I was going to start a separate thread but since this was already a sticky, it seemed as good a place as any. For anyone who's on the fence about rebuilding their stock seats, don't be it's very straight forward once you get into it. Consider your back and back side? You spend 99% of your time in your car seated (I don't even want to think about what you sicko's do the other 1% of the time), so why not park your keaster on a set of nice new seat foams?
Ever wonder how ratty a set of stock seat foams can look after 20-years, take a look at the comparison below.
Backrest
Notice how crushed and distorted the side bolsters have become over the years. I can't imagine they do much of a job holding you in place during hard cornering, can you?
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They look just about as bad from the back. Notice how much more uniformed the replacement seat foam backing is in comparison.
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This view gives a better indication of the differences in the side bolstering and just how completely sacked the lower lumbar region of the stockers is. Can't imagine that's good for your back.
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Seat Cushion
....was in even worse shape than the backrest. Now I can see why the previous owner of these seats sold them to me so cheap. (Note the hole in the original foam on the right side, where the seat frame had completely worn through).
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The differences in sides of these two foams speak for themselves. Notice the distortion and "crushed" appearance from years of abuse and sliding in and out of the car. Since the lower foams are universal to passenger and drivers side, you will need to notch the foam for your lumbar controls (if yours have that option like mine did). This required nothing more than a sharp kitchen knife.
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The hold for the optional lumbar knob molded into the seat foam
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This is probably the most telling picture of them all. Look how utterly obliterated the lower foam is in comparison. The side bolstering is so poorly distorted and diminished that it may as well not exist at all and there is almost no cushioning effect left to bottom section. I swear I could feel the springs when I sat down in them before. It's no wonder people replace these seats with aftermarket units so often.
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I should also note. The seat form material is much firmer than stock. You sit higher in the seat and don't sink down into nothingness like you do with the stockers.
The end results speak for themselves (ignore how dirty the seat covers look....a combination of fade and lighting). Note the area I repaired where the seat frame wore through the original foam and into the seat cover....
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I'll update again once I've got the seat bolted into the car. When the weather warms up, I want to lay it out in the warm sun a bit to soften and help stretch the vinyl sides a little. They too have conformed to the old seat foams and I suspect need some stretching and breaking in to conform to the new seat foams.
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My original pull out knee bolster was still in great shape, so I didn't replace it, but both is and the head rest come in the package. I have Halo head rests in mine, so the recovering the head rest didn't apply to me. Very pleased with the results. I bought these seats used and was unsure what year/model vehicle they were out of. Jared was 100% helpful in identifying them for me and he and I exchanged numerous emails to ensure I was set up with the right foams. If you're looking into breathing new life into your seats, I highly recommend sending him a PM
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