WJ rear seat install questions

[xj-boonie]

What did you use for the back of the bolts for the seat back (besides nuts)? Big washers?

 

[xj-grin]

What did you use for the back of the bolts for the seat back (besides nuts)? Big washers?

1/2" grade 8 bolts with big washers on both sides, and a lock washer on the nut. The seat base is currently in with self tappers, but won't be staying that way.... I plan on moving the whole thing back 405 inches, which will likely also elevate it 2-3 inches -- I'll take pics of that and the existing setup if/when I ever ge to that plan!:confused1

 

[xj-grin]

OK, after much begging from the peanut gallery, I have taken some photos of how I originally installed the WJ rear seat... followed by how I moved it back a few inches (and up a couple) and got likely slightly better than stock legroom:

Original seat back mounting -- just drilled through the floor and used some washers. I didn't really "pick" this location, its just where the seats fit if you plop them in:

Here is how the bases were originally mounted to the floor with self tappers... couldn't fold them all the way forward in this configuration, because the WJ brackets are intended to be mounted vertically, not flat:

Here is a photo from the bottom, you can see the seat bolts on either side of the seatbelt reinforcement bracket:

So, I yanked everything out. 1st pic is the original holes on the passenger side after the seatback was removed, just for reference:

I had a hi-lift mount behind the seats, which unfortunately had to be removed:

being somewhat lazy (and perpetually pressed for time), I did the simplest thing: moved the bottom/front mounting hole to the top back mounting hole, thereby moving the seat back about 4 inches, and up about 2 inches:

The carriage bolt was something I had laying around, and it fit perfectly into the WJ bracket, making tightening from the bottom much easier.

I then used some more substantial self-tappers to mount the base to the stock "lip" that is under the stock rear seat -- this whole thing is really a trial and error process to get the fit right:

I flipped the center seatback bracket backwards and mounted through the floor in the cargo area:

Seats fold pretty flat now, with a little 1" step to the back cargo area due to the increased mounting height... not a big deal for me:

TADA: done, and I think I'll leave them this time!!

HTH anyone thinking of doing it themselves. I will say that the WJ interior is slightly wider than the XJ. Even in the original mounting location, it took some massaging of the wheelwells to get them to fit, moreso where I have them now. Even then, it is tight, and they don't flip as easily as a factor application would. That said, all in all I am happy with it, and my boys have headrests to keep them safe!! party1::jester:

 

[YELLAHEEP]

So, you've shown us how the seat bases mount....... but how do the seat backs mount up on the sides? I'm having trouble grasping how moving the entire seat assembly back 4 inches didn't make the seat backs sit straight up unless you moved the latch brackets farther back........ or didn't you use the latch brackets?

 

[RSchurig356]

The WJ seat backs do not require latch brackets. The bracket that xj-grin bolted down has a locking mechanism in there to tell the seats how far back they can go before locking up.

Xj-grin, by the way, nice work!

 

[xj-grin]

what he said, WJ seats have no latch brackets, just a integral mechanism that releases the seats to fold, and then limits their back travel and locks them in place. The only thing holding a WJ seat down is the two bolt bracket (with the carriage bolt in my pics), and the center bracket. Thanks!:sunshine:

 

[YELLAHEEP]

Groovy! :thumbup:

 

[xj-boonie]

So xj-grin, when you said "it took some massaging of the wheelwells to get them to fit" did you mean with a sledge? and is that instead of trimming the lower edge of the seat cushion?

 

[xj-grin]

So xj-grin, when you said "it took some massaging of the wheelwells to get them to fit" did you mean with a sledge? and is that instead of trimming the lower edge of the seat cushion?

Yeah, I clearanced the fender wells with a sledge-massage I don't have good experience in trimming fabric without it looking like a rat tied into it, and I think it would take trimming more than just the lower edge to get it to fit without fender massaging, which would make it even tougher to make it look good -- could work though??:dunno:

 

[Kumm33]

Jus scored a set of front and rear leather seats out of a 99 WJ. Fronts are bolted in and are a HUGE comfort upgrade.

The rear WJ lowers have a locking mechanism similar to the XJ with a pull release. What does this lock into in the XJ if anything, and can it be made to work just like it would in the WJ?

I only ask because my kids will no doubt have their car seats in the backseat periodically and i would like to make it as secure as possible for their sake.

 

[xj-grin]

It's all built in, man. Re-read this thread, the answers are there!

 

[Kumm33]

Lowers, not uppers. No one has mentioned the lower seat

 

[xj-grin]

Hmmm, not sure my bases had locks, either in this application or in the WJ I had after. If there were they were built in. Sorry I don't have more. :dunno: