Upgrading the seats for a car that turns corners !!

[Kern Dog]

My stock style reupholstered 1970 seats look nice but are not worth a dang for holding me in place in the turns. I've been planning on a change to something modern. I've considered Neon SRT4 seats but dismissed them when I learned that being from a 4 door car, they do not fold forward for rear seat access. I've thought about new Corbeau GTS2 seats and even sat in one at a local store. Today I've started thinking of 2008-2015 Challenger R/T or SRT seats. Yeah, they have airbags in them and are power assisted. (At least the drivers side is) I'm not against using a heavier seat if they are comfortable and supportive. The stock 1970 seats are not the lightest by any stretch anyway.
Who has installed modern seats in their Charger? Any suggestions?

Also, not that I'm certain to sell the stock seats, but what is the going rate for a pair with almost perfect Legendary covers and nice seat backs?

[myk]

Pro-Car Rally Seats, with removable head sets.  The bolstering, sides and the depth of the bucket keeps me in place...



This is back in 2012 before my console, shoulder belt and new steering wheel.

Now, you're looking at Corbeau and other pricier options but if you're a low life like me the Summit seats are a good deal.  And do yourself a favor and don't toss out your OEM seats like I did...

[SRT-440]

I was wanting SRT seats but those things are expensive and I hear sit too high..like some ppls heads will touch the headliner..not positive on that..just what I heard.

The Summit seats look good tho. 

[Finn]

Pro-Car Rally Seats, with removable head sets.

Those look nice! How was the install process? Any tips?

[Kern Dog]

I was wanting SRT seats but those things are expensive and I hear sit too high..like some ppls heads will touch the headliner..not positive on that..just what I heard.

The Summit seats look good tho. 

I just measured the seats in our 2015 Challenger. 42" from the floor to the top of the headrest. My 70 Charger measured 36". That was surprising. This verifies that these seats would not be right for me.

Those seats you have MYK...Are they comfy? I'm 5'10 and 195 with an average build.
Also, I do not intend to sell or junk my stock seats. I'll stow them in the attic in case my nephews want to restore the car in 2044 or whenever they inherit the car.

[bill440rt]

I found my Corbeau's on Craigslist. Guy had 'em in his Mustang, turns out he was too big for them (he was a B-I-G dude).
I think he only sat in them 5 times. Still smelled new. Got 'em for half of what the sell for new.

Lots of Mustang guys run them, you can find some good deals on Craigslist. Used is OK if you're planning on recovering them.

I sold the stock seats, don't regret it though. Went to a local guy who was restoring a '69. 

[myk]

Pro-Car Rally Seats, with removable head sets.

Those look nice! How was the install process? Any tips?

Straightforward, really.  Trickiest part is installing the seat tracks AND living with the fact these seats are not powered and do not have up and down movement.  

Those seats you have MYK...Are they comfy? I'm 5'10 and 195 with an average build.
Also, I do not intend to sell or junk my stock seats. I'll stow them in the attic in case my nephews want to restore the car in 2044 or whenever they inherit the car.

They are comfortable for me, although I must add I do not like leather or vinyl, which these seats are skinned with.  Also, I'm only 5'5 and weigh 165 so maybe they might be too small for you; too bad you weren't closer so you could try it out...

[Kern Dog]

I live less than 2 hours from the Reno Summit store. Sometimes they have seats on display there. Thank you, Greg

[myk]

I think that'd be worth the drive, considering what's at stake.  Another thing I'm not crazy about is the seat track assemblies; they're obviously visible from the back seat and are a bit of an eyesore...

[Kern Dog]

I just checked with a Dodge/Chrysler junkyard-recycler. They have a pair of nice SRT4 seats. The height is just 2 inches taller than my stock seats. Now I'm wondering how difficult it might be to modify the hinge on the RH seat to fold forward more. Come on...We are car guys, right? We cut, weld and drill stuff all the time. $450 for these almost perfect seats, built to OEM specs for durability and crash worthiness? I am really tempted on this!
I'll probably think about this the whole weekend!

