Reupholster or Replace Old Seats?

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PlexusTJ

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Melbourne, VIC
Hi All,

I have just come into possession of a 2000 Tj Soft Top that's a little worse for wear and has now become my project. The car itself is all original and it doesn't look anything has ever been changed on it outside of the stereo.

One of the big issues I have are the seats are looking very old and are dirty with tears in them and need to be either reupholstered on replaced. The old seats do seem to have some rust around the brackets at the bottom too.

I'm stuck on which way to go, the cost is negligible either way but I notice replace seats (ie. Smittybuilt, BeStop Trailmax) don't have the little pull tab to pull the seats forward like the original.

Anyone have any experience on replacing their seats or have some insight?

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PlexusTJ said:
Hi All,

I have just come into possession of a 2000 Tj Soft Top that's a little worse for wear and has now become my project. The car itself is all original and it doesn't look anything has ever been changed on it outside of the stereo.

One of the big issues I have are the seats are looking very old and are dirty with tears in them and need to be either reupholstered on replaced. The old seats do seem to have some rust around the brackets at the bottom too.

I'm stuck on which way to go, the cost is negligible either way but I notice replace seats (ie. Smittybuilt, BeStop Trailmax) don't have the little pull tab to pull the seats forward like the original.

Anyone have any experience on replacing their seats or have some insight?

View attachment 399368

View attachment 399369

View attachment 399370
Click to expand...

You might watch your local FB Marketplace for some better seats. CalTrend makes some very nice seat covers that don’t break the bank.
 
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I work for an upholstery shop. Your seats look like good enough to be reupholstered if you wanted to keep things original. I have used the Bestop seats before and they are a good option and should be cheaper than reupholstering your original. In my area our cost of materials and labor have gone up drastically in the last few years.
 
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I've been thinking this as well for my 2000 TJ. in addition to old/dirty upholstery, the foam cushions are worn out and don't provide the support I'd like. that is pushing me towards replacement seats rather than reupholstered but still noodling over it.
 
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Recently pondered the same issue and went with the Reupholstering option to keep things original.
The upholstery was slightly faded, but otherwise in decent condition other than the vinyl as you slide into the seat, the carpet style material near the center console and the padding was compressed and damaged. The vinyl was replaced, the carpet material was repaired and the padding was replaced and more added.
I wasn't concerned with restoring the seat, just repairing for longevity and comfort.

IMG-1874.JPG
 
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CharlesHS said:
Recently pondered the same issue and went with the Reupholstering option to keep things original.
The upholstery was slightly faded, but otherwise in decent condition other than the vinyl as you slide into the seat, the carpet style material near the center console and the padding was compressed and damaged. The vinyl was replaced, the carpet material was repaired and the padding was replaced and more added.
I wasn't concerned with restoring the seat, just repairing for longevity and comfort.

View attachment 399384
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Do you know how the cost compared to replacement?
 
JC123 said:
Do you know how the cost compared to replacement?
Click to expand...

I was recommended to this Upholstery shop by a friend restoring a ‘77 IH Scout and thought that with labor and materials in todays market; the $300 I paid was a good price.
Didn’t compare the price difference between reupholster and aftermarket replacement since I wanted to retain the original part.
 
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I’ll have to look, but our guy who does reupholster jobs on furniture is awesome, and he said “go get these they are built to spec and you “put them on” he said the cost to hand make them is way too much.

I looked, and the cost for these was crazy. I’m going to replace my Bestop covers ha.
 
If you get replacement seats, you need to know that most of them, Smittybuilt, BeStop Trailmax, etc, while they say that they fit our TJs, require a seat bracket adapter to do so. I haven't looked lately, but the used to cost $50 or so each, probably more by now.
 
The original poster is from Australia. Not sure there's going to be a pick and pull with TJs abundantly around. Shipping costs may be high as well.

I recently went down this road and had mine re-upholstered. I'm happy with that decision. If my interior was black I may have gone another route but trying to find Camel/Spice seats with a tweed or cloth facing and vinyl sides was tough unless I went to high dollar seats.

Here are mine:
DA189BE9-EE17-4B77-9258-F1B574F8B1A8.JPG
 
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Andy-WhiteTJ said:
The original poster is from Australia. Not sure there's going to be a pick and pull with TJs abundantly around. Shipping costs may be high as well.

I recently went down this road and had mine re-upholstered. I'm happy with that decision. If my interior was black I may have gone another route but trying to find Camel/Spice seats with a tweed or cloth facing and vinyl sides was tough unless I went to high dollar seats.

Here are mine:
View attachment 399389
Click to expand...

Those look sharp. I’ve always loved the look of the early model TJ seats.
 
Personally I'd have them reupholstered by an automotive upholstery shop. Most do outstanding work and can produce a far superior product to most of the aftermarket seats. And I'd bet they would turn out better for less $$$ than two aftermarket seats would.

And two of the brands mentioned above, Bestop and Smittybilt, I'd avoid like the plague. I'm a big Bestop top fan but I installed their seats and I ended up replacing the driver's seat twice under warranty, it just didn't hold up. Especially the foam rubber bolsters, they collapsed on the original Bestop and then again on its replacement. Smittybilt is also just generally a cheaply made seat made in the same place the Bestop seats were made, China.
 
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If it's still comfortable, you might want to just go with seat covers. Caltrends are nice, see this thread: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/caltrend-seat-covers.34753/page-10#post-657084

Bartact are nicer, but more expensive.

I got lucky that the two TJ's I bought, the seats were in great shape. Though since my LJ is only for wheeling, I will eventually replace my seats with something that can use the harnesses. Probably do that when I get a cage. Though if you plan to use harnesses eventually, you may want to go with a replacement seat that can also use the harnesses.
 
It also depends on what you want to wind up with. A quality suspension seat (think Mastercraft, etc, not Smittybilt or Bestop as has been stated) is much more comfortable than the stock seat, and work way better for control off road. The downside is cost, and a higher bolster makes it more difficult for getting in and out.

I run Mastercrafts, and the fold and tumble features still work, but it does take a little effort to make than happen.
 
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My vote is for re-doing them, get something g custom that you like and the stock seats (in good condition) are actually super comfy. Costs about the same as aftermarket or good replacement, at least it did when I had mine done and you can’t beat the results

Sorry for the crumby picture, it’s what I had on the phone
 
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