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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Seats Don't Fit!
Posted by: Sfreeman615 Oct 8 2014, 04:04 PM
so we went to put in the Cipher racing seats today and they don't fit! So after throwing everything in site and breaking as much as I could get my hands on.... I need help! I want to go with after market seats, if possible, but I can't seem to find any that fit properly, they are too wide or force you to sit too high or sit 3-5" off center! I'm never trusting a website again when it says it fits my car!
Does anyone have any suggestions with seats that you have put in your 914 that fit the right way and were a relatively easy install????
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Oct 8 2014, 05:09 PM
Try here. http://classiccarseats.com/
Posted by: Scott S Oct 8 2014, 07:13 PM
If you are even close to tall, you will have a pretty difficult time finding anything that will work. The 914 seat is a bucket - you sit "in" it. Most everything else you sit "on".
I tried a pile of different seats. They all either sat too high, or I lost serious leg room as the seats did not fit into the firewall recess (even with the back pad removed).
I finally threw in the towel and sent my stock seats out to Renegade Hybrids. They did a great job at rebolstering them. I also got the short bottom cushion option. At 6'2"+ and all torso, not only was I extremely comfortable, but I could even get in the car with a helmet.
Highly recommend them. Here is a pic. I had them done to look similar to the factory GT seats.
*disclaimer* I did not try Stefans (GTS) seats. He makes some very cool stuff.
Posted by: FourBlades Oct 8 2014, 07:18 PM
We had the same problem with George's chump car.
Tried Corbeau Forza seats, too tall.
Tried Kirkey aluminum seats, too tall.
Tried GTS seats, too tall.
All these were tried on the stock seat rails.
George rebuilt a stock seat into a racing seat to get us low enough.
At a historic race I looked at all the 914 seat mountings.
They all cut out the cross member and bolted the seats directly to the floor.
Then reinforced the floor pan from below with plates across the car.
John
Posted by: FourBlades Oct 8 2014, 07:23 PM
Pics of two nicely setup race 914s:
I will do something like this with my IMSA car.
John
Posted by: ThePaintedMan Oct 8 2014, 07:24 PM
Yeah... eventually I'll get around to posting pictures of that seat. It was a lot of work, but worth it in the end since we needed to be able to keep the seat adjustable. I reinforced the seat in several areas with aluminum as well as fiberglass so I knew it wouldn't go anywhere.
One day I'll learn how to sew and make it pretty. Or just have someone do the upholstery for me.
Posted by: FourBlades Oct 8 2014, 07:27 PM
I like the adjustable seat back brace you fabricated for it.
It worked like a champ.
I had to have the seat moved back compared to the other drivers or my knees were hitting the cross bar of the cage.
No problem being low enough with your seat.
John
Posted by: Sfreeman615 Oct 9 2014, 12:23 PM
If you are even close to tall, you will have a pretty difficult time finding anything that will work. The 914 seat is a bucket - you sit "in" it. Most everything else you sit "on".
I tried a pile of different seats. They all either sat too high, or I lost serious leg room as the seats did not fit into the firewall recess (even with the back pad removed).
I finally threw in the towel and sent my stock seats out to Renegade Hybrids. They did a great job at rebolstering them. I also got the short bottom cushion option. At 6'2"+ and all torso, not only was I extremely comfortable, but I could even get in the car with a helmet.
Highly recommend them. Here is a pic. I had them done to look similar to the factory GT seats.
*disclaimer* I did not try Stefans (GTS) seats. He makes some very cool stuff.
Love this look for stock!! Mine has the non adjustable seat on the passenger side that molds into the back pad, which I'm not going to put back in , I would just need to pick up another adjustable seat for that side? Do you renember how much it cost to have them redone?
Posted by: abnrdo Oct 9 2014, 12:28 PM
Do those Renegade seats have the name upholstered on the headrests? Very interested to see what the seats cost you.
