Recaro reclining seats

stubdo

stubdo

New Member
Hi all,

I'm new here and relatively new to X1/9 ownership, so please be gentle.

I got an '81 x1/9 during summer last year with the intent of keeping it original and just giving it a quick recommission to get it back on the road. What I discovered was that it has had a colour change at some point. So the idea of making an all original example has gone out the window and I've decided to make it the X that I want, which includes early smaller bumpers, different wheels, etc etc.

Anyway, I'm looking at the interior and the original seats aren't in a great condition. A set of very nice 80's Recaros are for sale locally, LX style with the more angular sides that I think would suit the angular lines of the X. I did a quick measure yesterday and they look to be very tight and the bottom bolsters likely to rub. The reason for the post is, has anyone fitted Recaro reclining seats in their X1/9? Can you share some photos if you have?

I can't find any examples of finished interiors with Recaro seats installed, hence why I'm asking.

Many thanks

Stu
 
Welcome to X ownership & the best auto forum on the WEB. You'll find everyone to be very helpful & "gentle", especially to newcomers. Once you've been around a while, then the gloves come off.... :p
 
The key to looking for non stock seats for Xs is the width small enough to fit between the sills and center tunnel and the seat base height so it won't make you sit too high.
 
Welcome. Congrats on a purchase which will entertain you for years.

Hopefully you have run into the BOX thread in the Workshop forum. There are some great threads there for beginners with lots of projects delineated. I will point to the this one as a good starting point: https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?tags/box-new-owner-info/

As pointed out you need a very narrow seat base to fit between the door sill and the tunnel. The Recaro’s are great seats but put the adjuster knob in a very inconvenient place relative to the sill. Miata seats have worked well if they fit you. Seat covers are available from Vick Auto which look very good and allow you to reuse your old seats.

We look forward to seeing and helping you make it yours. Remember the only bad question around here is the one you don’t ask, we can save you time and grief as someone here has dealt with the exact problem you are facing.

Welcome and good luck.
 
Welcome aboard neighbor, I'm located just North of Chicago and doing my car the same as yours, building it out as I want it while keeping the charter. I've been a member for about two years and this board is a life saver, anytime I don't know something or need advise some one here has the answer. Good luck!
 
kmead said:
Welcome. Congrats on a purchase which will entertain you for years.

Hopefully you have run into the BOX thread in the Workshop forum. There are some great threads there for beginners with lots of projects delineated. I will point to the this one as a good starting point: https://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?tags/box-new-owner-info/

As pointed out you need a very narrow seat base to fit between the door sill and the tunnel. The Recaro’s are great seats but put the adjuster knob in a very inconvenient place relative to the sill. Miata seats have worked well if they fit you. Seat covers are available from Vick Auto which look very good and allow you to reuse your old seats.

We look forward to seeing and helping you make it yours. Remember the only bad question around here is the one you don’t ask, we can save you time and grief as someone here has dealt with the exact problem you are facing.

Welcome and good luck.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link to the new owner info, not seen that. The list of things to do is very similar to my list, although there's a couple of bit's on there that'll add to my list.

I've ticked off the easier stuff so now getting onto the tricky bits. I was looking to see if clutch/clutch release bearing is a diy job as not done anything like that before but wiling to give it a bash if possible. From the test drives I've done it's on my high priority list.

Forgot to mention that I'm in the UK.
 
stubdo said:
Thanks for the link to the new owner info, not seen that. The list of things to do is very similar to my list, although there's a couple of bit's on there that'll add to my list.

I've ticked off the easier stuff so now getting onto the tricky bits. I was looking to see if clutch/clutch release bearing is a diy job as not done anything like that before but wiling to give it a bash if possible. From the test drives I've done it's on my high priority list.

Forgot to mention that I'm in the UK.
Click to expand...
There are other choices, but you could remove the rail from under your stock seats and bolt them under your Recaro's if you want your seats to be sliding adjustable. That's what I did on my OMP non-reclinable.
 
stubdo said:
Thanks for the link to the new owner info, not seen that. The list of things to do is very similar to my list, although there's a couple of bit's on there that'll add to my list.

