Can anyone advise what I can do to solve my driver seat problem? I have a 99 Cherokee XJ.... the driver seat has broken twice(welds inside seat frame) I am a big guy 6'2" & 300+ lbs.... that being said I have some trouble getting in and out of the cab and once inside I sit about a half inch from the ceiling..... what can I do to lower the seat and give myself some headroom and not feel like Donkey Kong driving my XJ? All ideas welcomed!

 

corbeau seats makes some wide racing seats,As far as the head room with out a welder and some mods your kinda on your own.Or what about replacing the xj with a wj or something a little bigger ?

 

You could swap in some grand cherokee seats, they are a little bigger but I can't attest to how much stronger they are.

Otherwise there is a ton of aftermarket. Corbeau, Mastercraft, etc. If you can weld it will make your life easier, you can make brackets to get just about any seat to fit.

 

I would caution against this. I have WJ leather seats in my XJ and they sit significantly higher than stock.

 

X2 on this.

 

since i got the overland seats, i had to make brackets to adjust the position of the seat. even in the furthest setting i was way too close to the steering wheel (and i'm not big, only tall) long story short the 1/4 thick steel i used to make the offset holes bracket made the seat sit even higher. i'm 6'3 and have about an inch left. but boy is it comfortable!

 

I have a 99 also and my being 6'5"/355# do not have any issues with the stock seats. But I do recline the seat for head room and a hat is out of the question. I would suggest you buy another stock seat an undamaged one and if needed replace the seat covers with yours. Mine has held up for a number of yrs. now. If you have your old seat in the same place you might want to reinforce that area with a welded plate of something.


As for getting into your XJ I found out early on (mine has always has a lift of at least 3") that I had to place my head and shoulders into the cab first then slide onto the seat. Even when wearing a sidearm I have no problems getting in this way

 

I'm also a big guy, and the XJ seats are poorly made to begin with. I originally just welded the seat buckets and reinforced them, and that lasted for a bit, but then the cushions started to bite it. Instead of replacing with a donor, I had an opportunity to grab the bucket seats from my nieces Hyundai Tiburon. Cost=FREE. So what the hell.

I am SO happy with this choice. Yes, it did take some fab skills to make work, but pretty simple. The thing I like about them is they sink your tookis, and raise your knees. Just better geometry. Plus now I have adjustable headrests, full reclining seats, and they hug you like no tomorrow.

I used to start feeling uncomfortable after a couple of hours in the stockers...I recently did a trip to Death Valley, and was in the Jeep from 5am until 9pm at night...didn't start feeling it until the last 45 minutes or so. HUGE improvement.

A couple of pics:









Basically if you have a welder, a tape measure, and a chopsaw/cutting apparatus, you can do this easily. I used some 2" flat stock, made a frame, added mounting tabs, and bolted it together. There isn't really a step by step for this, you just gotta get in there and measure it out, cut, build, and install. Hope this helps.

 

I just finished swapping one of my seats tonight. If you can weld (or have a buddy who can weld) it really opens a lot of possibilities. Your swap will be even easier than mine. I have a 94 so it limits the width of the bracket and dictates the height of the seat to clear the transmission tunnel. (Your floor pan will be like Roni's above)

This seat is out of a 2008 Ford Fusion. The base is larger, the back is wider and it sits the same height as the factory seat. Im only 5"11, if I were taller it would have been very easy to drop the seat another inch or so.

Theres more pics I just posted of the swap in my build thread that is linked in my signature.

(Don't mind the messy interior, the jeep is torn down in my garage and covered in grinding dust.)



Picture of the base that bolts onto the stock frame. Made out of 3/16 channel iron which is considerably stronger than the factory bracket and distributes the load.

 

LMAO...your interior is immaculate compared to mine, LOL...dogs, fluid spills, dirt, mud, dust...I have steam cleaned it many, many times...I'm done.

Next step will be to rip it all out and bedline it. Problem solved.

 

It is a jeep after all. Lol. I pretty much just parked it in the garage last month to tear it down after going on a recovery trip to get my buddies blazer out of the mud. After pressure washing the exterior of course.

There was mud in places I don't even care to address.

I dig those hyundai seats, part of me wishes I got something with a little more bolster, but free is free.

 

Oh I'm liken those.
What year Tiburon did those come out of?

I assume those seat fold forward to get to the rear seat.
I have a 2 door xj

 

2005. And yes they fold forward too. Can't be beat for free.

 

 

Roni I like those seats and they fit well in the area open, very cool. How much headroom and knee room did you achieve with them and do you think that you maxed them out with your mount?


After 4-6 hrs. depending on the day my knees hurt from being bent and hitting the console on rough trails a lot.