear bolt of the front seat is not threaded into the shell but is a nut & bolt combo through the shell. The nut is very rusted as it was on the bottom of the car...

Did it really come this way?? Or has someone replaced this?

I think the nut is supposed to be captive -- from the factory it was welded to the bottom of the shell. It may have rusted free between then and now.

hmm thats too bad. I only need the seatbelt hole for the newer seats though right?
Time to hack that one off then

the rear seats of my touring wagon is so comfortable. I love it, it's like sitting on a couch. The front seats are another story. They will fit.

I had friends at a subby dealership, and they gave me a few bolts, with the right thread pitch, and i just used those. They work, and they're safe... do a search of my username and "seats" in this forum

Thanks Laurelthe Queen! Did a search but did not come up with anything definitive - maybe in the archives?

The front seats are in! I also switches over the heating element so I retained the heated seat function from the TW into the newer TS wagon seats!

This week: the rear seat!

rear seat wont fit

can you explain why not? I have searched everywhere and that seems to be the only answer I have found...

Is it too thin, too wide? bolt placement wrong?

tia

I believe they're too narrow. Art's done measurements, as I wanted all of my seats to match, and couldnt get them to. We know for sure the wagon seats won't go in, but have no information on the sedan. When I get my car back I'll take some photos comparing my rear seat with that of a wrx, as we have about 209348230984 on our lot

The rear seats are close, but in the Imprezas the seatbacks are just too short.

The bottom of the rear seat (according to measurements I took) appeared as though it would bolt right in, but without the seatbacks to match, I'd see no point in swapping it out. Now, if you could swap the bottom, then reupholster the backs to match, you'd be in business. . . although they'd still be the same cushions.

did you test fit or measure?

SemperGuard wrote:did you test fit or measure?

Careful measuring. But with the two cars just 30 feet apart on the car lot, going back and forth a few times made it easily apparent that the seatbacks in the GD are notably shorter than those of the BF. Beyond that, I didn't have to measure too much for the seatbacks. It's not rocket science when you can visibly tell there's a difference.

did you measure the mounting points?

THAWA wrote:did you measure the mounting points?

Very similar, but some decent fab work would be necessary to get them to latch in the upright position (especially considering it's a function of safety). I had the measurements written down, but ever since Laurel got the TW earlier this year she's had no need for the information so I think I tossed it.

Ok - I did more than measure I took out both rear seats.

The measurements should have been right. The seats are the right size.

The problem lies in the mounting braackets. On the the newer seats (impreza) the lower seat does not flip forward so it is just a foam seat and can't accomadate the legacy bracket. However you would be able to just bolt the hangers off the end of the seat in but lose the flipping forward functionality.

The upper seat brackets are completely different. I did not have the bracket that attaches to the car from the impreza so re-using the legacy bracket was the only option. This will not work. And switching over the seat portion of the bracket from the legacy seat to the impreza will not work b/c the bolt spacing is different and in the case of the ends does not exist. The end posts are welded on in the impreza whereas the legacy's are bolted on.

colesnotes: fit but don't attach

next step - going to switch over the fabric so the fronts match the backs and I don't lose any functionality.

from what i have read here it looks like reupholstering the rear will be the way to go.

so what about WRX sedan rear seats into a 94SS?

and the fronts sit higher than the stock 94 seats?

is it the mounting brackets or the cushion that makes it higher?

if it is the bracket that raises the height could you switch the 94 brackets onto the WRX seats?

reupholstry would be the only way to fabric match, but the turbo wagon seats are relatively close to the wrx ones, so for me, at least, it's not that big of a deal. I'll be tinting relatively dark anyway, so nobody will notice

The front seat does sit a bit higher, but they also have height adjustment, the wrx seat height at the bottom is equal to the stock seat in the middle. It doesnt make that big of a difference, unless you're 6+feet

if you do a search, you'll find that it's been posted 3-4 times that the brackets dont come off of wrx seats. One of them does, but the back of the seat is attached to the other, so it wont come off.

LaureltheQueen wrote:reupholstry would be the only way to fabric match, but the turbo wagon seats are relatively close to the wrx ones, so for me, at least, it's not that big of a deal. I'll be tinting relatively dark anyway, so nobody will notice

The front seat does sit a bit higher, but they also have height adjustment, the wrx seat height at the bottom is equal to the stock seat in the middle. It doesnt make that big of a difference, unless you're 6+feet

if you do a search, you'll find that it's been posted 3-4 times that the brackets dont come off of wrx seats. One of them does, but the back of the seat is attached to the other, so it wont come off.

well since mi wife is 6'1" i guess i wont be doing this swap anytime soon. it appears my money and time would be better spent on some sparco touring seats and custom brackets.

greg donovan wrote:

LaureltheQueen wrote:reupholstry would be the only way to fabric match, but the turbo wagon seats are relatively close to the wrx ones, so for me, at least, it's not that big of a deal. I'll be tinting relatively dark anyway, so nobody will notice

The front seat does sit a bit higher, but they also have height adjustment, the wrx seat height at the bottom is equal to the stock seat in the middle. It doesnt make that big of a difference, unless you're 6+feet

if you do a search, you'll find that it's been posted 3-4 times that the brackets dont come off of wrx seats. One of them does, but the back of the seat is attached to the other, so it wont come off.

well since mi wife is 6'1" i guess i wont be doing this swap anytime soon. it appears my money and time would be better spent on some sparco touring seats and custom brackets.

In that case, you'll be able to drop the seat height a good 4" or so. If you're unsure about bracket fitment, get a hold of Andrew (tell him Art with the silver STi referred you) at Speedware Motorsports, in Redmond, WA. One of their specialties is custom-fabbed, race-spec seat brackets for Sparcos and Recaros. Believe me, the quality is nothing short of top-notch for appearance and safety. And the prices, although reflecting said quality, are not at all unreasonable.

Ok - well time to dig this one up and close the book on it.

I reupholstered (sp?) the rear seat after not handling the pattern difference b/w the fron and rears.

A couple of notes:
The new-age head rest mounts are different widths then the legacy - so you have to retain your headrests. However I used my Mikec's SS front seat headrests fabric (light grey) and colour matched well althougha bit loose.
The bottom portion of the seat is a tight fit due to the different fabric mounting system - oh well!

And the pics: