Safari Seating Mod

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
02/12/2018 at 09:01 • Filed to: None

I’ve driven my ‘97 GMC Safari from the Pacific to the Atlantic and back three times and it’s always been a comfort issue that I can’t slide the seat back as far as I’d like. No longer a problem. (The seats are from an ‘05.) The seat now goes back about 2-1/8" further and that makes a massive difference. Passenger side is next. I have to drive about 4,000 miles this spring and summer.

DISCUSSION (18)

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 09:04

adding infinite legroom

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Nibby
02/12/2018 at 09:10

I was initially only aiming for about 1-1/2", but the hardware store had 3-inch stock so I went all the way. In practice, I’ll probably not ever slide it all the way back. And as for adding legroom, it’s only at the expense of the passengers in the middle row.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 09:11

Crafty!

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
02/12/2018 at 09:24

Dude: I did some heavy thinking on that. I wanted it to still be safe. And it’s tidy. I’ll be able to do good work on Rusty when I get around to it.

I need to just put Rusty on the road and start driving it around. The brakes work and it starts and runs dependably. The two glaring issues are that the electrical system is disconnected and unknown and the all workings and functions in the two front doors are completely knackered. The passenger door won’t even open from the inside. And seat belts...

I saw a pair of seats at the swap meet that had SS on them that had the seat belts as part of the seats. $500 they were asking but I bet I could have gotten them for less than that.

And if the tags were active, I could park it on the street...

My eldest daughter is getting married in April in Idaho, with an additional reception here in California in May and her commencement is in Idaho in July. And we’re driving the Safari to Idaho for the wedding. So the Safari gets all my attention right now. But I started Rusty this weekend and moved it over in the driveway and that was very satisfying.

Regarding wheels for Rusty: you knew I had the rally wheels, right? Since the stock rim for that van would be white with dog dishes, I am going to try painting my rims white as well, using the GM universal white that would have been the stock wheel color in the day.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 09:26

You need extra leg room in a Bigly van? How tall are you?

Nibby > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 09:29

They don’t need legroom.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
02/12/2018 at 09:43

Bigly van but the seat doesn’t go back very far. And there’s the top of the front wheel well...

To your question: 5'8".

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 10:30

It makes sense to give the vehicle you’ll be driving the most your first attention. It’s true though, the best way to start getting Rusty sorted, is to start driving it. That’s how you’ll really find and fix all the gremlins. I didn’t know you bought rally wheels, but I think they’ll look killer in white on Rusty!

As for Rusty’s seats, you’ll definitely want an upgrade for a cross country trip. They wouldn’t have the right look, but the stock cloth manually adjustable seats from the final gen Grand Prix were gloriously comfortable.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 10:32

In case you missed it . Avert Rusty’s eyes :)

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
02/12/2018 at 10:35

I’m not worried about period correct for the seats. I’m worried about my 50-something body being comfortable. The best seats inever sat in were in a Honda Ridgeline.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 10:45

I’ve never sat in a Ridgeline, but if you find some cloth Grand Prix buckets in the boneyard, they’re worth considering. I rented several of them back when they were new, and always looked forward to sitting down in them.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 11:26

I forgot to mention this. Last week I was “building” a new Chevy van with the 2.8 diesel (I’m toying with the idea of getting one of these for a road trip machine in a few years). I noticed a great option. For $25, you can get the wheels painted white from the factory.

Kinja won’t let me load pictures from my school computer.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
02/12/2018 at 12:54

Prob’ly not Kinja, but a network restriction by your district. I have the same issue. Whenever I need to upload a photo, I tether to my smart phone.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 13:03

Probably.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > shop-teacher
02/12/2018 at 13:20

2.8 diesel? I think diesel is bad news on a variety of levels, and I used to be a believer.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 14:53

Why is that? I like the idea of getting high 20's per gallon, instead of maybe 15 with a 6.0 gas engine.

MINIGTI > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/12/2018 at 19:42

I find the legroom lacking in many bigly vehicles actually. I’m only 6’2 and can just barely get comfortable in my Bos’s Yukon.

His wife’s 98 Lincoln continental had truly appalling legroom (my knees hit the dash with the seat all the way back)

Have to stick to small cars, my MINI has gobs of leg and head room.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MINIGTI
02/12/2018 at 23:15

You’d have plenty of legroom in my Safari now.