Do series 2 & 3 seats fit without issue in early xj6?
Has anyone used any alternative seats from other cars with good success?
Iâm pretty sure they do, but S2 ones are pretty much the same, so not an upgrade as such. Some, possibly all, S3 seats have electric adjustment, which may present problems, but I think the mounts are the same , so should bolt straight in.
Yes, S2 and S3 drop right in, no changes required. I have 1996 XJR (X300) seats in my S1, but that required a lot of changes to get the front seats in place. The rear seats fit with almost no mods.
XJ40 seats can also be made to fit. If you want the tablesâŚ
VdP Series rear seats are a bit too wide for the rear door cards? I canât remember. S3 seats with height adjustment should fit but it doesnât do much.
I have a vague recollection of the height adjustment part making them too high? Not a great loss either way though, it was more of a âfeature you could pay extra forâ than an actual benefit.
S3 seats have lumbar adjustment, which can make a difference.
It does make a huge difference. The height adjustment however doesnât. Isnât it a bolt on that can be removed anyways?
One issue I would have is rear legroom; the S1 seets are not as deep (and yet no less comfortable apart from the lumbar adjustment).
Thank you guys for your help much appreciated
Hi, sorry for my late reply
As I am rather tall, I have installed Series 3 front seats as they are significantly higher and have a solid headrest.
Perfect seating, although I have to say that the original seats were comfortable too.
Disadvantage: The Series 3 seats steal a little bit of the SWB legroom.
Maybe early XJ-S seats could be an alternative - they are thin AND comfortable.
Back height and headrest are the same as series 1?
They are deeper and might sit higher. The lumbar adjustment is nice, the added depth isnât.
I would guess that the backrest is 5-6 cm higher than the originals.
I thought they both ended at the bottom of the windows but if you say so!
Although, if these are seats with the height adjustment, the motor and mechanism would add those 5-6 cm
I like your seatbelts. If you donât mind, could you tell me how you mounted them? I have a similar arrangement.
My Jag is still in hibernation, but I will make some pictures about seat belts and measure the differences.
Remarks: I have lowered the seat rails, and there is nothing left from height adjustment mechanism - at least my bottom frame is similar to Series 1. so finally, I am sitting lower, and although Sir Williamâs âwindow lineâ law is followed, my shoulders are covered better.
Thank you very much!
Mine is not in hibernation, yesterday I washed the salt off because the sun shone and in the evening it was covered in snow and arrived, dirty and wet. Oh well.
Iâll just add a bit of my own experience, because Iâve played with this issue quite a bit.
As mentioned, S3 front seats bolt in but there is more intrusion into the rear floor. You canât use the seat up/down motor if youâre tall at all; but if you add it then the top of the seatbacks will be elevated as noted. The rear S3 standard seats fit perfectly but the seat cushion may intrude a bit forward into the footwell. The rear S3 VDP seats definitely invade the footwell, and also bump the door handle because they are wider. They would probably do the same on standard S3s, but the VDP door treatment makes room for the seat.
After several years with S3 seats in my 71 and 73 Series 1s, I put XJ40 seats in my 73, which are still in place. These are VDP because my daughters wanted picnic tables in the rear. Tables still there, daughters grown up. To fit these (and later I believe) seats with their power bases one must cut down the âcross memberâ at the front of the seat. I didnât do this, so couldnât use the power bases. I did use the power seatback tilt, though. I also swapped out the S3 VDP rear seat bottom for an XJ40 VDP version. Same problem with the door handles; however I fit S3 VDP door panels, and the handle clears the wide seat. Like S3, the XJ40 seat eats legroom (extends farther forward). The XJ40 seat back is wider than the S3 at the bottom. Folks have modified it, but the S3 VDP back matches the XJ40 VDP cushion, so I kept it. Both S3 and XJ40 VDP rear seat backs accept 2 headrests. The XJ40 are nicer IMO so I fitted them to my S3 seat back. I also added little handles to the picnic tablesâsame handle as on the S1 glovebox lid, and also the same as on earlier versions of picnic tables. Sorta makes the tables look more period correct IMO.
Were I to do it over (I suppose I could), I would probably cut down/strengthen the cross piece under the front of the front seats, and then be able to fit XJ40/X300 front seats including their power bases. Sorry to be a bit long winded.
Be aware that X300 seats are an entirely different proposition. I fit a pair of 96 XJR seats in my S1 back in 1999 and looking back, it wasnât advisable. After much pondering and cutting, they are basically bolted to the floor. The rear seats fit better, just requiring some mods to the top corners of the seat backs.