Posted by: Scott S Oct 9 2014, 12:44 PM
Do those Renegade seats have the name upholstered on the headrests? Very interested to see what the seats cost you.
Unfortunately yes, mine did. I was able to talk them into doing black on black, so it was not as obnoxious as their usual red and yellow. It is my understanding that they have relaxed thier policy on this and will now do them without the logo.
I think I had 750 into them with the additional shorter cushions and having the bolsters done completely in leatherette (they normally had the center upolstery on the inner panel of the bolster). I also had them shave the bump off of the back of the headrest. I was using a harness bar, and removing that foam allowed the seat to go all the way back (previously the seats would hit the harness bar, costing me about an inch or so).
Just give them a hollar. They are really great to work with/super nice guys.
I dont know if I have any additional pics - let me take a look. I sold the car two years ago.
Posted by: r_towle Oct 9 2014, 12:59 PM
What do you mean about shaving the bump off the back?
Did you just carve out an area for the bar?
Posted by: Sfreeman615 Oct 9 2014, 01:16 PM
Do those Renegade seats have the name upholstered on the headrests? Very interested to see what the seats cost you.
Unfortunately yes, mine did. I was able to talk them into doing black on black, so it was not as obnoxious as their usual red and yellow. It is my understanding that they have relaxed thier policy on this and will now do them without the logo.
I think I had 750 into them with the additional shorter cushions and having the bolsters done completely in leatherette (they normally had the center upolstery on the inner panel of the bolster). I also had them shave the bump off of the back of the headrest. I was using a harness bar, and removing that foam allowed the seat to go all the way back (previously the seats would hit the harness bar, costing me about an inch or so).
Just give them a hollar. They are really great to work with/super nice guys.
I dont know if I have any additional pics - let me take a look. I sold the car two years ago.
Just got off the phone with them and ordered 2 seats in all black! I am pumped knowing they will for sure fit! Thanks so much for the heads up! Question, did you use the factory brackets and mounting hardware? I had to put new floor pans in mine and I'm trying to decide if I need to buy the oem hardware from restoration design to mount these seats!
Posted by: Sfreeman615 Oct 9 2014, 01:20 PM
Do those Renegade seats have the name upholstered on the headrests? Very interested to see what the seats cost you.
They will do them without the logo if you want! I just paid $475 per seat, with them supplying 2 seats instead of me shipping my seat to them for a $50 core charge, I needed a new passenger seat anyway and didn't have a core to send, so I figured shipping my seat would be $50, so I just let them supply the core!
Posted by: Chris914n6 Oct 9 2014, 01:41 PM
Making your own sport seats is pretty easy. Remove the foam from the stock seats. Cut the side bolster templates from cardboard. Transfer to a heavy gauge aluminum sheet. Screw or rivet them to the fiberglass. Cover in new foam and upholster. The aluminum can be bent out to fit wider folks.
Cheap fixes that I've done, being 6' 180lbs, was to remove the board from the bottom of the cushion.
Then for autox I got 1" black (densest) foam cut and replaced the fat stock cushion. Helped with lumbar support as well as the arch was higher up on my back.
Posted by: Scott S Oct 9 2014, 02:58 PM
What do you mean about shaving the bump off the back?
Did you just carve out an area for the bar?
Here is a pic showing what I had removed (green line). I basically just had the back of the head rest shaved flat.
Attached image(s)
Posted by: stugray Oct 9 2014, 03:00 PM
I took out the stock rails and made my own:
Posted by: pdlightning Oct 9 2014, 10:08 PM
Nice job Stugray. I really like the way they look and sit.
Posted by: 1stworks Oct 10 2014, 10:00 AM
These sparco race seats fit great bolted to floor.
My e brake has room on side of seat, room for helmet too.
Iam 6'1"
Posted by: 1stworks Oct 10 2014, 10:05 AM
My buddy's car.
seats on sliders, sits up higher than mine . Probably good for shorter people.
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