New seats are in!

[Doug&Julie]

I finally got my car back from my mechanic after he installed new seats (thanks to Mike & Motomotions), new seat belts (thanks PEP and Pelicanites for the suggestion), and new door panels (thanks to Appbiz and eBay ). I also had my odometer fixed (thanks North Hollywood Speedo) which now keeps good "time". When I re-installed the speedo, I turned it about 30 degrees so I could actually read the all important 60-90 mph sweep (my smaller steering wheel obscures anything over 90 mph; before the turn, it obscured anything over 60 mph!).

The seats are extrememly comfortable and offer an excellent driving position. Ken (my wrench) said he had to make some adjustments to the "instructions" provided with the seats, but otherwise they were a pretty good install. I love having proper retractable belts (although, do to my driving position, they encroach on my neck a little more than I'd like) and I feel much safer in the car now than with my fixed belts. The door panels just finish off the interior nicely to complete the sporty look! Not to mention how much the weight saved compared to the stock door panels.

Eventually I'd like to replace the tired dash and tops of the door panels. But for now I'm just going to get a dash cover to clean up the look and reduce that aweful glare (that old dash has been polished to a high shine! Right now I'm using a black hand towel to reduce the glare.). The only other thing I'd like to change in the interior is to replace the rear seats with a lighter, simple shelf unit. Then the interior is done!

Here are some pics...









Next up...wider wheels and suspension upgrade!

[Mike Bonkalski]

Nice!! They look great.

[livi]

Doug, the seats look great. Sporty and comfortable. Not sure I understood - are they original Porsche seats ?

[Doug&Julie]

Originally posted by livi
Doug, the seats look great. Sporty and comfortable. Not sure I understood - are they original Porsche seats ?

They are new versions made to look like originals. Check Mike's link in his signature above to see what other options are available.

When I bought the car it had Corbeau seats which didn't fit me too well and were mounted too high in the car. In looking for a replacement, I came accross these that were pretty much in budget. For the look and feel, they're definitely worth it.

Here are the Corbeaus compared to the new seats (as seen on my living room floor)...



..and the interior as purchased...

[david.avery]

Selling the Corbeaus? May be interested

[Doug&Julie]

Already gone, thanks!

[makotosun]

Doug - are the new seats you got shorter front to rear than the Corbeaus? The came in my car and I am not as satisfied as I might be. Been considering spending the coin to get some original factory seats, but yours look great.

What was the brand again?

Gary

[Doug&Julie]

Originally posted by makotosun
Doug - are the new seats you got shorter front to rear than the Corbeaus? The came in my car and I am not as satisfied as I might be. Been considering spending the coin to get some original factory seats, but yours look great.

What was the brand again?

Gary

I'm sorry, it's still kinda early in the morning for my mind to work properly...I'm not exactly sure what you're asking? Are you talking overall shorter or the seat base shorter? They are certainly smaller and probably won't provide as much support in the lower thighs as the Corbeaus would. But with my slightly wider frame (..ahem..) I need the room. I've sat in factory early sport seats and my butt gets noticebly pinched. These are certainly more comfortable. Also note these are non-reclining seats, but my driving position is excellent.

FYI you can find the seats here: http://motomotions.com/seats/index.htm

I got the Nurburgrings in vinyl/basketweave. I think they were the cheapest. If you're looking for more support, there are other models.

Cheers,

[MotoSook]

Beautiful Doug! (Sorry I missed your call over the weekend, I was probably under a car or something..glad it's all sorted out)...

Nice transformation!

1980! (cue Hewy Lewis and the News....)



1970-ish! (cue Jimmy Hendrix...)

[DonDavis]

Looks great Doug! Could you show me the seat belt connections in the center of your car? Are they mounted to the seat or the floor of the car?

And where did you get the belts? PEP?

[Doug&Julie]

Don,

Here's a link to the thread that turned me on to the belts. I did get them at PEP. This thread has a pic of the reciever mounts (they're bolted to the car, not the seat). If you'd like any other detail pics let me know and I'll take some tonight.

New seatbelts in an old car?

Cheers!

[Neilk]

Is it possible to get the Nurburgring seats in brown vinyl? Can you ge the seats to tilt forward? Interior looks GREAT. I want my car to look like that.

[Doug&Julie]

I purchased tilting brackets so each seat will tilt forward for rear seat access. It's not a lot, but enough to get something back there. (...you aren't actually thinking of putting humans back there, are you?!? )

Not sure about the brown vinyl? Maybe Mike @ Motomotions can help with that?

Thanks for the comments!

[Mike Bonkalski]

We can most likely do brown vinyl. If you send me a sample of the color, I will try to match it. Keep in mind that custom fabrics, leather and leatherettes add an additional cost to the seats, but it's not too bad.

[skinnerd]

just how comfortable are those seats?
could you do a 4 hour drive in them?
thanks...

[Doug&Julie]

I can't do a four hour drive in anything these days . But as far as sports car seats go, I'd rate these as among the most comfortable I've sat in. Julie echos that sentiment. I've read of a few people doing long stints in them with relative ease...some of your neighbors in fact.

[skinnerd]

great, because I can only last about 40 minutes in my fixed back racing Sparco....my legs literally start aching.....need to get out of the car and walk around 5 minutes before continuing

I may give these seats a try too

[masraum]

I'm dying to buy some seats from Mike to put in my miata. The stock miata seats suck compared to the seats from my old '88 targa. I think the 914 seats that Mike sells will be perfect for the miata.

[Doug&Julie]

Originally posted by skinnerd
great, because I can only last about 40 minutes in my fixed back racing Sparco....my legs literally start aching.....need to get out of the car and walk around 5 minutes before continuing

I may give these seats a try too

Yeah, those Corbeau seats were a bit confining...thus the main reason for the new seats. These give a lot more room for limbs and extremities. There may be some sacrifice in overall performance (i.e. they may not hold you in as well - although I haven't tested this yet!) but for the greater comfort that was small sacrifice to me. Still, if you need more hold, check out some of the other options...there are varying degrees of "hold" in the various seat designs.

But I would say these are definitely more comfortable than any fixed racing seat!

[brittbolen]

doug can you show your seat adapters? I'm having trouble getting my seats low enough, and i'm curious what yours look like.

Could you take a picture at floor height looking at the seats from the pedal area? (to avoid taking the seats out of course!)

thanks,

Britt