[myk]

I'd jump on those seats.  They don't fold forward?  WTF?

[Mike DC]

OEM 4dr seats generally won't tip far enough forward to get into the rear of a 2dr car.

The crashworthiness of OEM seats is not as high as you might think.  IMO if the Fed ever takes a hard look at the impact standards for seat frames, particularly when it comes to rear-ending, they will raise the standards by a lot.  Anything is better than the 50yo seats but the new ones still aren't great in this regard.   

[myk]

OEM 4dr seats generally won't tip far enough forward to get into the rear of a 2dr car.

The crashworthiness of OEM seats is not as high as you might think.  IMO if the Fed ever takes a hard look at the impact standards for seat frames, particularly when it comes to rear-ending, they will raise the standards by a lot.  Anything is better than the 50yo seats but the new ones still aren't great in this regard.   

Ah yes, 4 door; makes sense...

[polywideblock]

couldn't you use one of those "universal tilt forward kits ?http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPARCO-RACING-BUCKET-SEAT-MOUNT-FRAMES-BASES-FULL-RANGE-SIDE-TILT-FLAT-/161438724831?var=&hash=item25967f72df:m:mYOCl7sQkZxDyyKA8F9eDpA&vxp=mtr

   https://www.google.com.au/search?q=tilt+seat+brackets&rlz=1T4MDNE_enAU504AU505&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCMQsARqFQoTCJiL7reC3MgCFYmelAodA7UDpQ&biw=1366&bih=566

[Kern Dog]

I went ahead and bought the SRT4 seats. They are in great shape with no rips or defects. I'll need to clean them up a little though. I'll post pictures soon.   

[myk]

Right on, man.  Are seatbelts built into them?

[Kern Dog]

The female receptacle is. The stock NEON retractor mounts in the B pillar between the front and rear doors, probably not an easy retrofit.  I have 3 point seat belts from Snayk Oyl. Not the best though. They cross over my neck a bit. They are worse for my 5 foot tall wife. I need either a loop on the edges of the seats or some type of downward extension from the overhead mount. The stock 3 point setups from 2 door 74-76 A body cars is a great design. They utilize a "dogbone" extension at the roof mount. I'd love to retrofit one for the Charger, keeping an all Mopar design. Trouble is, their retracting mechanism is very finicky and only gets worse with age, often making it hard to pull the belt out without getting only a few inches of belt at a time. A NOS assembly would be pretty cool though. Wonder who might have something like that?
I know there are other options for seat belts now as compared to 2003 when I bought mine. Maybe since I'm doing all these things to the car it might pay to look into it.

[myk]

I just installed the XV Motorsports 3 point belts.  They have an extension that drops the belt about 8 inches or so, just to prevent chaffing your neck...

[Kern Dog]

I should check them out. These I have also have tempermental retractors.
I started mocking up fitment with the SRT4 seats. The fixed/female portion of my seatbelts might be too short. These seats had the female ends on them but of course, they are a different type and do not fit together.
I went to a local metal supply house and bought some 1 1/2" X 1 1/2" square tubing and some 1 1/2" X 3" rectangular stock. I made patterns out of wood to see what sizes and shapes I'd need to get the seat sitting square and level. The floorpan is stock and in excellent condition but it is also differing heights at all 4 mounting points. I have no experience with any other B body so I'm guessing they are all like this?
Pictures will follow. For now, I'm going to look at those XV seat belts! Thanks, Myk!

[Kern Dog]

These seat belts look similar to mine but with that extension.

http://xvengineering.com/products/xv-racing-products-3-point-retractable-belt-bucket-seats-black

Good price too.   

[myk]

I'll post pictures ASAP.  My only gripe with them is that now its a little more difficult to get into the back seat, but it is what it is....

[Kern Dog]

Ahhh...
2 door cars, supportive bucket seats, 3 point seat belts...Small price to pay, right? besides, any passenger should be grateful for the ride, even in the back.   

[Kern Dog]

Side by side shot. Note the huge difference in side support!

