jimmyray
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2007
- Messages
- 948
- Reaction score
- 30
I am very excited about the latest upgrade to the 73 Duster. After inspiration from this site, and my friend who is doing a modern hemi resto-mod into a 72 Challenger, I started looking for seats that would replace the original, worn buckets.
After dropping near $800 to get the seats in my 66 Cuda reworked to like new (foam, covers and labor), and still being stuck with the same relatively uncomfortable seats, I decided to check into replacing the Duster seats instead of restoring them. I started doing research on likely candidates for the Duster, and got several recommendations from FABO. After extensive research (eBay picture looking, LOL), I identified seats from a '03 Jaguar X-type as similar in color and size, but fully electric. The ones I found were white in color, and had a similar stitch pattern as the Duster. However, $660 shipped was a bit much.
A local salvage yard had a set of gray ones, and I went and took several measurements to check form and fit. Unfortunately, the yard wanted $200 for the pair, in spite of the deployed airbag on the drivers side. Oh, and it would be ~700 to recover them in vinyl!
So I searched for a set of seats via the junkyard lookup website http://car-part.com and found a white set locally. Went and viewed them, they were in good shape, but filthy, as they had stored the driveshaft in the car between the seats. I offered them $200, they took the offer, and I picked them up the next day. I got them home, and cleaned them with Scrubbing Bubbles which is dangerous for the leather, but cleaned them up beyond my expectations. I treated the leather afterwards, and all is well.
The install went even easier than I dreamed. I drilled 1 hole in the drivers side front right bracket, and 2 holes in the passenger side front brackets. For the rears, which perfectly straddled the rearward crossbody hump for original brackets, I simply drilled 2 new holes on each side. The drivers side literally fell right into place, all I needed was some spacers on the rear brackets to even up the seat. The passenger side required some reshaping of the floorpan with a sledge hammer, but this was limited. And it fell into place as well.
No welding, no custom brackets, no nothing! I did spend $12 for bolts, washers and spacers, but other than that I used the original pigtail for the power (constant on), after I remover the other plugs (side impact Airbag, seat belt pre-tensioner, seat belt fasten switch, seat weight detector). I also removed the original seat belt buckle assembly from the seats.
As it turns out, the seat pattern and color was even closer than I hoped! They sit about 1.5 higher than original, but I still have 3 to the headliner (Im 5 10). Power adjustability ROCKS!!!
After dropping near $800 to get the seats in my 66 Cuda reworked to like new (foam, covers and labor), and still being stuck with the same relatively uncomfortable seats, I decided to check into replacing the Duster seats instead of restoring them. I started doing research on likely candidates for the Duster, and got several recommendations from FABO. After extensive research (eBay picture looking, LOL), I identified seats from a '03 Jaguar X-type as similar in color and size, but fully electric. The ones I found were white in color, and had a similar stitch pattern as the Duster. However, $660 shipped was a bit much.
A local salvage yard had a set of gray ones, and I went and took several measurements to check form and fit. Unfortunately, the yard wanted $200 for the pair, in spite of the deployed airbag on the drivers side. Oh, and it would be ~700 to recover them in vinyl!
So I searched for a set of seats via the junkyard lookup website http://car-part.com and found a white set locally. Went and viewed them, they were in good shape, but filthy, as they had stored the driveshaft in the car between the seats. I offered them $200, they took the offer, and I picked them up the next day. I got them home, and cleaned them with Scrubbing Bubbles which is dangerous for the leather, but cleaned them up beyond my expectations. I treated the leather afterwards, and all is well.
The install went even easier than I dreamed. I drilled 1 hole in the drivers side front right bracket, and 2 holes in the passenger side front brackets. For the rears, which perfectly straddled the rearward crossbody hump for original brackets, I simply drilled 2 new holes on each side. The drivers side literally fell right into place, all I needed was some spacers on the rear brackets to even up the seat. The passenger side required some reshaping of the floorpan with a sledge hammer, but this was limited. And it fell into place as well.
No welding, no custom brackets, no nothing! I did spend $12 for bolts, washers and spacers, but other than that I used the original pigtail for the power (constant on), after I remover the other plugs (side impact Airbag, seat belt pre-tensioner, seat belt fasten switch, seat weight detector). I also removed the original seat belt buckle assembly from the seats.
As it turns out, the seat pattern and color was even closer than I hoped! They sit about 1.5 higher than original, but I still have 3 to the headliner (Im 5 10). Power adjustability ROCKS!!!
