In a message dated 1/24/03 1:18:14 PM Pacific Standard Time,
RMiller@STANTEC.COM writes:

<<         Since were talking about seats I thought I'd throw out this
 question. I've been thinking about swapping out my seats for something more
 comfortable and with arm rests and was wondering what my options are. I'd
 like the new seats to be as coordinated as possible to my brown interior,
 but it's not a deal killer since I can probably just cover them up with the
 hide of some pore dead beast. Any ideas? >>

Ryan,

I can only guess that you have an early Vanagon by your mention of wanting
armrests. Later seats did come in brownish beige checks (87) and a sort of a
herringbone pattern in the earlier armrest models. The much later ones are
pretty much gray all the way in several patterns.

If you must slay a beast to recover seats, you can keep your cost down by
hunting the elusive Nauga buffalo. One animal should yield enough Naugahyde
to cover both seats. If you set your sights on a good Target, they have
Fauxstein seat covers. These are made from the skin of the nearly extinct
cousin of the Holstein bovine and usually sport a nice black and white
pattern. If you are a wealthy hunter, then go for a professional safari and
get someone else to perform the seat taxidermy for you. One vendor recently
mentioned by listee Larry Chase (probably Larry Hunter in a previous life) is
Sewfine in Colorado.

I have also seen Recaros, Corbeaus and Procar seats installed in buses. While
they are more comfortable than stock van seats, they typically do not have
armrests and are a challenge to slide in and out of.

BenT
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/bentbtstr8/myhomepage/index.html">Vanagon
Cafe</A>