I know it's been done, but how? I just got a pair of XT6 seats at the local junkyard, and want to mount them in my '88 GL....but I have a couple questions, I took out the seats on my '85 GL parts car, and see that they are different, but will the '85 and '88 have the same brackets, so if I mess with the rail swap using the '85 brackets, they'll fit in my '88 when I'm done? and what exactly needs to be swapped, I see a number of things are different about these mounts, what do I need? I'm going to go look at/try to make them fit, but help would be nice.

 

I'll be using this info, and pics I take of the process to do a writeup about it.

Well I haven't done this swap but I was planning to put mine into my 84 brat. Let me know how this goes!.

 

In the mean time check this out! I fixed the foam and reupholstered the seats.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/article.php?a=84

I put XT seats in my 84subaru wagon with a little creativity and a little welding. Theres no reason it shouldent work for a wider later model, or a brat.

 

 

-Mike

Well, here's the deal....I ignored the fact that I asked here for help (usually a bad idea, but in this case.....it worked), and took them to a friend who happens to have a pretty impressive tool set.

 

I didn't take any pictures, and I'm not taking the seats out if I don't have to, BUT, let me say this, it isn't exactly a "bolt on" conversion, it involves welding, cutting, drilling, etc.

 

here's the scoop, and I'm not sure about EA81's but, the rails are the same distance apart on xt6's and GL's (or at least the ones I have, I'm not sure what year the XT6 seats came out of, but it was '85 GL brackets on an '88). and the mounting points are the same arangement, just in different places. The rails are about 17" apart crosswise, and the mounting points are about 2-3" farther apart along the rail (lengthwise).

 

The passenger side was the easy one, we simply unbolted the brackets from the passenger seat on the GL, and bolted them on in place of the ons on the XT6. the boltholes were slightly different, so we mounted the back ones, then drilled and used bolts/washers to mount the front, then the handle had to be lengthened to keep it from hitting the seat, we extended it a bit far, so it looks a little crazy, but it works.

 

now the driver side is the hard one, because of the height adjustment the GL brackets can't just be bolted on, the XT brackets must be modified to fit the GL mounts. SO....we lined up the front tabs on both brackets, and marked the XT ones were the GL tabs would go, than we cut/ground/melted/pryed etc. the tabs off of the GL brackets. and welded them on the XT ones in front of the existing mounts.

 

It worked great, this isn't for the inexperienced or the unskilled, as far as materials go, it's easy, but if you don't know your way around a welder (and that plasma cutter came in real handy too), then this isn't for you.

hm, i bolted some right into my 86 wagon. I used the middle seat belt receiver's mounting points for the inside rear corner of the seat, and the seat belt still fits on there. i have to get a spacer for the outside rear bolt because the bracket is 2 inches longer front to back.

they fit right into a ea82 wagon, with only one bolt not linining up. i never worried about it.

i like how low you can sit in a wagon with those seats. its super duper lowrider style.

 

on my hatch, i lost the height adjust, so its slammed on the floor perminately.

 

best seats ever!

best seats ever!

 

I like the GL10 pillow top seats more! :-p

I like the GL10 pillow top seats more! :-p

 

I agree with you there, but I like the lower sitting in the wagon with the xt6 seats. Being 6'2" I found that with stock seats I was way high. With the adjustables I can sit em right down on the floor.

 

My GL-10 Seats are acting as a couch in my living room and I didn't want to remove them from there.

 

I bolted my xt seats right into my loyale no prob. Some lap belt issues but nothing major.

'round here, those are called Princess seats!

 

 

 

I like the GL10 pillow top seats more! :-p

 

 

 

kidding. they're "la-z-boy" seats, unless you put a doily on them, THEN they're princess seats.

I agree with you there, but I like the lower sitting in the wagon with the xt6 seats. Being 6'2" I found that with stock seats I was way high. With the adjustables I can sit em right down on the floor.

 

My GL-10 Seats are acting as a couch in my living room and I didn't want to remove them from there.

 

I bolted my xt seats right into my loyale no prob. Some lap belt issues but nothing major.

 

I really like sitting up high. When I'm on the trail I have to see over the hood and fenders to stay in the line I picked for an obsticle. Also helps when you have to lean out the window and see how close the side walls are getting to razor blade rocks! I'm 6'1" and still like sitting up high

when i did xt seats into an ea82 i used gl10 tracks as they had the height adjust. i had to bent the teeth out for the forward adjust latches and narrow the cable across a little bit by re-benting it 1/4 inch where the end was

 

 

the one side bolted right up but the other side i had to drill a hole and add a bolt with a spacer, no welding involved

 

let me suggest those who want to do xt seats find some gl-10 seats at least for the driver side. if a 3door seat is found for the passenger side then you kan keep the flip forward feature of the passenger seat

I really like sitting up high. When I'm on the trail I have to see over the hood and fenders to stay in the line I picked for an obsticle. Also helps when you have to lean out the window and see how close the side walls are getting to razor blade rocks! I'm 6'1" and still like sitting up high

 

yep...had mine adjusted all the way up all weekend. but I'm < 6' tall so I don't have trouble with the roof.

yep...had mine adjusted all the way up all weekend. but I'm < 6' tall so I don't have trouble with the roof.

 

Even bouncing around in the rock gorge I didnt hit my head.

well from what i gather from your ordeal, legacy seats werent that much different than XT seats, however, the legacy seats are about an inch taller than the stock ones, so for those of you who like seeing things on the trail, that conversion is for you.

 

 

 

 

 

~Josh~