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Hi Guys/Gals,
This forum is where I learn how to fix what I can on my 89 245 so thanks to all of you for generously sharing your knowledge. Last week I leaned on the driver side front seat while reaching into the back and something snapped inside the seat. Now the top third of the seat, including headrest, is kind of dangling and flopping around. So, I know that OEM replacement seats are virtually impossible to find, and since I drive for work (pizza) I don't have the couple of days it'd probably take me to tear the seat apart, find new foam, weld and rebuild the frame and then put it back together.
Any suggestions on replacement seats? I see some racing seats that claim universal fit out there, some of which seem to be in my budget - under $200/seat. There are some available on ebay for around $120/seat plus shipping that say they are in this or that brand's "style". I'm not looking for racing seats, that's just what I've found so far. An OEM replacement would be preferable, or something that's comfortable, but I need something soon that will protect me in a crash since having the headrest just flopping around is not cutting it.
Any help would be appreciated. And thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge and helping us keep these bricks on the road.
Dale
89 245 DL
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Update:
After 3 days of fussing with the seat it's finally done. Just got the last spring on the seat bottom (PITA). Will get them back in the car tomorrow. I know 3 days is a long time, but I'm one of those slow ones.
Turns out the cross bar that the headrest goes into was snapped completely off, so I JB Welded it together and braced the connection with 2 plates and 4 lock nuts/bolts per side. That's pretty sturdy now. I also had to mend the foam on the back and the bottom, and since the foam was in pretty bad shape I ended up wrapping it all in cloth to give it more integrity. Gorilla glue expands nicely to mend the tears, and that 3M 77 is great for holding the cloth to the foam. Also had to fix the lumbar support with coat hanger wire, but that seems better now.
Only hitch is that the little metal disk that holds the knob to the reclining adjuster is beginning to really deteriorate, it slides on and off too easily. It still works, but since it's the only one in the car - the passenger side one is long gone and is only adjustable with a pair of vice-grips - I'm going to have to really look for a replacement. Any ideas on where to find those?
Again, thanks to all of you on the brickboard for sharing your knowledge and expertise, you really make it easier to keep these old bricks on the road. I love the camaraderie that those of us that drive 240's share. Almost without exception, every time you see another person driving a 240 you'll get a wave or smile. Anyway, thanks again.
Dale
89 245 DL
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- $120 isn't bad for a "good" seat but all 240s w/ high miles seem to have twisted metal in the driver's seat backs - less so in the pre-86 cars where the tubing/ design is stronger. So I wouldn't buy a seat without looking and poking at it.
- I've taken seats apart and welded supports in. A lot of work.
- Best to find a junkyard 240 w/ a cheap passenger seat - ruined on the bottom but OK in the upright. Rebuild yours using that frame. The lumbar support can be swapped side-to-side, or not. An easy if tedious job - just lay everythign out on the table, separate the bottoms, remove headrest, .....
- Or you can just bolt a passenger seat in your driver's side. You need to swap the cage underneath with the up-down adjuster.
One of my 240s had front seats in 4 different colors/ materials after multiple repairs - and I'd sold the excellent original seats out of the car.
I liked the harlequin look and feel of it but most 240 owners are too fussy for that kind of garish mismatch.
--
240 drivers & parts cars - Ohio
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I went to the pnp and got a passenger foam for my donor when i redid mine. I followed the illustrated method using the 77 spray, but with mine, I double layered thick canvas duck material from the fabric shop over the bottom of the foam and sprayed it good and thick with the 77 spray. Mine has stayed firm and has not started "snowing" under the seat 3 years afterwards.
Here is a video I found that might help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpA0qb3fWBo
--
93' 240 Classic Wagon 220K & 92' 740 Wagon Regina/Rex 90K
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Note what PAGEDA said. It is only 4 Nuts holding the Seat to the Seat Bracket.
You can have the seat out in 10 minutes. No reason to take the lower Slide section of the Bracket out.
Don't forget to unplug the Seat heaters. The connector is slid under the Floor carpet.
Look at the 5th picture down... http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage3.html
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/
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Have you tried swapping sides of the seats around?
The lumbar knob will be on the wrong side but I think it should switch for the short term. I think the seat bottoms bolt to the rails separately if there is a problem with them.
Try Pick and Pulls or the recyclers for that kind of money.
You might be surprised as they might even have your color.
Phil
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Yeah, thanks, I should have done more research both on here and online before posting. Sorry about that. I found the post about switching passenger/driver, so will give that a shot if I can't find one at a pick-and-pull. Luckily I live in the mecca of 240's, the Northwest, so am getting some decent hits at some of the p-n-p's. Will have to go check them out on my day off and see if I can find some decent foam. I'm generally fairly handy, if rather slow, so will see how it goes.
Thanks again to the brickboard family for your willingness to help out fellow bricksters.
Dale
89 245 DL
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The quickest and easiest fix is to swap the seats from one side to the other, 4 bolts per seat. Then you can repair or replace the broken seat at your leisure.
Dan
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Yeah, after reading more of the "seat replacement" threads and looking around the area for junkie seats, I'm probably going to get a donor/junkie seat for under $50 and then swap the passenger or donor in for the driver short term while I rebuild. I'll use the least stable of the three for parts on the other two, supplement where necessary with new ipd parts, and use the tricks that Tony and others have shared to reinforce the frame and foam.
Am thinking that wrapping the foam in a thin, strong material - using the 3M 77 to hold it in place - might keep the integrity of the foam a bit better. Mine seems to just crumble whenever I mess with it, and I'm constantly vacuuming it off the carpet. I will also be using that glue that was mentioned on another post, the expanding one, to mend whatever faults are on the foam. Would Gorilla Glue work do you think? It expands and says it's for most materials, and I have some on hand.
Will keep you posted on progress. Luckily I have a rare 3 days off in a row starting tomorrow, so that should give ample time to get it done.
Thanks again for all your help
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Finding good foam is key and difficult! The foam will be shot on many boneyard`seats.
You can reinforce the foam using dungaree or do what I did on my 90 and cut 2 pieces of indoor/outdoor carpeting to fit the upper and lower part of the frame. Do note that this will change the "feel" of the seat. It will feel firmer and flatter but you'll never have to redo it.
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