how to remove head rests

[iangoround]

I just picked up a set Mark Cross black leather seats, but the driver seat needs some work. How to I remove the head rest? When I tore one of these seats apart before I couldn't figure it out and just broke it, and I'd rather not do that this time. I don't see any release button, but there is a small notch on the plastic trim part that goes around the headrest bar thing. Is there some sort of internal release?

[A.J.]

If they are the same as the rear bucket seats in a Caravan (which your description of the plastic trim makes me think they are) there is a release that you need to make a shim to press it in. If I can remember I'll post a picture out of my manual tomorrow.

[A.J.]

Hope this helps.





Because the head rests created blind spots I wanted to remove them. I then cut the bottom of the post off so they could then be removed without the tool.

[iangoround]

Thanks I'll give that a shot

[iangoround]

Ok, so...things did not go as planned. On the Daytona, the headrests are captured by a spring clip that locks in to a hole in the bottom of the headrest shaft when they are at full extension. To bypass this clip you need to insert a bar down the front of the shaft. I looked at the naked seat frame I have, and the only thing that really seems to fit and be strong enough to keep the clip free is 1/16th steel bar stock.

HOWEVER

The headrest itself is in the way of actually getting a moderately straight shot to force the bar down the slot. You get maybe 3 inches to work with, and you have to wiggle about 6 inches of bar stock down the slot to engage with the spring clip. So far I have been unsuccessful in getting that far. What I have been successful at is getting one headrest jammed in the fully extended position, and breaking the tilt part, and breaking the top of the plastic sleeve that goes around it.

I checked my 86 and 88 shop manuals to see if there was any other way to do it, and headrest removal isn't even covered in the books.

[iangoround]

Update: Managed to get the headrest out of one seat using some plastic plumbers tape and some luck. However the other seat is still jammed.