Seats not bolted in/not operating

[TheBeaves26]

First things first. The seats. I got the car from a guy who put on a brand new top. (Convertible)
Told me he had to take the seats out to do so. He lost the bolts. Anyone got any idea what bolt it is? Thread pitch/size? Can I rob bolts outta a 2001-ish BMW and use those? Secondly. I cant figure out how to operate the seats. The driver side has no controls(that I can see. Might be in plain sight.) The passenger has electric controls. (Havent hooked them up to see if they are operational.) The seats could be in the wrong position but I feel like they are correct. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Paul Rice]

Strange he lost the bolts, Should be interchangeable with 2001.
Seat controls if electric are mounted closest the door on the side towards the front of the seat. This controls forward/ reverse and up/down
If not electric will have a bar under the front squab for front back movement
Further info on the How too section titled rocking seats

 

[TheBeaves26]

So any seat frame bolts from a 2000 era BMW will work? And as far as I can tell. There is no bar under the driver. I will have to take a picture when I'm off(night shif)

 

[Paul Rice]

You will know if the seat is electric when you try lifting them, very heavy motor

 

[IainP]

M8 nuts on the front, I can’t remember the rears, probably M10 grade 8.8 or higher.
Tony is currently doing a kit of bits for the front of the seat which raises it, to make it more comfortable, I heartily recommend going that route. Massive improvement over standard.

If you do have a manual drivers seat, and want electric, I’ll happily swap frames and pay carriage both ways, (unless you’re in Scotland, I’ll drop in), I hate them.
I have one seat in bits at the moment for various reasons, if you need pics of anything, let me know. There are also lots of pics on my progress thread “seemed like a good idea at the time”.

iain

 

[TheBeaves26]

M8 nuts on the front, I can’t remember the rears, probably M10 grade 8.8 or higher.
Tony is currently doing a kit of bits for the front of the seat which raises it, to make it more comfortable, I heartily recommend going that route. Massive improvement over standard.

If you do have a manual drivers seat, and want electric, I’ll happily swap frames and pay carriage both ways, (unless you’re in Scotland, I’ll drop in), I hate them.
I have one seat in bits at the moment for various reasons, if you need pics of anything, let me know. There are also lots of pics on my progress thread “seemed like a good idea at the time”.

iain

Sounds good. I'll dig into it after I get some rest.
And unfortunately I'm in the US

 

[TheBeaves26]

Man I wish 3 series seats fit in my car.

 

[IainP]

The early e36 seats won’t be far away. I can probably get you the dimensions, my son runs a couple of Touring.
The base might be a bit high though.

 

[TheBeaves26]

The early e36 seats won’t be far away. I can probably get you the dimensions, my son runs a couple of Touring.
The base might be a bit high though.

Yea. I looked at some old forums. If he can confirm I'd appreciate it. But I believe it's a no go

 

[TheBeaves26]

Yep. Electric. But no controls for the driver.i got the right bolts. But what about the seat. Where to go now?

 

[Mario]

How far are you from Watford? I have seat rails and side panels with the electric controls and I can sort you out for cheap

 

[TheBeaves26]

How far are you from Watford? I have seat rails and side panels with the electric controls and I can sort you out for cheap

I'm in Jackson TN USA. So I got no idea. Interested tho. I may try to Jerry rig the motor to a switch.

 

[Stevo7682]

On real oem the front bolts are not shown any longer ( means they are probably no longer available new) rear bolts are still shown ( m10 x 28.5.)

You should be able to get the front bolts from most bmw around that age.
If you are stuck pretty sure one of our resident UK forum breakers could probably help you out with them and postage across the pond to the US
Stephen.

 

[TheBeaves26]

You should be able to get the front bolts from most bmw around that age.
If you are stuck pretty sure one of our resident UK forum breakers could probably help you out with them and postage across the pond to the US
Stephen.

Yea. I got the seats in for a little drive! I used a drill and the "driveshaft" from one side of the seat. Now I gotta see if I can find another one. And hook the motor up at a switch and I'm set. Thanks all for the help!

 

[IainP]

Sorry, a bit chaotic at the moment. You’re right, 3 series seats won’t fit.
I’m sure the rear bolts are 10.9
Fronts are flange nuts.
An idea to use threaded rod connectors to raise the front, gives better thigh support.

I’ll hopefully have my seat stripped this Sunday, will take pics of the wiring, part of my switch is broken, hoping to fit rocker switches to eliminate the standard one.

 

[TheBeaves26]

Sorry, a bit chaotic at the moment. You’re right, 3 series seats won’t fit.
I’m sure the rear bolts are 10.9
Fronts are flange nuts.
An idea to use threaded rod connectors to raise the front, gives better thigh support.
View attachment 174979
I’ll hopefully have my seat stripped this Sunday, will take pics of the wiring, part of my switch is broken, hoping to fit rocker switches to eliminate the standard one.

I've heard of this riser upgrade. Does it really help that much?
Probably gonna do the same with the rocker switches. How does the back recline? Is it motorised? Or do I have to pull on those two cables in my photo?

 

[IainP]

I found raising the front far more comfortable, I got a lot more thigh support. I’m not tall either, just under 5’7”. It also allows the back to recline a little more, let me sleep in it far better on long trips.
The cable should be attached to the lever on the side of the seat and operate the recline mechanism. There is a spring loaded mechanism inside the seat, it was totally seized on mine, I had to completely strip it to get the spring moving again.
Problem I have now is the seat back will recline all the way if I press hard, something is either worn or broken.
I need to strip the thing again, though it’s a perfect opportunity to fit heated panels. I’m one of those stupid people who drive everywhere with the hood down.

 

[TheBeaves26]

I need to strip the thing again, though it’s a perfect opportunity to fit heated panels. I’m one of those stupid people who drive everywhere with the hood down.

You mean like STRIPPED down? Taking out hog rings and stuff(never done anything like that) heated stocks sounds dope. And I'll try the risers. Gotta get the seat reclined. And figure out what to do for a drive shaft for that seat motors

 

[IainP]

Got a bit carried away, found the reason why the seat reclines on its own, I have no slack in the cables.

And those pics are corrupt,need to retake them.
6 wires inside the switch, that’ll be earth, power in and the same forward/reverse for the motors, I’ll play with that when my switches eventually arrive

 

[IainP]

The wire needs to go over the plastic lever like this

Then this plastic bit

should be slid onto the bit of metal on the left, the little ball end should fit into the split bit on the right. When it’s fitted in, there should be a little slack in the cable. That was my mistake, I had the cable tight and the seat would recline if pressed hard enough.

if the lever turns when pulled, but the seat won’t recline, then this bit is jammed.


It’s on the inside of the seat, there are little metal tabs that have to be bent back to allow the fabric to unclip.Pushing on the leather takes the tension off.
Knock the roll pin out, then you can twist the tube and spring upwards. Squeeze those two metal levers together, vise grips or locking pliers. Smack the end with a hammer to shock the spring loose. Oil well and cycle the spring in/out. Put the roll pin back in and reassemble.