[Kern Dog]

Non power, reclines nice to the rear though.

[Kern Dog]

I made mounting brackets out of rectangular box steel. Oddly, all four mounts are unique. The seats sit even to each other, square to the centerline of the car and both sides allow access to the rear for an average sized person.

[Kern Dog]

Both sides are in, I just didn't snap a picture yet.
I did expect the car to feel different with the seats, but I'll admit that I was really amazed by how much! Before, each sudden movement whether turning, stopping or accelerating resulted in springy seat action and a feel that I was not in as much control of the car as I wanted. Now it feels like I am locked in place and my body isn't sliding or bouncing around when I get aggressive.
Total cost: $425 for seats and metal stock for brackets.   

[myk]

I am 100% 'jelly. 

Looks like you got your 3 point belts in too?  Those are critical, by the way.  After I installed my aftermarket seats I noticed that the seats did what they could to keep me in place, but the belts didn't do squat to hold me in so I ended up having to change those, also.  Now with the high seat bolsters and support along with 3 point belts I can actually take a fast turn without flopping around lol...

[johnnycharger]

Looks great! I have an Srt4 and those seats a really comfortable.  Good for cornering and long drives.
Are you going to sell the originals?

[Kern Dog]

I rarely ever see 1970 Charger seats for sale. If I sold mine I'd feel like an idiot if I ever decided to return to stock.
Sorry, I'll bag them and put them in the attic. They may never be needed but I'd hate to sell then and regret it later.

[ray230]

Kern Dog
Don't put them in the attic. I bought a set of 68 seats that had been stored in the attic. They looked great - except the foam had turned to toast from the heat. Just crumbled when you touch it.

[Kern Dog]

OOoof ! That would suck.  I was just thinking of someplace out of the way and away from rats and mice. My attic is in my backyard workshop. There is no drywall on the ceilings to trap heat like a traditional house but it does get warmer there as compared to ground level.

[johnnycharger]

I rarely ever see 1970 Charger seats for sale. If I sold mine I'd feel like an idiot if I ever decided to return to stock.
Sorry, I'll bag them and put them in the attic. They may never be needed but I'd hate to sell then and regret it later.

I don't blame you one bit!

[ray230]

That might work ok. Just watch the temp.

[Kern Dog]

Not to brag, but the weather here is decent. Low humidity although it will get over 100 in the Summer. Winters rarely go below 30 degrees.

[Kern Dog]

Pictures as promised:

[Kern Dog]

Last picture for the day:

[ray230]

Looks good! You don't know how many of these I thought about bidding on Ebay, but in the end I decided to recover and foam the 68 seats I bought. (winter project)

[johnnycharger]

Are you going to publish your prints for how to make the mounts?

[Kern Dog]

Mounts were pretty easy. The Drivers side outer mount was the tallest of the 4 mounts. 16" long and tapered from 2 1/2 at the front down to 1 1/4 at the rear. My methods for sizing the mounts were not scientific: I built the first mount then sat in the seat to see how it felt. I had some 2x4 wood to use as patterns. I'd cut or shim until I got it right, then used that pattern to make steel mounts.

[myk]

   looks great!

[johnnycharger]

Mounts were pretty easy. The Drivers side outer mount was the tallest of the 4 mounts. 16" long and tapered from 2 1/2 at the front down to 1 1/4 at the rear. My methods for sizing the mounts were not scientific: I built the first mount then sat in the seat to see how it felt. I had some 2x4 wood to use as patterns. I'd cut or shim until I got it right, then used that pattern to make steel mounts.

Good stuff!

[6spd68]

Looks great Kern!  Thanks for posting this, as I'm trying to figure out what direction to go for seats with my build.  I'm curious about the SRT Charger/300 seats as well, but I'll be needing front and back.

[Kern Dog]

Thanks!
I looked at SRT8 seats in the same junkyard (OOPs, recycler.) They were almost 6 inches taller at the headrest. If you can find an understanding yard guy, maybe you can take one to test fit it before laying down the $$$.
The guy quoted $1800 for the front and rear leather seats.