Seat Interchangeablility 85+ into 80-84 (EA-81)

[subeman90]

Seat Interchange for Subaru's

Thread from Ultimate Subaru Message Board, thanks to those of you that posted.

AuthorComment</FONT>Mike W

Local user

(3/18/00 1:04:04 pm)

Reply | Edit | Del AllSeat Interchange "85+ into '80-'84 Ok I know this is an old subject, but...

I just grabbed some nice clean front seats out of a 86 wagon at the junkyard. I'm heading out to hopefully swap them into my '83 wagon. The question is: Will the rear seat out of the '86 wagon also fit my '83?

Mike W

Local user

(3/18/00 9:59:57 pm)

Reply | Edit | DelRe: Seat Inerchange "85+ into '80-'84 Well my new(er) seats sure are comfy and look good too. Especially after the hassle of making them fit my car. Ok, so I forgot that whoever had done this seat swap previously had said something about minor modifications were needed to make them fit. The seat tracks are a bit different so I had to install my old seat tracks onto the newer seats (I remembered this problem.) And I had to ovalize the holes in the seat track a bit to get them to line up with the holes in the seat (still no problem.) But the issue that had been totally deleted from my memory was that the newer seats are 1.125 inches wider and therefore adaptor plates are needed to move the outboard seat track inboard that amount to line up with the holes in the floor of the car. This hurdle wasn't too difficult to overcome but it did take some time to fabricate the adaptor plates.

If installing the rear seat is even more fun, I think I'll just let my passengers ride in old fashion Suby seats. Does anyone know if the newer rear seats will fit my old wagon?

Fescenine

Local user

(3/18/00 10:38:14 pm)

Reply | Edit | Delwhat about the WRX ? are the bucket seats out of the WRX interchangeable with the Subaru's of the 80's

qman

Global user

(3/19/00 6:51:06 am)

Reply | Edit | Del

Re: Seat Interchange "85+ into '80-'84 Hello Mike, I believe you will find that the rear seat is about the same amount wider as the front seats. If you don't have the the new one yet let me know and I'll have my Bro-in-law measure the rear seat in his 86 or 87 wagon and I'll let you know.

Jim L

Global user

(3/19/00 7:08:56 am)

Reply | Edit | Del

What seats will interchange with an 86 Brat, my drivers seat is all torn up and I would like to swap it out. Thanks. qman

Global user

(3/19/00 8:06:04 am)

Reply | Edit | Del

Any seat from a Hatchback will bolt in. Any other seat from a 80-87 Subaru(2nd Gen) will go in but it may not lean forward enough to access rear area like the original seat does. Good luck

BTW you may have to swap the seat tracks. McBrat

Moderator

(3/19/00 8:21:35 am)

Reply | Edit | Del

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I believe all ea81 body style seats will interchange okay. I know I've taken a track from an 84 sedan to replace a broken one on an 86 brat... perfect match

and ShawnW has put his 84 wagon seats into his 87 brat... Mike W

Local user

(3/19/00 9:14:00 am)For the rear seat, I think I'll try it before I buy it. It just occurred to me that the junk yard has some old wagons that I could test fit the newer seat in. I may not get back to the junk yard for a few days but I'll post the results in as it helps someone else. scoobydoo

Local user

(3/19/00 3:31:06 pm)If you're going to put GL/ Loyale seats in a brat, get ones from a 3-door. They have the release to get to the rear seat. ShawnW

Moderator

(3/19/00 3:53:36 pm)Yep Mick is right I did that and it works great.

Jim, head out to the junkyard and find a nice passenger seat (they tend to be less worn out cuz how much time do you spend in your car alone?).

If you get a chance look for a set of velour ones, I love mine, and they are much better in my opinion than the brat seats with the vinyl edges. They would also be more durable in my opinion.

The 85+ style seats with the height adjuster is pretty cool too. Mike W

Local user

(3/19/00 9:04:00 pm)Are Hatchbacks supposed to have the automatic-scoot-the-seat-forward mechanism on both seats or just the passenger side? Mine only has it on the passenger side.

Switzerland

Local user

(3/19/00 9:09:58 pm)My hatchback is the same way. I checked my owners manual, and it indicates that this is correct. Mike W

Local user

(3/21/00 6:38:03 am)Thanks for the heads up on the Hatch seats. I thought that both of the seats were original but wasn't sure.

As for the newer seats I put in my wagon, they seem like they sit a little lower than the originals. I'll probably put some spacers between the tracks and seat bottom to give them a boost upwards.

Thanks for the help folks. Skip

Moderator

(3/21/00 7:52:31 am)Shawn there are some really cool tips here. How do we go about getting them in the manual?

The "scooch forward" feature would be great in my Brat as being 6'2'' the seat is way back. leaning the

seat back-forward, sometimes isn't enough.

And I most hard ally agree with you on the seat style.

The height adj is a very nice feature, I have one on the GL-10 turbowagon. Along with the much better construction and velour covering, these be the seats I'm shopping for. If you're going to put GL/ Loyale seats in a brat, get ones from a 3-door. They have the release to get to the rear seat.