WRITE UP: How to convert stock 5th gen seats into BUCKET seats! - Honda Prelude Forum

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 01:10 AM

Don't you wish your stock 5th gen seat was more supportive?
Tired of sliding around in your seat in the turns?
You could get a racing seat for lots of $$$..... or you could covert your stock 5th gen seat into Bucket Seats for FREE!!

The following write up will tell you how to make stock 5th gen seats more supportive both in the bottom and back area.

PLUS, one of the best thing about this mod is to help tall people like me fit inside the car without tilting the head to the side through the sunroof!

After doing this mod, I can sit normally and WOOW does it feel good not having a neck ache after a long drive.

Warning: This mod is NOT reversible. Once you do this mod, you're pretty much stuck with it. However, honestly.... after doing this, I can't image going back to what it was like stock.

*** OVERVIEW ***

The goal of this mod is to cut out the foam pieces in the seat to let the body sink into the seat. Thus, allowing the side cushions to offer greater support to the back, leg, and bottom.

The area boxed in red will be cut out to drop the body down into the seat.

*** STEP ONE ***

Remove the seat from the car.
There are four bolts holding it to the body.
(I found removing the head rest made it a little easier)
Make sure to disconnect the seat belt warning wire harness before taking the seat out of the car.

Turn the seat upside down and diconnect the clips holding the wire harness in place.

*** STEP TWO ***

Remove the two screws indicated by red arrows in the picture below.

*** STEP THREE ***

Pull on the adjustment handle HARD in the direction of the arrow to remove it.

*** STEP FOUR ***

Now it's time to remove the adjusting wheel. This is a little tricky since it's held on by a clip deep inside the seat cushions.

Lift up the plastic trim and stick a long flat head screw driver under it. Find the clip and knock it off the wheel.

*** STEP FIVE ***

Once the adjusting wheel is removed, the entire plastic trim can be taken off the seat.
This will expose the metal frame.
Remove the two bolts indicated by the two arrows in the picture below

*** STEP SIX ***

Flip the seat over and remove two more bolts.

Once those are removed, the bottom cushion can be taken off the metal frame.

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 01:10 AM

*** STEP SEVEN ***

Turn the bottom cushion upside down.
The white clips circled in red must be removed.

Cut off the metal ring to remove the clip

*** STEP EIGHT ***

Pull back the cloth cover and flip it upside as shown.

Carefully take note of where the bottom and legs sits in the seat. With a perminate marker, draw a line of what should be removed from the cushion.
With a sharp saw, cut out the foam.
NOTE: The more that is cut, the lower the body will sink into the seat. However, if too much foam is removed, the driver will more likely feel the springs and can be uncomfortable for long trips.

I left about an inch of foam left on the seat. The rest was removed.

I used a PULL SAW and it worked really well. It's a flush cutting saw using to cut off dowels. I found it useful since the saw blade was flexable and the pulling action was easier to control than a push motion.
I have heard people using electric turkey cutting knives for the task as well.

NOTE: Be careful of the center of the cushion. There is a metal bar attached to the cloth cover.
Cut over the metal bar because it will be reused when putting everything back together.

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 01:11 AM

*** STEP NINE ***

That pretty much does it for the bottom cushion.
It's time to work on the top portion.

Flip to top half over and look at the bottom edge.

Pull back on the edge to unclip it loose.

Then, pull open the zipper.

*** STEP TEN ***

Once the bottom half of the cloth cover is opened, start to pull the cover up.

The middle section of the cloth is held in place by springs.
From the back end, unclip the springs. Do not cut them because they will be reused when putting everything back together.

Pull the cover off the seat.

AHHH....it looks naked

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 01:11 AM

*** STEP ELEVEN ***

Just like the bottom cushion, cut off the foam from the middle part of the seat.

*** STEP TWELVE ***

Once all the foam is cut out, slip the cloth cover back over the foam.
Reattach the springs that holds the cloth cover tight against the cushion.
Pull zipper down and reattach the bottom clip.

Next, put the bottom cushion back together.
Pull to the cloth cover back over the foam and reattach the numerous clips.

Recall the metal bar across the middle section of the cushion. Before, it was molded into the foam and was held in place there.

Since all the foam was cut away from the bar, it has to be tied down.
I use zipped ties to hold it in place.
NOTE: Do not tighten the zip ties too much because it will make the cloth cover look sloppy.

Recall the metal rings that was holding the clips in place.

To reattach the clips, zipties can be used in place of the metal clips that were cut off.

Finish everything off to putting the bottom cushion back on the metal frame and bolting down.

To reinstall the adjusting wheel, place the clip on the plastic wheel. Then reinstall the wheel back on the shaft. The clip will snap in place once the wheel is fully pushed down.
Reinstall the adjusting handle by pushing it back on to the metal rod.
This is what the seat will look like when everything is done.

Sure it doesn't look like much, but the magic is when it's sat in.
Bolt the seat back on the car.
Don't forget to reattach the seat belt wiring harness.

Some final words:

I got this idea from a few tips from the Miata owners.
My friend and I did the same mod to his Miata and it gave fantastic results.
The same was done to my friend's Civic 92 hatch seats.

