Making Your CJ Comfortable (Or At Least Less Painful)
The factory CJ interior was designed by people who apparently hated sitting. The seats are flat slabs of vinyl-covered regret, there's zero sound deadening, and the ride quality at highway speed can best be described as "therapeutic vibration" — the kind you don't pay for and definitely don't want.
The good news: a few hundred dollars in interior upgrades can make the difference between a CJ you only take to Saturday car shows and one you actually want to drive. The bad news: you're going to spend a few hundred dollars.
Seats: Because Your Back Has Feelings
Stock CJ Seats
The stock seats provide roughly the same lumbar support as sitting on a park bench. After an hour of driving, you'll understand why chiropractors drive nice cars.
Upgrade Options
Corbeau Baja RS / Baja JP ($200-250 each) The most popular CJ seat upgrade. The Baja JP is specifically designed for Jeeps — narrower to fit the CJ tub, with drain holes for when you inevitably get rained on. These seats alone justify the expense. Your wife will disagree until she sits in one.
Bestop TrailMax II ($250-300 each) Fold-and-tumble feature for rear access in CJ-7s. "Rear access" in a CJ-7 is generous phrasing for "you can almost fit a small cooler back there."
Smittybilt Standard Bucket ($100-150 each) The budget option. Better than stock in the same way that "not being on fire" is better than "being on fire."
Total seat upgrade cost: $400-600 for a pair What you'll tell your wife: "The old seats were a safety hazard" (technically true) What she'll say: "How much?" What you'll say: "Not that much" (never true)
Sound Deadening: From Jackhammer to Merely Uncomfortable
Why Bother?
A CJ at 55 mph on the highway produces roughly the same decibel level as a small aircraft. Conversation requires shouting. Phone calls require pulling over. Your passengers will either go deaf or stop riding with you, and honestly both outcomes have their appeal.
The Layered Approach
Layer 1: Butyl rubber mat (Kilmat or Dynamat) Stick it to bare sheet metal. Dampens vibration.
- Dynamat: $5/sq ft (for people with self-respect)
- Kilmat: $1.50/sq ft (for people with CJs)
- Performance difference: negligible
- Budget difference: very noticeable
Apply to floor pans, transmission tunnel, firewall, and tub sides. You'll need about 36 square feet. At Kilmat prices, that's $54. At Dynamat prices, that's $180. The Kilmat. Get the Kilmat.
Layer 2: Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) A heavy sheet that blocks sound. Layer over the butyl mats. About $1-2/sq ft.
Layer 3: Closed-cell foam Insulation and additional noise reduction on top. $1/sq ft.
Total sound deadening cost: $100-200 Noise reduction: 10-15 dB, which is roughly the difference between "I can't hear you" and "I can barely hear you"
Worth it? Absolutely. Will it be quiet? Absolutely not. It's still a Jeep with the aerodynamics of a refrigerator.
Carpet: The Great Debate
BedRug ($200-300) The most popular CJ floor covering and for good reason:
- Won't absorb water (because it WILL get wet)
- Can be hosed out
- Insulates from heat and cold
- Looks good
- Your wife will approve (rare for CJ purchases)
Standard molded carpet ($150-200) Looks like a car interior. Absorbs water like a sponge. Only use this if you never remove the hard top, never go off-road, and never experience precipitation — so basically if you live in a museum.
Bed liner ($100-150) Raptor or Monstaliner sprayed directly on the floor pans. The "I will hose this interior out and I don't care what you think" option. Extremely practical. Zero luxury.
Rubber floor mats ($50-80) The "I give up on having a nice interior but at least the floor is covered" option. We've all been here.
Other Upgrades Worth Doing
Gauges — Your stock gauges lie. The temp gauge says "normal" across a range from "freezing" to "actively overheating." Add AutoMeter oil pressure, water temp, and voltmeter gauges so you know what's actually happening. About $60-80 per gauge.
Steering wheel — The stock wheel is 47 inches in diameter and made of the same plastic as a Fisher-Price toy. A Grant or Lecarra aftermarket wheel ($80-120) makes the driving experience noticeably better. Add a quick-release hub so you can remove it for theft deterrence (nobody is stealing your CJ, but it makes you feel better).
Roll bar padding — Padding the roll bar tubes near your head is both a safety upgrade and a comfort feature for when the trail gets rough and you and the roll bar have a disagreement about personal space. $30-50 for a full kit.
The Priority List (For Finite Budgets)
If you can't do everything at once (narrator: he couldn't), here's the order:
- Seats — $400-600. Biggest daily comfort improvement.
- Sound deadening — $100-200. Your ears will thank you.
- BedRug — $200-300. Finishes the interior, adds insulation.
- Steering wheel — $100. Small upgrade, surprisingly noticeable.
Total: $800-1,200
Your wife will point out this is more than your monthly car payment. You'll point out you don't have a car payment because the CJ was paid for in cash 20 years ago. She'll point out you've spent the equivalent of 3 car payments in "small upgrades" this month alone.
She's not wrong. Buy the seats anyway.