Rebody Rebody- seat belt mountings

[IanA]

I'd like to change the seats and have a pair available.
They have threaded inserts on the underside and I'm confident in my use of Unistrut© that I can secure them firmly to the car's floor fixings (stud fronts and threaded hole rears).
However, as the seat belt mountings go with the original seats, what have people done about replacing them?

 

[ruan]

Sorry, I don't think I understand the question . Do your new seats have mountings that you are going to fix direct to the floor, or do you want to use the mountings from donor Z3 seats and adapt them? Or something completely different!

 

[DaveP]

i think that you can source E30 seatbelt ends that can be used with the stock seat belts ? I did have some but never fitted them so went on sale again.

 

[Duncodin]

Also think about the electrics. The car knows when a bum is in the passenger seat and knows when the belt is clicked in. Dash warning light etc.

 

[IanA]

My original intention was to use UniStrut or similar to bridge the existing mounting holes and bolt the new seats to it. However, seeing how the existing seat belt mounts are part of the seat itself, I'm concerned that bolting the new seats to the original donor bases might result in too high a seating position. I have obtained some E30 seatbelt ends but that does not account for the inertia reel components. I've seen plenty of those on eBay. Are they the answer? If so, how and where have builders secured them?

 

[Pond]

However, seeing how the existing seat belt mounts are part of the seat itself

The mounts are part of the base on both sides, not the seat.
I thought about ditching the electric bases and starting from scratch but it is a LOT of work to end up with something that will be worse than the original.
I have kept the bases and bolted old MGB seats to them. It was fairly simple to do, they sit in the correct positions (as there is not a lot of room in a Z3), you still have the belt pre-tensioner and get the convenience of the electric adjustment.

 

[IanA]

I'd be happy to retain the bases and their electrics, tensioners, belts, etc but "I'm concerned that bolting the new seats to the original donor bases might result in too high a seating position."

Did you notice that when using the MGB seats? The ones I have aren't as "deep" as those so it may not be an issue anyway..

 

[Pond]

I'd be happy to retain the bases and their electrics, tensioners, belts, etc but "I'm concerned that bolting the new seats to the original donor bases might result in too high a seating position."

Did you notice that when using the MGB seats? The ones I have aren't as "deep" as those so it may not be an issue anyway..

My bases sit 8mm higher than before, as I used 4mm thick steel 'straps'. One along the full length of the MGB under-rails and another to 'span' the two (the MGB rails don't match up to the rails on the Z3 base of course), which sit on top. My seats are in the car otherwise I would take some pictures (too much like hard work getting them in and out!) and seem fine with the new foams temporarily fitted. All bolted with M8 bolts and nylocs. No welding (I don't DO welding).
I found it very simple to do (and I'm clueless) and because the seatbelt points are already on the bases, they give an indication of where the seats need to sit. Also the Z3 base rails give a guide for mounting the seats straight.
If they do sit too high for your liking, the under rails could be cut out of the MGB seats and replaced with something else lower. IMO that would still be a lot easier than ditching the Z3 bases and starting from scratch, with all the problems that entails (such as seat belts).

 

[IanA]

... IMO that would still be a lot easier than ditching the Z3 bases and starting from scratch, with all the problems that entails (such as seat belts).

Agreed and thanks for the info.