After doing this to my Prelude, I wonder why I didn't do this ages ago.
I have tons of support and feel like the seat is huging me.
I found myself being able to control the car better since I do not have to struggle to hold my body in the seat.

Usually, I find myself using my arms to support myself. Unfortunately, this stiffens up my arms and I cannot steer as smoothly. NOW, since the seat is much more supportive, I can relax my arms and steer much more relaxed and smoothly.

Lastly, I gain some MUCH NEEDED headroom. I no longer have to tilt my head to the side into the sunroof.
I can sit straight and normally.
Heck, I can probably wear a helmet now.

Sometimes I jump into the un-modded passenger seat to remind myself of what it was like stock and wonder how I ever was able to live with that.

There only a few draw backs to the mod.
Firstly, it's a little harder to get in and out of the car. I pretty much fall into the seat when I'm getting into the car.

Secondly, I can feel my thick wallet in my rear pocket.
Sometimes, I can feel the seat springs when I hit a bump on the road. It's not too bad, but it is noticeable. I guess I need a bigger butt. HAHA!!

Thirdly, everything must be adjusted. It's like getting into a new car.
So, it took me a few days to get use to everything. Mirrors, steering wheel, and shifting motion all had to be adjusted.
And usually my left elbow is straight when I have it lending out the window. Now it's tilted upwards as if I'm sitting in a S2000.... which I guess is cool.

Overall ---- it's a GREAT MOD!!
And it's FREEEEEEE

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 01:24 AM

I'm sure this can be done to leather seats as well, but I'm not really sure since I have never taken apart a leather seat before.

po0p · 11-01-2004, 02:15 AM

wow that's a lot of work. Great job at taking pics and posting the write-up. I'm sure some of the guys here will try this.

To add to it:

I tried making my own foam inserts today for my bride bucket seat. I used cheap memory foam from costco. That **** sucked because it was too soft, compressed too easily so i went back to the thin bride foam(i'll think about investing in some higher ILD latex foam later). However, imo it would work perfect in your case, if you cut out all that foam in the center, and then replaced the missing sections with matching cutouts of memory foam and then zipped it up, It would make a very comfy seat! yes?

Also, that mod would be a great time to try putting in aftermarket lumbar bladders into the stock seats. (sparco pump style)

h22 bb6 · 11-01-2004, 07:11 AM

Nice write-up. A nice, cheap alternative to aftermarket seats!

Daemione · 11-01-2004, 08:14 AM

That's really cool . . . . how much material did you end up removing on the bottom cushion? i.e. how much lower does the cushion sit?

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 08:40 AM

I really didn't measure how much I actually cut off, but I sit about an inch lower into the seat. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it does make a difference. You can kinda see how much I cut off from the extra material laying around in the pictures.

poOp -- yes, you make a very good point.
I know a place that is called "House of Foam" and they sell all sorts of foam....from really hard to extremely soft in all difference sizes.
I think you're right about the "memory foam". That stuff is just too soft.

Jon Like Wh0a · 11-01-2004, 11:01 AM

haha cool writeup

NiMaDiFoB · 11-01-2004, 01:06 PM

dude, ur crazy

SuperFleaJQ · 11-01-2004, 07:56 PM

Hehe, the opposite of what I've done to my seats...I put MORE padding in there (for lumbar support and to make the side bolsters a bit more snug against me...

...then again, I'm only 5'4" ...so, I prefer a bit more padding over less

B0b · 11-01-2004, 08:02 PM

natcc is king..

that is a little crazy, but I have a seat sitting here thats bent so I could experiment with the cushions LOL

natcc99 · 11-01-2004, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B0b

natcc is king..

THANKS

yeah, i'm almost 6 feet, so the little extra room helped me out.

checkmate58 · 11-02-2004, 12:24 AM

How about a write-up about "How to mount a machine gun in your car grill" and then a follow-up with "activating machine gun with remote control!" Then you will be King!!!!! Great write up though.

--Sam

po0p · 11-02-2004, 01:26 AM

^ i'd be down for that but meybe instead of something lethal like a machine gun, perhaps a paintball gun would be fun hehe

natcc99 · 11-02-2004, 08:01 AM

how do you know i don't already have something like that?
i'm not telling you guys all my secrets.

muuuhahaaaa

Joon525 · 11-02-2004, 10:09 AM

Nice job.
I'd give this a shot before buying aftermarket seats (which are somtimes heavy like the Torinos <--very heavy).

shik0me · 11-02-2004, 10:17 AM

VERY impressive. I give you lots of credit for doing all that disassembly to the seats without knowing exactly what to do. king of writeups indeed

natcc99 · 11-02-2004, 12:11 PM

Thanks!

but i knew what I was doing. My buddy and I have done this to one Miata seat and two Civic seats with a lot of success.
I've been meaning to do it to the Prelude, but just didn't have time.

I was surprised how much easier it was to take apart the Prelude seat than the Miata seat. Miata seats have a lot of metal rings that had to be cut off and replaced. The Prelude only had two. Everything else was clipped on. Great craftmanship by Honda.

Especially when it came to the springs that held the fabric in place. Since there is less foam behind the fabric, I was afraid the cover would look sloppy.... however, since the springs were there, they held the fabric tight and you can't even tell foam was cut out.... until you sit in it.

I know I'm not the first do such a mod since I got the idea from Miata.net