Has any one ever put 914 seats in an X

M

mike3487

1980 X
I know miata seats are installed quite often but the miata seats make me sit to high in the car and i was wondering has any one ever put 914 seats in an X they look like they are thin enough to sit at about the stock hight and look period correct and they are darn cheap a about 40 a piece
Porsche_914_new_patterns_McClenahan_04.jpg
 
Geez... ya can't buy seatcovers for that kinda money...

There are also many ways to adapt the rails also...

I saw a SIMPLE method although a bit crude... can still be made to look good even though its generally hidden. One X-head took a piece of 3/4 inch plywood... cut and bolted it to the bottom of the seat... then cut off the rails of a stock seat and though-bolted them to the plywood.

Worked great!
 
Ever rode in 914 seat?

One of the reasons I sold my 914 to get an X1/9. Not very comfortable and they do not recline they sort of swivel. The X1/9 seats are better.
 
I will have to agree

toddr124 said:
One of the reasons I sold my 914 to get an X1/9. Not very comfortable and they do not recline they sort of swivel. The X1/9 seats are better.
Click to expand...

I had a 914 as well. Although the seats look great there is not enough support all around, the cushions are thin and can make you feel unconfortable on a long drive. The feel reminds me of driving with a park bench installed.
 
+1

914 seats feel like card board.. not very side supportive either. This could be why they are so "cheap".

A real race car seat is going to be lower weight and fit the driver better, they do cost more and ya get what you pay for if one is a smart shopper.

Bernice

toddr124 said:
One of the reasons I sold my 914 to get an X1/9. Not very comfortable and they do not recline they sort of swivel. The X1/9 seats are better.
Click to expand...
 
All true... but they LOOK marvelous...

HA!

Ever listen to Billy Crystal's "You Look Marvelous" routine??? Forward to about 45 seconds in for the "message"!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZl3gGV4H6c"]YouTube- Billy Crystal - You Look Marvelous (1985)[/ame]
 
I have only sat in a heavily modified 914-6 but i have no idea if those seats were stock, my X seats are super tattered and falling apart so im trying to find a good replacement, Im a bigger guy so im trying to find a seat i fit in which is my biggest issue
 
Yep... most adapters are usually made of...

... metal of one form or another...

Using a sheet of plywood though was really "thinking outside the box"...

Simple, strong, easy to drill and cut... and inexpensive.

I might also add... CLEVER!
 
How about crash safety?

Seats that don't stay put in a crash are a BAD THING(tm).
 
For anyone installing seats into any car.. think about what happened Gilles Villeneuve... I'm very serious about this.. proper seat mounting applies equally to road and race cars.. You never know what could happen and that single incident can be fatal.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Z8V8RvRX0"]YouTube- Gilles Villeneuve[/ame]


Bernice

EricH said:
Seats that don't stay put in a crash are a BAD THING(tm).
Click to expand...
 
Head to your local race shop and try a few seats on for size. If budget allows, custom made to fit a specific driver can be had. Problem with the X is, the seat area is rather narrow which limits seat choices.

Cost almost always figures into seat choice and installation is the other obstacle to over come.

Bernice

mike3487 said:
I have only sat in a heavily modified 914-6 but i have no idea if those seats were stock, my X seats are super tattered and falling apart so im trying to find a good replacement, Im a bigger guy so im trying to find a seat i fit in which is my biggest issue
Click to expand...
 
EricH said:
Seats that don't stay put in a crash are a BAD THING(tm).
Click to expand...

Thats very true... but really it's the 'seat belts' that are holding you in the car. I've been in a few good crashes and I've never had 'seat marks' on my body... it's always the belts that held me in the car that left the brusies and marks. The piece of plywood would likely only have to hold the seat in the car. Even if it cracked or started to splinter it would probably hold the seat under your butt.

I was in a stopped car that was rear-ended pretty severly and the benchseat back hinge snapped and let the back collapse, completely reclined.(we were laying back looking at the headliner for a few seconds!) Then we were shoved into another stopped car about 25 feet in front of us and the seat belts still stopped me and the driver when we were thrown forward... we were like rag dolls flopping around in a car... the seat basically didn't matter after the first impact it was just the lap belt portion keeping us 'in position' on the flat bench for the next hit.


Plus, lots of older cars have pretty sad bolts and what not holding the seat frames down. I helped a buddy take apart his MGB and it had the seat rails held up on wooden spacers And thru these it used laughably small hardware to hold the whole sandwich together. Good hardware with a nice piece of 3/4 marine grade plywood would easily be stronger than the stock MGB setup I saw. I'd just use some nice sized washers or flat stock to keep the bolt head from crushing the first ply or two.

BUT, personally a plywood setup would only be a stop-gap till I could get a proper frame set up in the car. I mean 'stronger than a MGB seat!'... that's like saying "at least I wasn't in last place!!!"
 
What MX5 said...

With a good 3/4 inch ply and large washers it probably has the same strength as the mounts that are bolted to the floor pan. And the belts are doing the work.

Now... many later model seats have the seat belts mount to the seat frame... so care must be taken wih that regard.

Given the time and tools and materials, I would probably opt for something made of a METAL, but this plywood solution is probably just as good... Its the WOOD thing that seems odd in an auto anymore...
 
I used 3/4″ plywood as a mounting plate for my old Mustang driver’s seat when I made it into an office chair. That was almost 2 years ago and it’s holding together strongly.
 
If plywood is safe in cars,

You'd see it in cars.
No wood is safe in a car. Seems like common sense to me.
Use metal. It's as easy to get as wood. Why not do it right?

BE SAFE.

My :2c:
 
Hehe... he said "wood"

bbrown said:
You'd see it in cars.
No wood is safe in a car. Seems like common sense to me.
Use metal. It's as easy to get as wood. Why not do it right?

BE SAFE.

My :2c:
Click to expand...

grady.jpg
:grin:
 
Yea I wanted to maintain a period look for the car and found a bunch of seats from sparco, omp and corbeau that looked great but no one i can find actually stocks them so what i think im going to do is heat up to a shop that carries sparco and sit in them till i find one that i fit in than just find out the dimensions for reference

Rupunzell said:
Head to your local race shop and try a few seats on for size. If budget allows, custom made to fit a specific driver can be had. Problem with the X is, the seat area is rather narrow which limits seat choices.

Cost almost always figures into seat choice and installation is the other obstacle to over come.

Bernice
Click to expand...
 
Touche' Jim

That's a good one!
I thought I was going to get it BAD for my little rant. :angel: :blackeye:
 
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