Comanche bench seat in XJ

[airman401]

Has anyone done this? I have the brackets off the xj bucket seats.

Any advise would be awesome

 

[scoobyxj]

I'm not in the know on Comanche stuff, but I'm pretty sure the to the floor mounting locations are different. Not to say you couldn't make an adapter to allow the Comanche seat to bolt to the XJ brackets. I do know Comanches have a foot activated parking brake. Not sure how the cable is routed though...

 

[Draven1474]

This is very possible, back in the day I owned a Comanche and I put xj seat in place of the bench. All you have to do is drill out the rivets and spot welds on the seat brackets and bolt/weld them onto the rails, so im sure is would be kind of the same for you as for the foot parking brake, im not if any one has done it but with some fab skills I'd bet money it could be done. heres some threads http://www.virtualjeepclub.com/archive/index.php/t-11126.html
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=79196&highlight=bench+seat+swap
just a quick google search

 

[Matthew Currie]

There were (rare) XJ's using a bench seat. Quite some time ago I saw a 95 in this form, which might have been a special order of a police or fleet model, though it bore no sign of police career. It had no cutout for a console, no console at all, and a column shifter. I don't recall what it did for a brake, but it must have been under the dash. It was extra-plain, with rubber mats. I don't know whether it used Comanche parts, but I'd guess it did. If I haven't lost the pertinent parts, I'll check my 95 FSM later and see if there is any reference. IN any case, the idea is certainly possible.

 

[ParadiseXJ]

There are only two differences in the configuration.

1. You'd need a mini console from an MJ for the shifter, to keep it looking stock (you might get away with a mini console from a TJ or YJ..) or just get a couple of big rubber accordian type shifter bezels for the shifter and the T-Case shifter) or you could actually cut & modify the full size console, but you'd lose the "storage"

2. The topography of the XJ floor and the MJ floor under the seats is quite different, so in this case you'd nee XJ seat brackets (pre 95) to bolt to the bottom of the bench seat. If you do it that way they'll bolt right to the floor and right to the seat bottom.

So are you interested in doing this so your girlfriend/wife can sit up next to you? Or you actually LIKE this look? FWIW, the bench seat sucks for wheeling, you'll slide all over it AND the bench seat is weak, weak, weak. I only weigh 185# and mine (in my MJ) was butt sprung, early on.

:gee:

 

[airman401]

I just like bench seats. What do I need to remove off the xj brackets?

 

[ParadiseXJ]

Turn the seats over, There are brackets attached to the bottom of the seats. where the bolts are in this picture:



there are rivets with fat heads about the diameter of a dime. Grind or drill those off, transfer the brackets to the new seats and replace the rivets with bolts...like seen here.

Once you flip the seat over it becomes self explanatory, sorta. Contrary to what some may tell you you only need one bracket per side (one on the passenger side and one on the driver side) make sure the wire/cable that attaches the sides is intact and working. So the XJ brackets go on the MJ seats...and then the floor holes in the XJ will line right up...bolt 'er in.

P.S. Use lots of PB on the bolts/studs. If you don't break any bolts...you're lucky. Replace the nuts with stainless steel nuts and plenty of anti seize, you'll thank yourself if you ever have to remove them

 

[airman401]

Awesome answer. Thanks

 

[airman401]

Done and done!

 

[mcnamaag]

Looks like it was already done in the first pic.

 

[Miller88]

Nice!

If I owned a "first" generation XJ, I would do a comanche column shift swap and bench seat in an instant!

 

[airman401]

Re: Re: Comanche bench seat in XJ

Looks like it was already done in the first pic.

It was just resting there in the first pic to see how it would look

 

[mcnamaag]

Where is your e-brake? Is that console out of the MJ?

 

[mcnamaag]

Or did you just leave it out?

 

[airman401]

Re: Re: Comanche bench seat in XJ

Where is your e-brake? Is that console out of the MJ?

I took it out and welded up the floors.