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521 Bench Seats


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ok, now first of all i am a pretty tall guy. i am 6'3" and i fit fine on the bench seats of a 521. BUT i hate the ride in them. I tried tossing a set of mazda miata seats in to the truck and they fit fine for anyone that is not at tall as i am.

 

So i am scrapping the idea of bucket seats and keeping the stock bench. Now i was wondering if anyone has redone the stock bench seat with foam to make it soft and firm for a better ride?

 

now my plans are to take the stock seats apart, weld up some bracing that sat lower than the "springs" sit now and then go to a mattress store and find some of that memory foam and then carve myself some seats, i can make bolsters and everything for the passenger and driver to make it comfortable and still sporty. then i will have it upholstered professionally and be done with it?

 

can anyone comment on this idea? or have any better suggestions. i am going to need a seat that sits almost exactly like the stock bench, otherwise i will not fit comfortably.

 

Thanks guys

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I have some experience with miata seats, you can remove half the stuffing from the bottom of the seat and the extra pad from the back and sit about 2" lower and sit .5-1" farther back.

takes about 30min to disassemble the seat and remove the foam and small zipties to replace the hog rings.

 

mabye its not enough clearance for ya but it might be worth it if you hate the bench.

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I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going the same route as you. My bench is completely shredded, and I've never actually ridden on it as the PO replaced the seats with buckets, but I love the look of a bench.

 

You said the bench bottoms out too easily... are you going to reinforce it under the springs? Maybe shove some of that foam under there or throw in a few springs from a mattress or box-spring?

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Which part of the seat is bottoming out? Is the foam too soft and hitting the springs, or are the springs too soft and bottoming out?

 

If it's just the foam then replacing that will work, but if the springs themselves are sagging then you'll have to fix that...

 

I was considering doing the same thing with the bolsters on the driver and passenger's side... how were you planning on doing it? Getting the basic upholstery done, and then adding more foam and upholstery to fit, or by putting all the foam together first, and then making custom upholstery to fit over it?

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Bacardi: Maybe I'm wrong, but from what you're saying it sounds like just replacing the foam won't fix your problem... If the springs are bottoming out then you'll have to reinforce them, not just change the foam. Changing the foam will just give you a different feel, but won't fix the springs from bottoming out...

 

It would be similar to your suspension bottoming out over bumps... you could change the shock absorbers to make the ride softer or firmer, but it probably won't prevent it from bottoming out. To fix that, you'd have to change the springs...

 

Hopefully that makes sense and will work... Maybe you're absolutely right about just changing the foam, but I don't want you to go through all the work and end up with the same result... Just make sure you figure out what's causing the problem before you try to fix it.

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you know you bring up a very valid point. see the result i was going for was a band aide fix, if i put more foam then i would not "feel" the bottoming out. that is just a half ass job. you know what i may as well just send it to an upholstry shop, tell them what i want and what i want out of it and see what they suggest and quote me. Thanks for pointing that out.

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Well I'm glad I could help...

 

I don't remember what the bottom of the 521 bench looks like, but I think it's fairly open, correct? If you can find some foam or padding or something for cheap, or even an old comforter from a thrift store, you might try temporarily stuffing that inside the seat and see if it helps. Flip the seat upside down, cram whatever you have into all the spaces, and then bolt or clamp a few metal bars or a piece of plywood across the bottom to keep it all in. Then, mount the seat back into the truck and take it for a spin.

 

If all that helps, then you might not have to take it to a shop. Just take it apart, do what you want with the foam/upholstery, and reinforce the base again, permenantly.

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Awesome, do it up and let us know how it goes... I'd just use plain foam on the bottom though, rather than memory foam... First off, memory tends to be more expensive, and if you're going over a series of bumps the springs might repeatedly lift off the foam before it has a chance to spring back, making for a slightly rough ride... I'd just go with plain foam underneath, and then put the memory foam on top.

 

Make sure you cover both sides of the springs with some sort of thick material, like in the link that Daniel posted, otherwise you might shred the foam...

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What if you were to get another seat and rip the springs out of it... Then you could put them into your seat... Double springs(?) may not bottom out as easy. Or maybe you can find new springs from an appholstery supplier. I'm sure the 30+ year old springs must be work out by now...

 

I'm just astounded you are actually comfortable in a 521 being 6'3"... I'm 6'2" and I hate being in anything but an extra cab truck.

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Ok, just back from the upholstry store. i priced out their foam, vinal for my side panels AND carpet for the truck

 

the carpet i want is $12 per yard and i won't need more than 2 yards

 

the vinal is $9 per yard and i am thinking 3 yards will do it, i may get 4 to be certain.

 

Now for the seat, at max i am looking at 200 for all the foam i need. yes that seems alot but it will be perfect. the foam peices i will be covering are:

 

the top peices that go on top of the springs on the seat and the back rest.

and the underside of the seat and the back side of the back rest. I am going to put in a sealed seat so the foam will have something to press on with bracing.

 

The foam i have picked is the high density. I have to go back later with exact measurements. they say that if i have exact measurements then they can actually cut it to fit for me, and that would make it cheaper.

 

I think i am going to start this project in feb, when i start up my wiring and the bench seat will be out of the truck anyways. wish me lucks

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thinking for the time being to leave it as is, with no bolsters and the upgraded bottom with foam. i may put in bolsters later. i am going to try to keep the same bench seat vinal for right now until i can get some more money saved up. when i get more money in for that part of the project then i will get the bolsters made up and have the seat custom upholstered.

 

but for now stock look and more comfort is key

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hmm how to make a bench seat not bouncy or bottom out. how about a custom made wooden box under the seat for the springs to sit on. add a little padding on top of the box and have a nice stiff ride just like buckets. i prefer the bench myself. my 521 suspensions are stiff enough let alone putting some buckets in it. ouch!!:eek::lol: good luck.

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  • 1 month later...
Custom brackets for subaru gl seats work great for me.Nice and cozy,lower but not too low,sit all the way back for tons of leg room.There should be plenty of those around everywhere.I am 5'11" and I love them!

 

Custom brackets??? What do yo mean? Also, what model of GL did they come from?

 

Thanks

Jester

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