Bucket seat mounts / frames

[Chiddy]

Looking at a pair of fixed back bucket seats for my Z, but finding mounts to fit seems to be a total pain in the backside!

Am I right in saying that Z4 and E46 seats use the same mounting points? I believe VAC floor mounts are the same for both Z's and E46's?

I'm looking at these, basically, will they work in a Z? I know they are fixed, but that's not a problem for me.

http://www.driftworks.com/driftworks-bmw-e36-and-e46-seat-frame-316-318-325-328-m3-seat-rail.html

 

[LukeMace]

Depends on what seats you are looking to fit and where the fixing points are on them. I ended up making my own brackets to fit a pair of Sparco Recliners in they (the mounting brackets) passed through MOT no issues too which was good
Simply made a base frame and bolted runners to the frame and hey presto, sliding seats!

 

[tertius]

I suspect if you bolt those straight to the floor and then attach the seats you will have two problems:

1. Seat height will be very low
2. Width between the runners will be far more than the seat width and you will need some way of packing them out, however, there is a limit to how much you can do this

Plus of course the seats won't move which (I can tell you from experience) is a right pain.

I have used Sparco frames with Tillett runners and side mounts for my seats. But I have been working with Machine Monkey to develop some custom brackets, though it is still a work in progress.

If you search in the M forum there is a thread about how I fitted my seats.

Also remember you need to solve the seat belt tensioner and passenger occupancy mat problems.

 

[Yorkie Z]

You can use the runners on your original seats. It's only 4 nuts to remove the lower section. This way you can keep the seat belt tensioner and if they are electric you can use the forward and backward button.!!

 

[Xiaxio]

Doesn't project marmite have bucket seats? Maybe brad could also give a little advice?

 

[tertius]

This thread - http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=61387 - has some details about how my seats are fitted.

 

[Chiddy]

I'm looking to fit a set of fixed back buckets.

Trying to find anyone using these is abit of a struggle! I've seen threads on american forums of people fitting M3 seats in Z4's, and vice versa... where they fit straight in.

Tertius, what makes you think that the frames will be too far apart once mounted, meaning I'll have to pack the mounts out? I'll have a look for your thread.

edit... just seen the link, I'll have a look The mounts that you and MM are/were working on look great, they'd be ideal.

 

[tertius]

I'm looking to fit a set of fixed back buckets.

Trying to find anyone using these is abit of a struggle! I've seen threads on american forums of people fitting M3 seats in Z4's, and vice versa... where they fit straight in.

Tertius, what makes you think that the frames will be too far apart once mounted, meaning I'll have to pack the mounts out? I'll have a look for your thread.

edit... just seen the link, I'll have a look The mounts that you and MM are/were working on look great, they'd be ideal.

Which seats are you planning to fit and what are their dimensions?

The seat base mounting holes in the floorpan are 456mm apart (measured centre to centre from left to right) so if you fix those mounts directly to the floor that is how far apart they will be - PLUS you will have the distance from the mounting hole to the upright of the mount. Call it 500mm more or less.

My seats are 375mm across the base, so 125mm LESS than the distance you will have between the mounts - that's why I think they will be too far apart! Even allowing for the fact that my seats are super narrow, you can't really adjust for more than about 50mm total by using spacers and longer bolts.

For reference - front to back the holes are 360mm apart.

While I am thinking about it - the size of the seats is crucial - the Z4 cabin is quite cramped and I only found a couple of seats that would fit without fouling the door.

 

[Chiddy]

Not 100% on which seats yet, something similar to a cobra imola, or a corbeau sprint. I'd love a pair of recaro poles/SPG but unless I find some decent ones second hand they are just too much for me to justify.

I've emailed driftworks to see what seat dimensions the mounts allow. After some searching I've found afew E46 owners very happy with the mounts, and afew abit miffed that they don't fit XL seats, but thats not a problem for me.

 

[tertius]

Not 100% on which seats yet, something similar to a cobra imola, or a corbeau sprint. I'd love a pair of recaro poles/SPG but unless I find some decent ones second hand they are just too much for me to justify.

I've emailed driftworks to see what seat dimensions the mounts allow. After some searching I've found afew E46 owners very happy with the mounts, and afew abit miffed that they don't fit XL seats, but thats not a problem for me.

OK, well I strongly suggest you measure up carefully before you buy anything. Most seats/websites will have the dimension diagram on the site. I had Pole Positions before I installed the Tilletts and in my experience they do not fit very well - the shoulder/wing of the seat fouls the door unless you are very careful in the install and don't need to push the seat right back.

Regarding g the E46 users are they using *just* those mounts, or are they on top of frames and runners?