armrest upgrade? April 03, 2019, 04:36:06 pm Greetings LD-ers!I own a 2003 26 MB. I love it. It is the best....except for the bucket seat armrests.I also own a 2010 Honda Odyssey EX-L. This van has locking/ratcheting armrests that when rotated upward, will hold their angled position until the armrest reaches a release point at the full "up" position.Does anyone have experiences with any armrest upgrades for the bucket seats of their LD?Let the discussion begin!Thanks for the commentary.-m
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #1 – April 03, 2019, 05:28:15 pm I should have added that the armrests in the Odyssey are simply amazing. I would love to somewhat easily recreate their splendor in my LD.
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #2 – April 03, 2019, 05:53:28 pm Unless the seats from a Honda Odyssey will fit and replace the stock captain chairs, you are suck with what you have. The aftermarket may have captain chairs with ratcheting armrests, if available, expect to pay a hefty price.To install a ratcheting arm rest would require taking the seat apart and modifying its frame to accept the ratchet mechanisms.You might find a custom auto interior shop that will make such a modification, this is beyond my pay grade. Once again, expect to pay a lot for this, if even available.The armrests can be removed, if that is a better solution. Lift the armrest up and then pull outward, toward the middle of isle, rocking the arm a little until it pops out.Larry
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #3 – April 03, 2019, 06:50:58 pm The arm rests on my '08 MB are held in place by a bolt that goes into the seat frame. The arm rest pivots on that bolt. They can be removed by unzipping and removing the cover fabric. The bolt head can then be seen. A socket wrench will allow the arm rest to be removed. If your replacement armrest uses the same attachment system, you should be able to unscrew one and screw in the other.Clearly, based on what Larry posted, different years used different systems, so you would have to figure out yours to be able to determine if it can be replaced by something else.Ken F in NM
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #4 – April 03, 2019, 07:22:58 pm Quote from: Larry W - April 03, 2019, 05:53:28 pmUnless the seats from a Honda Odyssey will fit and replace the stock captain chairs, you are suck with what you have. The aftermarket may have captain chairs with ratcheting armrests, if available, expect to pay a hefty price.To install a ratcheting arm rest would require taking the seat apart and modifying its frame to accept the ratchet mechanisms.You might find a custom auto interior shop that will make such a modification, this is beyond my pay grade. Once again, expect to pay a lot for this, if even available.The armrests can be removed, if that is a better solution. Lift the armrest up and then pull outward, toward the middle of isle, rocking the arm a little until it pops out.LarryHey Larry,Thanks for the comment.I wasn't thinking that the Odyssey seats or armrests would exactly replace the chairs in the LD. I know it would be a lot of work. I was (very poorly) getting at if anyone can relate wanting better armrests and if they have success stories and/or any hints.Thanks again for the help!-m
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #5 – April 03, 2019, 07:33:03 pm Quote from: Kenneth Fears - April 03, 2019, 06:50:58 pmThe arm rests on my '08 MB are held in place by a bolt that goes into the seat frame. The arm rest pivots on that bolt. They can be removed by unzipping and removing the cover fabric. The bolt head can then be seen. A socket wrench will allow the arm rest to be removed. If your replacement armrest uses the same attachment system, you should be able to unscrew one and screw in the other.Clearly, based on what Larry posted, different years used different systems, so you would have to figure out yours to be able to determine if it can be replaced by something else.Ken F in NMHey Ken,Thanks for the reply.Yep. I've got the same style as you. I've removed the passenger armrest the same way you describe.I'm still doing research about:- looking at getting better armrests (I haven't done too much searching for these yet)- buying used Odyssey seats and somehow getting those installed- leaving it as-is and "suffering"Thanks for the contribution to this thread!-m
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #6 – October 21, 2020, 10:21:48 am Quote from: mzagrabe - April 03, 2019, 07:33:03 pmHey Ken,Thanks for the reply.Yep. I've got the same style as you. I've removed the passenger armrest the same way you describe.I'm still doing research about:- looking at getting better armrests (I haven't done too much searching for these yet)- buying used Odyssey seats and somehow getting those installed- leaving it as-is and "suffering"Thanks for the contribution to this thread!-mClosing the loop on this one...I did end up buying a pair of front 2010 Odyssey seats from a salvage yard. To clarify an earlier remark, the armrests don't ratchet, they just lock. That is, whatever height you raise them to, they lock at that angle - up until a certain height at which the locking releases and you can put the armrest down again.For anyone who searches the archives, here is a rough outline of what I did:- Determine pin-out of wiring harness. These seats have power recline, slide, and heat.- Build wooden prototype bracket to match the E450 chassis and the Honda seat. This took measuring the chair seat angle and heights in my Odyssey, and also measure the height of the seats in the LD.- Take off the dash and install rocker switches for the seat heat.- Install new circuits in the fuse block for passenger side seat power and seat heat power.Most importantly, I happen to have a good friend who is an engineer and he has access to stainless steel sheet metal, a water jet, and a CNC machine.After measuring up the wooden bracket he designed one in CAD, got a sheet of stainless steel cut, bent, and welded.I don't know if I would recommend this route to better armrests. It has been a lot of learning, trials, fun, and work.I'd be happy to go into further detail if anyone is curious. 3 Likes
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #7 – October 21, 2020, 11:52:15 am Hi M; I've got a 2005 Odyssey, so they must have improved the armrests by 2010. The ones I have don't seem all that great. I'll have to look at them again. I have the 'EX' trim level, but not 'L'. I do like the seats, but I also like the motorhome seats, although I seldom use the armrests. I forget the one is there. I always like pictures. I'm still going to consider a rotating passenger seat, since there isn't anywhere else to sit when the rear dinette is in king bed mode. (TK). (well, except the throne room) RonB
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #8 – November 12, 2020, 03:36:58 pm Quote from: RonB - October 21, 2020, 11:52:15 amHi M; I've got a 2005 Odyssey, so they must have improved the armrests by 2010. The ones I have don't seem all that great. I'll have to look at them again. I have the 'EX' trim level, but not 'L'. I do like the seats, but I also like the motorhome seats, although I seldom use the armrests. I forget the one is there. I always like pictures.Hey Ron,2005 and 2010 are the same generation. Regarding the locking arm rests, maybe it is the EX vs EX-L trim options.Here is a brief album of the new seats:https://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?action=media;sa=album;in=599Cheers!-m
Re: armrest upgrade? Reply #9 – November 13, 2020, 03:03:53 am Hi M; Very nice pictures, and the seats are nice. I have fabric seats in the Odyssey, so not as nice as the leather. I can't use leather seats, with three cats running around, they would puncture the leather. The fabric stays looking nice. I can only imagine what it would take to make the seat bases! Stainless, welding, waterjet cutting and all. I do have a friend, welded for a living for 50 years. Another friend has a plasma cutter, and a small machine shop. I think i'll stick to a purchased base, just to make one seat rotatable. RonB
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