Has anyone replaced seat foam?

BobK

TJ Enthusiast
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Apr 11, 2019
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386
Location
Parker, TX
I visited a local upholstery shop to see about having new seat foam installed on my 2003 TJ and the owner told me that I could buy a new seat from Bestop cheaper than he could replace the foam on my seats (driver and passenger). He said that the foam is not removable but bonded to the seat bottom frame and is a nightmare to work on. He really thought Bestop had a better replacement seat. I checked them out and the price of the seat isn't bad, but they seem to required a new frame part that is as expensive as the seat.

1). Has any tried to replace the seat foam?

2). Has any purchased the Bestop seat? How are they? Are they an exact replica for the OEM? Did you have to buy the seat frame part too?

Thanks

Bob
 
There is a DIY thread on a forum someplace about replacing the foam and reupholstering the seats.
It can be done, but far beyond my patience, Id go the Bestop route, I've used them on 2 of my old Wranglers.
They bolted onto the factory seat rails. Nice fabric too.
 
Getting the covers off is a little bit of a project, but I've read a DIY around here someplace, and it can be done. The next issue I have run into is actually finding OEM seat foam for a TJ. I haven't had a whole lot of luck finding those, and if and when I do, they are not cheap. I have my seat cushion patched up a bit now and, fortunately, the seat cover itself is not in bad shape at this point.
 
It's not hard to do at all. Keep an eye on Craigslist and buy a used passenger seat that's in better condition than your blown out driver seat. Take the cover off to expose the foam, it'll be held on with some hog ring type clips probably. When using the passenger side foam on the driver side you just need to compare them side to side and make a few cuts for things that change sides.

The upholstery guy that told you to buy a bestop seat instead doesn't want to do the work because he's a pro and his hourly rate will make it cost too much, but it's a good DIY project if you have the time.
 
Plus doing it yourself allows you to beef up areas, etc to your liking. Had a friend do that to his Toyota (he's a big boy) and was happy sliding a few extra pieces of foam in different areas.
 
I visited a local upholstery shop to see about having new seat foam installed on my 2003 TJ and the owner told me that I could buy a new seat from Bestop cheaper than he could replace the foam on my seats (driver and passenger). He said that the foam is not removable but bonded to the seat bottom frame and is a nightmare to work on. He really thought Bestop had a better replacement seat. I checked them out and the price of the seat isn't bad, but they seem to required a new frame part that is as expensive as the seat.

1). Has any tried to replace the seat foam?

2). Has any purchased the Bestop seat? How are they? Are they an exact replica for the OEM? Did you have to buy the seat frame part too?

Thanks

Bob

This store has the OEM right cushion, but not left. Part numbers are 5093574AA and 5093575AA.

https://store.mopar.com/2005-jeep-w..._seat_components-seat_cushion_5093574AA-item/
 
Do the Bestop seats have the latch at the top near the headrest to fold the seat forward?
 
The driver's side seat in my Sahara had worn out on the door side from the PO sliding in and out. I found a mint passenger seat and swapped the foam from it into the driver's seat bottom. It was a pain getting the cover off, but it can be done.
 
D860F83B-BC8B-4949-BD92-BA2567FAD84F.jpeg
 
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These are the seats I got. Getting the three seats redone locally was going to cost me $1500, these cost $800. They are firm and sit great. The flip and fold part works on mine because I drilled and tapped a 7/8" collar and put a 4", 1/4' -20 bolt in the collar. The bar that is usually operated by the cable assembly is 7/8' diameter which the collar fits on and lets you reach easily under the seat and release the flip and fold. Ill see if I can get a pic for a better explanation.
 
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I didn't do new foam but I did replace some broken wires on the bottom underneath with similar sized bailing wire. Made a big difference from sinking down into the chair to sitting up higher where I was supposed to be.

Cost $5
 
On other vehicles, I have also slid a sheet of those "flexible cutting mats" (like cutting boards used in the kitchen) in between the springs and the seat foam. This helps to prevent the spring from cutting into the foam.
 
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The foam in our '03 seats was toast but the upholstery was still good. I went to a few local shops to get pricing for new foam and to add the heated pads (which I already had), then reinstall the original covers.
They wanted $350. Not bad compared to the cost of decent aftermarket seats.
Being not only cheap but fairly mechanically inclined, instead I picked up a pair of JK seats for $200 and made them fit. Not difficult, but time consuming.
I should have paid more attention and gotten a pair from a 2-door, as these do not fold forward as much as the originals did, making rear seat entry a challenge for all but the thin and young.
I was able to make the recline lever also function the fore-aft position with a bit of rework on the cable placement; again, not difficult, just time consuming,
My initial attempt to make the flip-forward function work with the new seats was a bust when the cable routing got tangled and pinched in the slider mechanism.
I'll figure that out another day. For now, reaching under the seat and rolling the crossbar to engage the flip is good enough.
 
Looks good. My seat foam is also gone but I absolutely do not want to lose the stock seats. Covers are in GREAT shape. Driver seat is a home depot bucket now, passenger seat isn't bad but also showing foam wear.