Dear DonQuixote52,

May this find you well. To install powered seats, in a car that is not so equipped, please see the FAQs. My write-up of this procedure should answer most of your questions. I'll be happy further to advise on this, should you need help.

DEATH DANGER WARNING: Before trying to remove the driver's seat, remove the negative battery cable clamp from the battery terminal, and put the clamp in a plastic bag, to isolate it. This cuts power supply to the SRS (Airbag) System. The airbag sensor is under the driver's seat, affixed to the floor pan. If this sensor is banged - if you drop the seat on it, or drop a tool on it - the airbag could deploy. This can be lethal, at close quarters. It will also be costly: a new sensor is about $1,200. A new airbag is about the same.

For the record, the 95 960 did not have in-seat airbags. Even if it did, the in-seat, side-impact airbags do not have any wiring. They deploy when the door panel - and a plastic block inside the door - is driven inwards, far enough to strike a detonator, built into the seat switch housing.

Before doing any work on the airbag system, you should get the Volvo tech manual, and read it thoroughly. It is available from www.volvotechinfo.com .

The seats and carpets should fit perfectly. I'm not certain about the dashboard. I'd leave in-place, the 940 heating/airconditioning system. It takes no more room in the front center console, than does that from a 960.

Hope this helps.

Yours faithfully,

Spook

How do I bypass/lockout the seat air bags on the 960 seats?? It's not in any books I have. I'd hate to have a mishap ruin them or ME!!

Now...about that "Simple Wiring" for the seat exchange...I had heard that the electric harness for the seats might be in the 945 anyhow...is that possible? If not...what would be required to get the electric seats working....or is it possible to mount them on the 945's manual foundation and keep those controls (obviously I'll have to exchange the backrest wheel)

Shouldn't the steering wheel be an easy exchange, just bolt/unbolt and hook up air bag wire?

Yea, I figured the dash might be a tad problemic....but I was hoping to make it work out without building a new car! But if I have to use the 940 dash that's doable, I'll r'n r everything else and just get some gray plastic spray for the bottom dash panels.

Thanks for the ideas and help... I love this site for all the experts (and non-expert learning curves through what NOT to do!) BTW...you all helped me to rebuild the head on this car last year after a H20 loss...it's still running GR8 too!!

Just a minor point, but the side window defrost vents are different.

I recently salvaged the interior door panels from my 960 and put in my 940. It mostly was a good fit, but I noticed that there were provisions for the defrost to vent into a hole in the door jamb and then up through the vent slot in the sill. The 960 panels didn't have the vent slot that the 940 has (the side glass defrost comes out of the dash). I installed "as is" and now don't have a defrost vent blowing on the side glass, not that I care driving here in the South.

It looked to me like it would have been a simple thing to cut the vent hole in the 960 panel and transfer the trim piece from the 940 panel. I assume the door steel structure has the same geometry to allow passage of the vent air into the door cavity so it can be directed to the vent slot on the top of the door panel.

The doors will work,fenders will not.Power seats will fit,but may need some simple re-wiring.Power seats are much heavier than manual.Make sure you lock out the side airbags in the seats before you remove them,they require no electrical power to deploy.Refer to service manual for safety precautions.

The dash and steering column will not fit because the firewall and windshield are very different.The wiring and relays are in totally different locations.
Bill

I think the biggest headache (no pun intended) will be airbags. They're pretty much guaranteed to be different between the two. If you can figure that out, than the rest of the project is relatively doable.

Honestly, I'd just get a new radio for the 940 from Crutchfield. :-)

Good luck!
-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars