Power seat track swap

General talk about the Subaru Baja.

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mechanic80
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:01 am

Power seat track swap

Post by mechanic80 »

So here's the issue. I see power seats for the Baja demonstrated on youtube and the seat cushion appears to be very separate from the seat back cushion, moving independantly up/down front or rear while the back cushion is stationary. Question: can the manual seat be attached to the power seat track and work properly?
ZUBAJA
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 276
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:38 pm

Re: Power seat track swap

Post by ZUBAJA »

Here's my experience: I had the stock vinyl "Baja" interior. My driver seat had a couple of splits on the bottom. I really didn't care for the vinyl, and I also felt it was giving the car a "plastic" smell (it was). I was in a boneyard buying parts for another Subie (we have 4), and I saw a Legacy (IIRC?) that had the gray velour / plush seats and they were super nice. They were having a 40% off sale, so the seats came home with me. I also stripped the covers off the rear seat for the material. The Legacy did not have power seats.
While trying to swap tracks, I found this isn't possible. What I ended up doing was to disassemble the seats, remove the cover from the top half, and the cushion from the base, and swapped everything around. I now have nice velour seats that I find much more comfortable for driving.
For the rear seat, I got the seat base from an Outback, which is basically the same base as a Baja. I got an extra "skin" from the outback, and i have disassembled the stock Baja vinyl rear seat back and will have a custom cover made from the skins I have collected. I may have to get one more skin to complete the package.
A lot of the seat disassembly is learn as you go, and not complicated. You will have to cut a couple of the "hog rings" that hold the base to the frame, but you can use cable ties to reattach it or save the original hog rings by twisting them. Dennis
mechanic80
Scoobytruck Contributer
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2019 11:01 am

Re: Power seat track swap

Post by mechanic80 »

As I suspected... thanks, that's a very usefull post.
ZUBAJA
Scoobytruck Master
Posts: 276
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:38 pm

Re: Power seat track swap

Post by ZUBAJA »

We learn, we share, we help each other. :D Dennis
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