I've ticked off the easier stuff so now getting onto the tricky bits. I was looking to see if clutch/clutch release bearing is a diy job as not done anything like that before but wiling to give it a bash if possible. From the test drives I've done it's on my high priority list.

Forgot to mention that I'm in the UK.
Click to expand...
Welcome to Xweb @stubdo! :)

I thought you were in the USA as well. :) The location field in your profile says "Ashford" and there is an "Ashford" in the state Wisconsin, so I am sure the location feature defaults to the USA since the site is based here. So I am sure that's why Chicago based @KBabcock thought you were nearby.

RE the seats: Honda S2000 seats fit, some generations of Miata seats fit and @Henk Martens carries several OEM styles of replacement upholstery on his web store.
 
Welcome.

Unfortunately most Recaros are too wide and even too tall for the X. In general, Recaros (like those LX model) are a rather large seat. As others have noted, the X needs a rather small one in order to fit.
 
Hey there, welcome...Didn't Al Constantino cars have recaros in them? Anyways, I had great luck with Miata seats...If you are lucky yours is a later model in which the seat tracks are bolted to the floor, and not welded
 
Welcome to the seat struggle and X life. Just sold the last two sets of seats I bought to try to get a better fit in the X. The top line RX8 Recaros look like the best fit in the X as once removed from their mazda rails there are very thing on the seat. I did look at a set and they look like they would be perfect but the going rate is $2K for a set and most are not in the greatest condition.
88B07870-BA00-4360-8A38-1D9D53760A46.jpg
 
Check "The Samba" for small or "baby Recaros" Used a lot in VW's back in the day...
I bought a pair about a decade ago. Put them in a 240Z. They were 19" wide if I remember correctly. Had them recovered, well worth it.

The other route is Fiero seats. Tight, but they fit, and if recovered properly look very recaro-ish. I had a pair of those in my last build.
97008779_1335772099959974_6844149322410360832_n.jpg
 
I have fitted LSB from 90" Polo/Golf3
They are tight fit, and maybe a bit too high. To avoid that I have done few modifications to get them as low as posssible.

From around this page and forward you can see what I have done.

RED X19

Alternator that got for 20$ doesn’t work either 😂 Bought new voltage regulator for another 20€ Still nothing. Tomorrow will benchtest first alternator with new voltage regulator. So far I am 50€ from absolutely new alternator 🤦🏻‍♀️ I should have bought it at first place. If I count in 65€ that...
xwebforums.com
 
I have a set of sparco torino seats in my X1/9 and they fit. There are 2 version of the seat that I have. The early version of the seat fits our cars better than the later and this is due to the mechanism to adjust the seat angle on the later seats being a little bit wider.

I just did a quick search and they have now turned this seat into a gaming chair, which makes me wonder if a gaming chair could be fitted to X1/9 seat rails....hmmmm:p
 
Thanks all for the information.

After much web searching and viewing/measuring a few seats I've decided I'm not going to find something that is exactly what I want. So I've got some seats from an early mx5/miata that were pretty cheap(almost free!). While I'm waiting for the weather to warm up (my X is in a garage away from house) so I can do some of the important mechanical stuff, I'm going to have a play around with them as a little side project.

Plan is to change the shape a bit so they are more angular/straight lines like the X and a retrim.

I'll see if I can add some photos / updates as the seat project progresses......
 
stubdo said:
Thanks all for the information.

After much web searching and viewing/measuring a few seats I've decided I'm not going to find something that is exactly what I want. So I've got some seats from an early mx5/miata that were pretty cheap(almost free!). While I'm waiting for the weather to warm up (my X is in a garage away from house) so I can do some of the important mechanical stuff, I'm going to have a play around with them as a little side project.

Plan is to change the shape a bit so they are more angular/straight lines like the X and a retrim.

I'll see if I can add some photos / updates as the seat project progresses......
Click to expand...
You should be able to reshape them easily by adding new foam and sculpting it. I've seen some amazing transformations done that way. It sounds like a fun project.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top