My 89 745T driver's seat was getting really uncomfortable due to the seat bottom. Also the leather was cracking. After all, it had been sat on for about 180,000 miles over the last 12 years. The passenger side bottom was in excellent shape and was still very supportive. It probably had not been sat on 1/10 as much.

The bottoms can be easily swapped with the seats in place. You unscrew the seat pockets on the door side, and just leave them loose. This exposes a clip near the front of the seat. Pry it out of the hole with a thin screwdriver. There is also one on the console side in the same spot. Pry it out also. Next look under the front of the seat. Find the fat round bar that the upholstery wraps around. In the center is around clip that retains the upholstery and the upholstery rod. Pry of pop this round clip off, preferably from above so that you do not rip the upholstery. It will go flying. Watch your eyes. Then push and pry the flat upholstery retaining rod out of the front side seat brackets. Just pick the easiest side (the door side). I slid the rod completely out, but I am not sure you have to do so as long as you get it loose from the seat frame. Do the same in the rear, from behind the seat for the center ring and the seat frame side (the door side). Then lift up the upholstery and cushion as one unit. Disconnect the two harnesses for the heater and whatever else. Put the whole thing aside and move to the other seat. Swap them.

I probably spent an hour and a half figuring this all out and taking my time, but I could do it in less than an hour easily now.

Those 84-89 seats still are not great, but the fresher bottom helps. For a more advanced project, you could use one of those high density sleeping pad mats and cut it and put a section down over the springs before you put the seat cushion back down. No doubt the springs are not quite as taut as when new and no doubt the old foam even though relatively unused is not quite what it was new. Or try some custom version of this idea.

Philip Bradley