Our hack-swapped Waggy seats...
Our hack-swapped Waggy seats had all the electrical adjustments in the world and they were still really uncomfortable, lacked adequate support, and were barely attached to the floor. We yanked these 40-pound boat anchors and mocked our new PRP Premier Series low backs in place using 2x4 wood blocks.
Early Jeeps like our '73 J-2000 that have somewhat rough-riding suspensions can be made significantly more comfortable with suspension seats like those from PRP. Rather than sitting on old-fashioned steel springs or modern-day ridged steel frames with stiff foam, PRP suspension seats are designed more like a hammock that hangs from a tubular frame. This design allows the seats to absorb a lot of the jarring on- and off-road movement that other seats can't. You'll be able to enjoy trails all day long without feeling like you've received nine rounds of body blows from Mike Tyson.
PRP offers several different seats that are all American made. You can even choose the fabrics and colors. Originally we thought it would be cool to have a low-back bench seat built, but we really appreciate the extra support provided by the individual bucket seats. There is nothing worse than fighting to stay in your seat while you are trying to drive a treacherous section of trail. The Premier Series bolsters make a big difference and keep you in place over even the roughest terrain and steepest sidehills.
The previous owner of our J-truck had performed a hack-job junkyard Wagoneer seat swap. Since it wasn't possible to simply and safely bolt all four corners of the later-model seats to the floor, he simply didn't bother to. Even with plenty of electric adjustments these things were more uncomfortable than riding economy on a United Airlines flight around the world-so they had to go
If you're over 5 feet 6 inches tall, standard cab trucks like our J-2000 don't really have enough space in the cab to properly fit a high-back seat. And without a headrest your head could hit the rear window in an accident, so pay close attention to the seat location when building your own mounts. If you're working with a more common CJ or Wrangler, PRP has bolt-in adapters to mount the seats to your factory seat hardware. We weren't so lucky, so we had to build our own. Fortunately, it's easy to fabricate mounts for PRP seats that will fit in almost anything. All it takes is a little ingenuity, some strap steel, a vise, a drill, a few bolts, and possibly a welder.
We like to start by attaching...
We like to start by attaching 2-inch-wide by 3/16-inch-thick strap steel footings to the floor beneath the seat's mounting tabs. The footings are bolted in place using many of the original seat mounting points. We then welded strap-steel legs to the footings that bolt to the seat. The passenger side on an FSJ is a little more complex than most Jeeps, so we built three different brackets-one for the rear and two for the front.
The driver-side brackets are...
The driver-side brackets are made from the same materials as the passenger side. We like to mount our suspension seats tilted back a minimum of 10 degrees for more comfort. To do this the two front seat mounting points are at least 2 inches taller than the two rear mounting points. We've had success tilting them back as far as 20 degrees; it just depends on how much room you have to work with. Whatever you do, don't mount them flat. It's a total disservice to the seat's design and to your comfort.
With the PRP seats bolted...
With the PRP seats bolted in place we were able to reuse our factory lap belts by slipping them through the belt slots. We also ended up with a small and easily-accessible storage area under the seats that's perfect for a tow strap or other medium-sized items.