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What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

I just acquired my second '86 245 wagon - the first one sacrificed itself to protect me last week. This one is actually much nicer - cloth seats (I thought I'd need to buy a later year for that), quieter, fewer miles, all around great. (The accident also underscored for me, though I enjoy all the antique Volvos, I'll continue using the 240 series for _most_ of my daily driving).

Anyway, I would like to fit this one with the rear headrests from one of the later years. Here are the questions:

1. Is the '86 seat already set up for headrests?

2. If not, do I need a complete rear seatback frame from a later year?
2a. Can I get away with replacing only the top rail - is the seat bolted together, or is it riveted/welded?
2b. Or can the existing seat reasonably be modified to accept the headrests with full integrity?

3. If I were to buy a worn-out rear seatback with good headrests, is there any reason the existing cover and cushions wouldn't be a simple transplant? (I do have hog ring pliers, and I do know how to get the seat backs in and out).

4. Lastly, what happens with the headrests when you fold the seat down? Do you have to remove the headrests, or do they just fold away? Is it easy to do?

Thanks in advance!

Joel in Tucson
'61 to '86 544, P1800, 122, 1800ES, 164E, 24x








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    What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

    I added rear headrests to my '85 wagon using the seatback from an '89 model. Just out of curiosity, I opened up the hog rings on both seatbacks to compare the differences - the '89 has special metal supports for the head rests, the '85 does not. However, the '89 seatback drops right into the mounts on the older wagons. Just make sure you get the latches for the top of the seat back from the donor car - they're a different design. It looked like you could put your old seat skins on the new backrest.








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      What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

      Thanks - I think that I'll look for one of the later seatbacks. The latches may or may not have been already changed between your '85 and my '86 - many other items were updated in that year - I'll double-check. One of the reasons I selected this '86 was because of the nice cloth seats it has, so I'll definitely need to change out the cover, if not the stuffing.

      Joel








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        What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

        Almost forgot to mention: the sturdy all-steel seatback that's left over makes a great workbench - possibly a bar-b-q grille. And the l/o seat foam makes great padding for working under the car. Good luck w/your project.








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    What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

    The rear seat headrests came standard on all 245s in 1989. They are removable so that you can fold the seat down. You just simply lift them up and out of the hole slots. To put them back on you again just simply slide the metal legs back into the holes. I've read somewhere that you can put rear headrests on the pre-89 wagons. People have done it. However, I believe there might be a safety issue in doing this conversion. If I'm not mistaken, the pre-89 245 rear seats do not really have a support brace within the interior of the backrest. In an accident, such as a rear-end collision, the legs of the headrests could dislodge from their location and angle out toward the passenger's back and thus possibly impaling him or her. I think you could transplant an 89+ 245 backseat to your 86 wagon. I believe the seats are the same shape and size for all the years.








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      What parts needed to add rear headrests to '86 245? 200

      Yes, that "impaling" scenario is exactly what I want to avoid from an incorrect "safety" conversion. Almost as treacherous as adding seat belts to a car that has inadequate reinforcement strength at the anchoring points. I'll be looking for the correct factory seatback and swap out any needed hardware to mate to the car. Thanks.

      By the way, the previous car I had was fitted with a 3rd seat, which I'm debating whether to install my replacement car. But the little metal latches which were added to the top of the passenger seatback, to snap onto the 3rd seat, present a hazard to the 2nd seat passengers' heads in a whiplash situation. Assuming these were installed correctly, I'm surprised that Volvo didn't supply some sort of cushion to cover them. The rear headrests would also take care of this problem.

      Joel







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