2008 JK Rubicon, 2007 2 Dr JK Rubicon and 2011 2 Dr JK Sport.
In this article, I discuss using the Misch BigBoy seat bracket to get 2 extra inches of legroom in my son's JK and I drill holes in stock JK seat brackets to get an extra inch of legroom for my JKU.
In 2020 we added two more JKs to our family. My daughter bought her first vehicle a cute black 2011 two-door Jeep Wrangler Sport and I purchased a 2007 two-door Rubicon for my 7' tall teenage son.
Aside from just how cool and functional Jeep Wranglers are they offer decent headroom and pretty good legroom for taller drivers. However, not the most optimal legroom for really tall drivers.
I am 6' 7" and have been driving my 2008 four-door JK for a couple of years now and have found that often my right leg is getting cramps as I have to rotate my right foot at a 45-degree angle on the gas pedal with my right shin jammed up against the console. It's bearable but has bothered me to the point that I wanted to spend $175 for a Misch BigBoy 4x4 seat brackets.
With my 6' 10" sixteen-year-old son, there was no question, it was time to get the extra legroom in his 2007 JK, so we ordered the Misch BigBoy bracket.
Misch BigBoy JK driver's seat bracket on the left and the stock JK seat brackets on the right, Notice the three small mounting holes on the Misch brackets are two inches farther back than the stock brackets.
The process of unbolting and bolting in the new Misch bracket was fairly easy and quick. The only thing that I had to do was place large washers under the front of the bracket and the floor. The side closest to the console would not bolt flush to the floorboard because the floorboard starts to curve upward to the console so I added the thick large washer to get the bracket to mount flush and not just dig into the console side.
In the process of removing the stock brackets and comparing them to the Misch brackets, I realized that the stock seat brackets have just enough room in them to add exactly one inch of legroom. To get this extra inch of legroom I drilled two 5/16" holes exactly one inch back from the two rear holes on each of the stock brackets. There is a larger hole already behind the front mounting hole on each of the brackets so no drilling is necessary for the front bolt. Although, I used a washer on the two front holes when I mounted the seat onto the brackets. If you drill the holes back farther than an inch there is a slot on the console side bracket that a bar mounted on the seat will not fit within. bbbbbbbbb
Stock JK driver seat brackets with hour holes drilled into them allowing the seat to mount one inch further back.
Stock JK driver seat brackets mounted one inch farther back on the brackets (top of this image is the rear of the seat). There are three bolts on each side that mount the seat to these rails. The stock holes for these bolts are an inch below all six of the bolts in this photo. Notice the washers with the two front mounting bolts.
So when I removed the brackets from the 2007 JK I cleaned up the brackets, drilled, deburred and painted the new mounting holes then I replaced these stock brackets into my personal 2008 JK and it works great. I now have an additional inch of legroom in my 2008 JK all for the cost of a little Rustoleum paint and an hour of work.
I do really like the Misch brackets and my 6'10" son needs all the room he can get but for really no cost at all the extra inch I am getting out of stock brackets feels great in my 2008 JK.
Stock JK driver seat brackets mounted one inch farther back on the brackets. Notice a bar from on the seat just touches the bracket right where the arrow is at. This is as far back as you can mount the seat.
To get the Misch bracket to work I had to place large washers under the front of the Misch BigBoy brackets.
Misch BigBoy bracket has a smaller footprint so there is a portion of the exposed Jeep body showing but it's fine, it's a Jeep.