Recaro SRD swap

[JDMdreamz]

Howdy all;

I've been sitting on a pair of mint red Recaro SRDs from either a CTR (EK9) or ITR (DC2) for a while and now I'm ready to put them in my car along with the partial black 91 SE leather (already installed) interior I found. Trouble is, I tried it already and they do not fit. The rails are too long and too narrow compared to stock and only two bolts will thread in at one time. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get them in; SAFELY, preferably without hacking up the rails? I've searched the site, and read the sticky on what seats will fit. I even PMed the one guy who's car has the same seats, but I have not as yet received a reply. If there's anyone that knows of someone who has done the swap into a CB7 or have done it yoursel(f)ves-please, fill me in on exactly what was done. Otherwise, ideas about how to go about getting them in my car will be greatly appreciated. Last but certainly not least, I hope this is in the right place... happy motoring!!

[jacobuchanan140]

To make those seats fit you'll have to modify the rails.

[ktcb7]

Okay, this is what I did to maintain the "DC2 rails" in my cb:

First: Put the bolt in which is on the back of the rail closest to the e-brake console.

Second: Drill two new holes in the front where the bolt gets put through into the front mounting bracket on the floor of the cb.

Third: Bolt up the front two holes and your done.

Fourth: Repeat on seat #2

There is two holes you won't be using and they are the one on the back of the rail closest to the doors. The seats are secure because you have 3 out of 4 bolts. Hope this helps!

[JDMdreamz]

Thanks ktcb7... however, when in the process of taking out a stock seat and one bolt is removed, the entire seat moves like a geriatric's rocking chair! I can't imagine this being safe in full on stops and acceleration, not to mention what that rocking motion does to the strength of the other rail mounting 'tabs' over time. So.... my question to you is; do you experience any seat rock with your current set-up? If not, I will definitely look into putting them in, in the way you've described. It will definitely be better than having them sit in storage and likely be turned into nesting material or toilets for pesky rodents... Thanks again, and if anyone else has any ideas, keep 'em coming & please know they are greatly appreciated!!

[JDMdreamz]

I don't really want to cut up the rails, but if I can find no other way of doing it, then that will be my last resort. I was kinda hoping someone knew of a set of rails that were readily available from any junk yard that I could swap onto the SRDs and that worked with the CB7 rail mounting points... but I guess things can't ever be that simple.

[ktcb7]

Thanks ktcb7... however, when in the process of taking out a stock seat and one bolt is removed, the entire seat moves like a geriatric's rocking chair! I can't imagine this being safe in full on stops and acceleration, not to mention what that rocking motion does to the strength of the other rail mounting 'tabs' over time. So.... my question to you is; do you experience any seat rock with your current set-up? If not, I will definitely look into putting them in, in the way you've described. It will definitely be better than having them sit in storage and likely be turned into nesting material or toilets for pesky rodents... Thanks again, and if anyone else has any ideas, keep 'em coming & please know they are greatly appreciated!!

I don't experience any rocking while seating in the seat because your applying weight throughout the entire seat and I've been to track with heavy acceleration and braking at the end with this set-up and feel just as safe as with the stock seat set-up with four bolts. The only time I experience rocking is when nothing is in the seat and you apply rocking to the seat but trust me its minimal.

P.s. I've been seeing how I could get the part of the rail to be flat and drill a hole in the floor to mount the missing bolt (due to my car be stripped its easy unless you still maintain your carpet).

[jimy]

Just go to recaros site and buy seat reails.

[JDMdreamz]

Thanks to all of those who've replied and viewed this thread. I will check out the Recaro site (I didn't think of that), I knew they supplied various rails for different cars, but not our CB7s. It just seems an unlikely choice because our cars aren't considered "sporting" enough to warrant semi-racing buckets and therefore rails. There's not a huge aftermarket available for 4th gens. I suppose anything is possible though. Also, I hope this helps other people looking to put SRDs into their cars. AND... if there are more ideas on getting them in, feel free to share...

[casterX]

look into 5th gens also.. i believe it's the same..

[JDMdreamz]

Thanks... will do.

[JDMdreamz]

Well, I've been digging around briefly and may have found a way to get the seats in without hacking up the original brackets. Apparently Tenzo R makes vehicle specific brackets and these were used to mount Recaro SRDs into a CD6. I had a look around a site selling Tenzo R seat bracket/sliders, and found they weren't very expensive. So I and interested others possibly have a means of getting these seats to work with our cars. I don't know about the automatic seat belt alarm which sounds-endlessly-unless the harness beneath each seat is connected, but this looks promising. I will look into this more and hopefully be able to create some sort of DIY for other interested members...