Rocker Seats added

[NC Tom]

I finally got my rocker style seats installed! This is not a write-up, just thoughts about the process for anyone thinking about adding 90s era rocker seats.

I started with a stock bench. Bracket removal was easy enough. Read many complaints about getting the seat belts through the slots in the bench, but the plastic trim pieces in the slots come apart making it a pretty simple job. No need to remove the belts from the truck. I do recommend taking the back off the bench to help with seat removal from the cab.

Modifying the rocker seats wasn't too bad. A drill and a grinder was all I needed/used. I removed all the rocker components on mine, drilled some new holes, swapped out brackets on the rockers and reinstalled. Took me a weekend. As a non-fabricator, layperson it really wasn't a bad job.

Some complain about the higher seating position. I'm 6'4" (short torso) and have no problems getting in or out with 3-4" of head room. If you are 6' or under, you may actually have more room since your legs don't go forward as much.

 

In short, if I can do it, anyone with a little imagination and common sense can do it. You don't need to buy any overpriced, shade-tree-Joe brackets.

 

[omega_rugal]

i really need a pair of those, the bench is not helping with my back problem.....

[Minuit]

Can you measure the height from somewhere on the seat (doesn't matter where, as long as you say where) to the floor so I can compare it to my "correct" MJ buckets? I'm thinking about trying this myself, but I like the seating position as-is and don't want to make it too much higher. There are varying accounts of how much the rocker mechanism raises the seat, and I for one would like to know from someone who has done it.

 

Also, those are some NICE '88 Laredo plaid seats

[fiatslug87]

The driver seat bottom has a passenger side cover. The little elastic band is to keep the female end of the seat belt in place when you slide the seat forwards and backwards.

[krustyballer16]

This shows the non rocking stock black seat compared to a rocker red seat on the non rocker brackets in an xj... I never really measured but at least 2" taller I'd say (black seat cushions are FLAT so might actually measure 3" here but a good seat cushion would say 2" difference) You can definitely tell when your legs are under the steering wheel...

I'd assume the height difference would be the same in a comanche also. The headroom might differ but the butt cushion part would be the same difference higher I'd think

 

I'll be putting a set of red rocker 4 door xj seats in my MJ eventually. I'll have to cut my reproduction brackets down a bit to make them the right height for me.

 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[NC Tom]

On 8/9/2019 at 6:10 PM, Minuit said:

Can you measure the height from somewhere on the seat (doesn't matter where, as long as you say where) to the floor so I can compare it to my "correct" MJ buckets? I'm thinking about trying this myself, but I like the seating position as-is and don't want to make it too much higher. There are varying accounts of how much the rocker mechanism raises the seat, and I for one would like to know from someone who has done it.

 

Also, those are some NICE '88 Laredo plaid seats

 

Hopes this helps.

 

NOTE: The position of the seat on the mount is totally up to the owner. YOU WILL HAVE TO DRILL HOLES. So, spend some time with the mount in the cab placing the seat where you'll want it mounted.

 

[Pete M]

neat!   can you throw together a writeup for the DIY page?

[NC Tom]

On 8/11/2019 at 1:33 PM, Pete M said:

neat!   can you throw together a writeup for the DIY page?

 

Can't do it, Pete. My plate is full. Sorry.

[schardein]

Interesting.  I've got a set of the rockers in my XJ, and a spare set for the MJ, but after looking at them decided it just wouldn't work.  Guess I need to take another look at it!

[Pete M]

On 9/16/2019 at 11:25 AM, NC Tom said:

 

Can't do it, Pete. My plate is full. Sorry.

 

it's full today.  I totally understand that.  but it might be a bit less so later on.  

[schardein]

I am looking at your pictures and want to clarify something.  Did you remove the rocker part of the seat base to install the seats in your Comanche?

 

If I am looking at the pictures right, I only see the "forward-backward" seat track, and not the "rocking" seat track.  And your comment says "all rocker mechanism removed".

 

If the rocker mechanism is removed, this is a standard bucket seat installation in an MJ.  

 

Am I missing something?

[NC Tom]

On 9/18/2019 at 10:39 AM, schardein said:

I am looking at your pictures and want to clarify something.  Did you remove the rocker part of the seat base to install the seats in your Comanche?

 

If I am looking at the pictures right, I only see the "forward-backward" seat track, and not the "rocking" seat track.  And your comment says "all rocker mechanism removed".

 

If the rocker mechanism is removed, this is a standard bucket seat installation in an MJ.  

 

Am I missing something?

 

Not really. You have to add holes or find some other way to reattach the seat to the sliders. I placed the seat back on the slider in the position I wanted, marked it and drilled new holes to bolt the seat down.

[schardein]

5 hours ago, NC Tom said:

 

Not really. You have to add holes or find some other way to reattach the seat to the sliders. I placed the seat back on the slider in the position I wanted, marked it and drilled new holes to bolt the seat down.

OK, someone correct me if I am wrong, but this is a standard bucket seat install, using correct era bucket seats, and MJ seat bases removed from a bench seat.

 

The XJ/MJ bucket seats (with the rounded bottom frame) are all the same, regardless if they came from a XJ with rocker seat bases.  A caveat to that is MJ/2dr XJ bucket seats have the flip forward feature. (and some differences in upholstery, headrest style, but not in seat frame design)

 

On XJ "rocker" style seat bases, the added "rocker track" on the rocker seat bases make the seat base taller, but that is compensated for by the mounting brackets themselves being correspondingly shorter.

 

Since MJs never had "rocker" type seat bases, there are no shorter brackets available, and adding the rocker track would make the seat sit noticeably, probably uncomfortably, higher.

 

I'm only pointing this out, because I thought this thread was about adding rocker seat bases to an MJ (my mistake).

 

 

[Eagle]

5 hours ago, schardein said:

I'm only pointing this out, because I thought this thread was about adding rocker seat bases to an MJ (my mistake).

 

 

You're not alone. I thought it was going to be about installing rocking chair seats into an MJ, too.

[NC Tom]

On 9/20/2019 at 10:32 PM, schardein said:

 

I'm only pointing this out, because I thought this thread was about adding rocker seat bases to an MJ (my mistake).

 

 

 

Sorry. I understand the confusion now after rereading the topic head. It's been my experience that most folks aren't happy with the height difference with rocker-style seats and, as a result, many MJ owners don't attempt an install. My post was just add to the discussion that you can add the rocker seats without the major height addition by removing all the rocker mechanimeses.