96-00 Civic Seat Swap Options

HeX

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I think this could be helpful for those researching what seat options they have for 1996-2000 Civics. As far as I know, the info is scattered around in various posts so far. So everyone pitch in & post pics of your Honda seat swaps along with what it took to get them install, whether they were direct bolt-ons, slightly modded, seat pan swaps, custom welded tabs, etc. Feel free to add hyperlinks to those other posts as well.
 

HeX

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2002 Honda Insight seats in my 1997 Civic coupe


The Insight rails are about 2 inches more narrow overall, so it needed modification.
- First, I cut off the original mounting tabs off both the factory & Insight seats to swap them.
- I later cut & welded on very thick steel squares to each rail corner in order to weld on the stock seats' tabs later on so they line up with the original mounting holes.
- Before welding on the tabs, measure out where the seats will sit centered on the tabs then mark it so they can be welded out of the car. There wont be space for safe spot welding.
- Weld on 1 tab at a time then mark for the next one to ensure a proper final fit. In the end you may need some hammer persuasion due to the metal slightly shrinking & moving after they cool off.
- Lastly, I spray painted the rails with semi-gloss black to blend in the welded spots.

Pros
- Very comfortable; they have more lumbar support than the stock seats.
- Lighter weight & thinner. I believe maybe 6-8lbs less per seat.
- The Insight seats' rails are longer so they allow for further seat slide travel, thus giving the options to either position the rails back enough to provide more front legroom or forward enough to allow for easier rear passenger entry. I'm 5'8 so I set it forward and gained at least 4 inches of added space for a rear passenger to get in.
- The seats also sit a little higher in the front than the rear so you get more of a hugged bucket seat feel.

Cons
- The backrest release handle is located towards the center console instead of traditionally being mounted towards the doors. Keep in mind the Insight has no rear seats, only rear compartments so it makes more sense for the Insights purposes.
 


cvcrcr99

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94-01 Teg seats - Swap inner rails - I think this counts for 92-95 Civic seats, too.

93-97 del sol seats - swap both rails
 

HeX

Authoritah, respected.
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10+ Year Member
I think this could be helpful for those researching what seat options they have for 1996-2000 Civics. As far as I know, the info is scattered around in various posts so far. So everyone pitch in & post pics of your Honda seat swaps along with what it took to get them install, whether they were direct bolt-ons, slightly modded, seat pan swaps, custom welded tabs, etc. Feel free to add hyperlinks to those other posts as well.
Here's an attempt to resurrect this thread since it didnt too well the first time around.
 




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