Niku-Sama

alright i need to get the seats out of my car theyre kinda....well theyre toast, 30 years would do that to a seat. any way i went to thhe yard and i pulled some parts i needed, new rear bumper, tail light and i also yanked out 2 front seats out of a '99 subaru forester. it musta been a gt model because they are kinda bucket like seats.

the 79 has a recall on the seat rails because they had a bad wobble to them after minor use so theyre no good
the question is, what would be stronger you think?

bolt the old seat rails (i got some good ones out of an '81) to the new seat in the proper spots?

or

weld little flanges and drill holes in them to the stock mounting bolts in my car?

any one else have any other ideas?

the mounting holes are 17" apart in the front and back on the 280
the mounting holes are 20" apart in the front and 23" in the back in the forester.
one back mount on the oppisite side of each is sideways to mount to the center hump in the forester how ever they clear the center hump in my car, luckily clearence issues arent an issue its just getting them in there securely

i coppied and pasted this from another message board i visit thats no so cer literate so i know it sounds a little odd, at the same time i am getting "buy after market seat rails" which in my mind is buy a rail that still bolts into my car and wont bolt to the new seat.

i think i am just gonna weld little flanges to it but chime in if you have any other ideas, no drilling into the car though.

Niku-Sama

nottin huh?

i got my measurments mixed up, 14" between the rails on the z and 17" on the forester

lifegrddude

Welding might be the way to go, just be sure to use some sturdy steel. I can't weld where I'm at, so I just adapted my zx's seat rails to the aftermarket seats I picked up.

Niku-Sama

oh i got some zinc plated fence couplers that are thicker than the metal used on the rails., good width i just gotta cut em in half and drill em and weld em up

Niku-Sama

alright well i welded 3 of them on, i needed to test fit for the 4th because the forester seat has a funky bracket and i must have mis measured something....all the brackets line up and are good as pie if it werent for the funky bracket, but the seat is too tall.....it'd be a good hight for a midgetso lets put it that way, looks good in there though

nismo619

I have modafied z-31 300zx seats in my 280zxt i unbolted the seat rails and the most important the seat buckels ! lol too kabout 2 hours to get it all done

I got the front power seat to work via toggle switch ! woop woop its right were the little swith right below the igntion switch. I love me 280zxt !

lww

Seats that will fit with a minimum amount of work are Honda Civic, Miata, a couple of people have put Z32 seats in, I've got Porsche 911 seats in my RBZ, Scat ProCar seats in my white 240Z with factory sliders and Corbeau makes slider's specifically for the 280zx that can be used on just about any seat.

Unfortunately, most seats will sit higher than stock in any 70-83 Z car unless you do a lot of work "massaging" the floor pans to get them as low as possible. The drawback on the 280ZX slider is how the slider release activates the "other" side by camming UP which limits how low you can go without modifying the floor pans themselves.

Niku-Sama

well when you remember to measure correctly it works wonders.

you could get away with drilling and bolting these on but i didnt feel too safe that way so i decided to use my wire welder and weld em on.
the forester seats were kinda on stands so i hacked them down to size and the front from the bottom of the new bracket to the top of the bottom coushon is the same height.

i gotta go the rear brackets now but i also have to find a new welding helmet, when ever i make progress who ever i borrowed the auto darkening helmet from needs it back so its either go blindly or get a helmet

Bleach

I would put the stock 280ZX sliders on any seat you have. Keep in mind your seat belts bolt into the receiver which is attached to the factory seat rails. By using the ZX slider you don't have to bother wondering how you'll hook up your seat belts.

As LDUB says, the two sided stopper is an issue. I fixed that by removing the trailing side. I took off the mechanism and the wire so the outside of each seat slides free. Only the inside locks in place, like most cars are set up. Those things are so overbuilt. It worked fine for me. I think I even have a thread on this forum with pictures on how I modified CRX seats to fit.

Niku-Sama

stoppers arent going to be in the way and the seat belt mounts the exact same way on these forester seats

WildmaN

That is why I like the stock highback seats. I like that they sit lower. I wouldn't want to sit any higher..lol Besides..mine are still in great condition. Because they were reopulstered in a blue (like velvet but a cheaper material) Anyway that is how I bought them. The only drawback..is when I am cornering hard. I don't stay put in the seat very well..lol But oh well...they do well for a daily driver.

Niku-Sama

if its the seats in the pic in your sig then i can see why, how ever mine are pretty toasted, the straw is commin out the bottoms of them, the fuzzy is gone and its fabris kinda remind me of old underware and its worn through in places, not ripped just kinda....rubbed off through the layers.

the forester seats arent much wider the rails are a good distance apart to just slap some quicky brackets on and be done. i would be done if #1 i payed attention to the mounts on the new seat and #2 i had everything to go to rip em out and jam the new stuff on, whats holding me back is the welding mask still

lww

If you already own your welder, you might consider getting a helmet to go with it!

They go on sale every once in awhile, but still, they're darn cheap...

http://search.harborfreight.com/cpis...lmet&Submit=Go

Bleach

The CRX si seats are LOW. Lower than stock leather seats I had. Very nice for someone like me who barely fit under the t-tops before. Only added about 3/4 inch clearance but it was nice.

Niku-Sama

yea the blue flame is $10 off here and i did get a 15% off coupon in the mail yesterday but right now its, $75 for a header or $45 for a mask, one or the other. masks go on sale again but its not often i am gonna find a $75 header