Known issues with '86 GT seats

[DucatiRdr]

I have a line on a set of 1986 GT halo seats for $50. The pictures look ok, the driver's seat has a small tear on one of the seams and needs a shampoo. The passenger side looks ok. I asked the seller whether the seat recline mechanism works ok and he is going to get back to me. I haven't seen the seats in person but was wondering if there is anything I should look out for. Are these Recaro seats? Will they work with the OEM seat tracks on my 1988 LX? What is a ballpark cost to get these recovered?

 

[Darkwriter77]

Only issue I have with my '86 GT seats is that the driver's side and sometimes the passenger side seats don't want to quite click all the way back into place after you tilt them forward for rear-seat access. You have to either slam them back a certain way or sit in it and lean back until it goes "CLUNK!" and pops back that last couple of inches. The lever that's supposed to make it where you have to flip the lil' switch at the bottom to release 'em and tilt them forward is apparently FUBAR, since they just swing forward as-is. You can even get the passenger seat to tilt foward if no one's sitting in it and you just stomp on the brakes. Same exact problem I had on my notch seats (which I believe were Saleen seats, actually), and on almost every seat of seats on every GM F-body car I owned. Must be a two-door thing ... although strangely, the seats in my truck out of a 2-door '00 Cavalier have perfectly functional tilt latches, and only cost me $50 for the pair. Go figure.

Other than that ... maybe check to see if the side support adjustment knobs still work on the seats, if so equipped. The adjusters work just dandy in my '86 'vert, and it makes the seat that much more comfy because you can get it to hug the sides of your legs/butt and keep your arse from sliding around in corners and such, whereas the seats in the notch I had didn't seem to have that feature.

 

[Mustang5L5]

They are not recaros.

Other than the covering, they are no different than 87-91 seats other than the headrests. Same seat tracks

 

[DucatiRdr]

They are not recaros.

Other than the covering, they are no different than 87-91 seats other than the headrests. Same seat tracks

Same as the GT seats or LX? They look nothing like my LX seats.

Darkwriter, thanks for the info!

 

[Mustang5L5]

Well '88 LX's had the base model seats which do not have the thigh bolster and pull out thigh supports that the GT seats had.

But technically, the tracks and frames are the same.