The seat hurts my back and been thinking of replacing it with a leather seat. The current one is cloth.

Has anyone changed out the seat with a 740 or any other model? If there is a model that will fit any recommendations? Thanks much in advance.

Max

volvo 240 DL sedan

Max, e-mail me via the mail link. I've got what you need.
DS

Search the archives. 940 seats maybe a direct fit. I can't remember. You can also modify the seat rails so other models will work. Some BBer's have done that.

I rebuilt the seat in my 90 and it made a difference since it too hurt my back.

An easier option would be to install a passenger seat. A passenger seat with good foam and fabric will be much easier to find than a driver's seat. Downside is that the controls will be on the inside of the seat.

No other model Volvo seats are a direct fit except for the 260 series which is the same body (they have leather). I personnally prefer cloth--no slipping around--not hot in the summer or cold in the winter.
There was a suggestion about using a (the) passenger seat -- that will work. I have a pair of leather 850 Turbo seats for sale that are a perfect example of driver vs passenger seats--drivers distinctly not as good as the unworn passenger seat.
I will point out that poster David Samuels markets seat rebuilding materials--probably worth checking out. -- Dave

I bought a 240 once that smelled like a cigar. I pulled the cloth seat covers off to wash them. While they were off, I removed the seat heaters, reconnected all the springs, repaired the broken wire on the lumbar support, and built up the lumbar support with a thin piece of plywood and some foam rubber.

I also arrested the foam crumbling onto the carpet beneath the seat by attaching some old denim to the foam seat bottom with 3M spray adhesive. That protected the foam from the springs that were chewing into it.

Big improvement.

Thanks all who responded. It really helps reading all of your suggestions. The cloth seat I have now is in good shape, just bothers my back a bit. I'm gonna look into rebuilding it or possibly leather seats. Thanks so much!

Amy more recommendations please keep them coming.

I can attest to the rebuilding making an enormous difference. The seat grid is likely broken allowing the corner springs to come off. On mine only two of the seat back springs were still in place and the lumber wires were broken.

A handful of springs from the junk yard, some old fabric, 3M spray adhesive, zip-ties to replace the hog rings and and about 4 hours of leisurely work made my seat almost back to new. In my case the foam was actually fine but I got a passenger seat bottom foam from the junk yard just in case.

I bought a 240 once that smelled like a cigar. I pulled the cloth seat covers off to wash them. While they were off, I removed the seat heaters, reconnected all the springs, repaired the broken wire on the lumbar support, and built up the lumbar support with a thin piece of plywood and some foam rubber.

I also arrested the foam crumbling onto the carpet beneath the seat by attaching some old denim to the foam seat bottom with 3M spray adhesive. That protected the foam from the springs that were chewing into it.

Big improvement.

Max, the 240 seats are well known and respected for being some of the best ever manufactured. You should definitely consider rebuilding.

DS

Hi Max

Maybe you can consider rebuilding your seat. Check out Tony's page on how to rebuild your seat. It shows step by step how to fix your lumbar support adjuster and add extra support.

http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/seat_back.htm

I agree. Opinions vary little about how comfortable 240 seats are when they are not worn out. And there have not been any good reports of success swapping seats in from other models.

The later year 240's seem to have a weaker seat back frame. I've read stories about how they are bent and sometimes broken. Not sure, but I believe '86 was the year of change.

You may want to look for a set of leather chairs in good shape before beginning a rebuild. I thought they were getting really hard to find, but I saw a superb example, just a few weeks ago (mtd240). Nice leather still exists.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree.

I am flattered that Art would mention my seats - but they are starting to rip at a few of the seams. Bummer. Need to find a way to keep the driver's seat together!

I've been pondering getting some nice, oem-sized replacement front seat covers made in Vietnam, though have been thinking that it needs to be a bulk order to truly be economical. Perhaps this is something I need to coordinate with DS...