Unsworth Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Hi all.. For some time now I have wanted to fit some semi Bucket seats in my Defender/90.. I would like to fit this style ..they seem easier to live with day to day than the proper racing bucket seats plus I am of a bigger stature side ways than that of the average male .. I will be going for the cheepest bucket seats that the likes of Makro used to sell for £70-80 a pair My worry with fitting these is that I might loose the ability of keeping my paddocks land rover cubby box? Legroom from the seat to the bottom of the steering wheel doesnt matter as I have a 13inch mountney steering wheel. Has anyone got bucket seats in their Defenders or photos of bucket seats in Defenders?.. And more importantly does anyone know whether I can buy this style of bucket seat and still keep my cubby box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 If i were you, i would spend a bit more than the very cheapest you can find.....the foams wont last any time at all, and collapse on the side you rest your butt on when you get in, especially if you are a portly fellow. You will end up replacing them far more often than you would if you got decent seats to begin with. Maybe think about something mid-range, the likes of which are available from Demon Tweeks? Just my 2p worth. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megansfolly Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Why not fit buckets seats from another car ? i got mine from a rover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unsworth Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Thanks.. Yeah I agree with you there, But im hoping soon to have another 90 (Bog standard) for work, college and as a daily drive (Due to not wanting my pride and joy 90 to get stolen when parked up when im at work or college) If I get the pennies for another 90 it will mean my current 90 will not be used as much as it is now (Possibly a few times a week and mainly in the summer holidays when I am not at college) But I would like to get the cheeper option for now then if they start to wear out I can always buy some better seats but use my old and worn out ones in a future offroader? Other problem with buckets is that I wouldnt be able to get to my battery!.. So would need to design a method of taking the seat out easily yet it still be safe! or might even locate the batteries in the load bed as I plan to fit an extra battery or two with a split charge system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unsworth Posted November 3, 2009 Author Share Posted November 3, 2009 Why not fit buckets seats from another car ? i got mine from a rover Thats another option.. But its finding cars with seats which are not as "deep" as it makes getting in harder.. And generally the donar car is a write off with low milage it will be a tired old car with high milage and an interior to suit. The advantage with Buckets over seats is that instead of a sub frame on the buckets.. I can simply bolt a sheet of 5mm chequer plate to the base which can then be bolted to the seat box (Looses an extra inch or two by loosing the seat rails) I am in no rush to fit any at the moment so will have a look around however them rover seats in yours look fantastic! are they leather?.. Also which rover did they come from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsr341 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 ive got the bucket seats that you mention in mine , fit with my cubby box and an induction pipe running down the side of one had them around 3 years an they still have no rips in them and the foam appears to holding up pretty well. made my own sub frames so mount them to original mounting points Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outdoor_ian Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Did the cubby box come from BIG & TALL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsr341 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Did the cubby box come from BIG & TALL he he i was thinking that , mines standard and i whack my elbow on it , must be a right bitch to 4 and reverse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godlykepower Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 What Rover are those from? How do you go about accessing the battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyzeus Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Did the cubby box come from BIG & TALL I too have quite wide bucket seats with a cubby box, can't see you'd have a problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyzeus Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 These are my seat's in Orange's truck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwcooper Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 What Rover are those from? How do you go about accessing the battery? Look like rover 220 turbo coupe ones too me, I have got some Citroen BX 16v seats in mine similar to them but you can remove the bottoms still But they are like rocking horse poo! Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K88 MUD Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 How do you guys with the bucket seats gain access to the battery and fuse box area's under the seats ? Do you have to unbolt the seat frames each time ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 With the Ripspeed (rebadged Cobra seats sold by Halfords at a much lower price) ones that I sold to Barry (Holyzeus) the whole seat had to come out to access the battery. Easy enough on the Exmoor Trim subframes as it was the usual 4 bolts and lift out... You can now buy the Exmoor Trim LeMans seats that are a 'fast road' seat. They have a removable bottom, but you will be looking at a fair few £££s... The Ripspeed seats were very comfortable for me (wider than average), but I found that the truck cab meant that they couldn't be reclined far enough to stop them pushing my shoulders forward (I'm 6'3" as well as wide...). I previously had them in a hard-top 90 with no bulkhead and they were fantastic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyzeus Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 As Orange say's can't recommend these seats enough, very comfy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinv8 Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 Why not fit buckets seats from another car ? i got mine from a rover Sorry for the thread hijack, but did you have to do much to these to make them fit? Subframe etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.G.P Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I have some quite deep bucket seats fitted to my 90, they are SO much more comfy than the standard seats!! On a related note does anyone know where I can get jump start connectors so I don't have to take the seat out to access the battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holyzeus Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I have some quite deep bucket seats fitted to my 90, they are SO much more comfy than the standard seats!! On a related note does anyone know where I can get jump start connectors so I don't have to take the seat out to access the battery? Anderson plug's are what your after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiWhite Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 I bought some cheapo bucket seats from a Subaru Impreza, then cut-and-shut them onto the LR seat frames. Really rather easy to do and it means you still have the same seat mounting holes on the seatbox, still can pull the seat base for battery access etc. Whole project cost about £40 IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megansfolly Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 seats are from a rover 220 coupe or 216gti very comfortable. I still have access to the battery as i just pull the seats all the way forward so the seat base is touching th dash. Not alot of work took the angle grinder to them and cut the lumpy bits of the runners and then just bolted them in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy.cowman Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I have cubby box, moved my seats towards the middle a bit more to allow more elbow room, have them on rails to go back and forward... they were old Cobras I got for £30 and £20 for the runners. I have rivvet nuts underneath so its four bolts to lift a seat out. One note of warning is that some buckets, including mine are canted back quite a lot and so to have them fit and me be able to sit in them I removed the rear bulk head with the removal kit. Another note is that I bought some brand new ones at £80 on ebay and the lasted 2 and half years. Over that time the driver seat base steadily fell apart and they were never very comfortable. Hope that helps! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.G.P Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Anderson plug's are what your after You are correct sir, exactly what I was looking for. Many Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technical Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I have some similar bucket seats to the ones in your initial post (Blue one) - except that mine are grey and black. They were quite cheap - under £100 from Ebay. Unfortunately not the most comfortable. They slope steeply upwards from the bum area (rear) to the front (knee area) and if you have a tight clutch it makes it even harder to push down on it. The sides also have a high profile and this makes for uncomfortable driving as your thighs end up squeezing your nether region! They do look good and were easy to fit - we bolted them to some chequer plating and the chequer plating was then bolted to the floor in the same area as the original Defender seats. Access to the battery became problematic - although it may seem like you only have to undo 4 bolts. Try getting the seats bolted back to the 4 bolts becomes fiddly. I then fitted a heavy duty Anderson plug which sits behind the passenger seats. I still have my middle seat in place (now bolted more back) and it just about fitted. The front of the bucket's have a sort of winged area (wider at the front), which means the middle seat would not fit in it's original position. My advice - get good quality bucket seats - or simply keep your original ones! I'll try post some pics but previous attempts were unsuccessful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scania sam Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Why not fit buckets seats from another car ? i got mine from a rover hi there,sorry to butt in, but in ya photo i notice some very nice sound proofing on ya seat boxes,did ya make them or buy them?if so could ya let me know where there from,cheers sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megansfolly Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 hi its hospital grade vinyle matting i had a roll left over from a job i did it cuts easily and bends easly to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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