Stock or Racing Seats

[Gav240z]

Life's tough when the hardest decision i've been trying to make is if i should refurbish my old original 240z seats or go with a set of Sparco's, cobra's etc...

Pro's for original : - Originals suit the period of the car they have a what i feel nice look to them and a timeless design. Easy to get in and out of (well fairly).

Pro's for racing : Racing seats offer much more support and while it won't be a race car i enjoy sharp cornering etc.

Con's for Original : The originals don't offer much support, tend to slide around when getting the Z up and out there. Probably heavier than racing seats.

Con's for racing : Hard to get in and out I can imagine probably harder with standard steering wheel, not much freedom of movement.

Ok so basically I would love to get a pair of racing seats but I don't wanna (Cheapen up my Z) with boy racer toys. I would probably get black ones so they don't stand out so much(like red ones would).

It's like if you look into a 65' mustang you expect to see original leather seats not recaro's.

So I'm looking for opinions.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

http://www.viczcar.com/Images/Gallery4/pages/Interior3.htm

http://www.viczcar.com/Images/Gallery1/pages/Costa8.htm

[Zrush]

Gav

Is the car slightly modified? If so, go with your Sparco's. If the car is stock then puffin' up the stock seats. We did it in the red Z and we don't slide around, have lots of support and they still have the stockish look. We just (obviously) modified the colors.

Just my .02 cents

Vicky

[v12horse]

Hey Gav, I know you are a hardcore JDM Z enthusiast so you should get the best of the best. Get the Datsun Competition Bucket seats. They would be a nightmare to find and would probably only be found in Japan. I know they are not cheap, but Sparco's aren't either. The Datsun Competition Buckets' would be the perfect compromise for sport, Nissan, and period correctness. Here are some pics. It would be worth the effort if you could find a pair.

Take care,

Ben:classic:

[v12horse]

here is another pic. The seat on the right is missing the headrest so they did not come like that.

[TomoHawk]

I'm with Vicky, if you wanteds to keep the stock look, then while you're spending money, just have the stock seats bolstered with some extra foam.

[v12horse]

I love the stock seats. I would not change them, but I would not add the bolstering because I am not planning to autocross my car. They are comfortable just the way they are. However, I can see how people would want to change up the seats if they are going to be participating in autocross events, races, or just want a sportier look. But if I were to put racing seats in a Z I would try to find a pair(or just one) of the Datsun Competition Buckets. I think they are very JDM cool.

-Ben

[1975yellowBSPZ]

those are super-cool in the highest gt40 kinda way.

I like the corbeaus I have, very comfortable, don't look out of place and hold be in place.

I guess I'm alone here though...

but no one would call my car stock, either

Bryan

[TomoHawk]

If you are used to the old-style seats, you remember what SEAT BELTS are really for. To hold you from sliding off the seat!

I got used to using them so I still use them.

So, can we get somebody to volunteer to put together a list of seats that will fit a Z, with the different levels of mods?

[240ZX]

Gav,

Your a young guy and probably like to live near the edge of the envelope from time to time. And, one of those times is probably in the Z car. So, get your wallet ready for a little exercise and go order up the racing seats you've been dreaming about. You know, it's kind of like having great horsepower but all you have are crappy tires to put it to the ground. For about $400.00 (US) you can have a nice set of SPARCO entry level race seats that hug you ever so nicekly. However, if you insist on the stock look and a soar back redo the original seats so you can enjoy the sliding around. That's just my two cents worth..........I sure do love my SPARCO's!!!

[lordbiotree]

Originally posted by v12horse

I love the stock seats. I would not change them, but I would not add the bolstering because I am not planning to autocross my car. They are comfortable just the way they are. However, I can see how people would want to change up the seats if they are going to be participating in autocross events, races, or just want a sportier look. But if I were to put racing seats in a Z I would try to find a pair(or just one) of the Datsun Competition Buckets. I think they are very JDM cool.

-Ben

I LOVE the look of those seats.....I've never seen them on E-bay.

would those be cost efficient to a new set of stock seats?

If I was racing or street driving I would the above posted seats.

-Brandon

[v12horse]

Brandon, I have never seen these on ebay and I would assume that there is a very slight chance that these show up on ebay. I wish the Japanese sellers would post items like this more often if ever. The only place that I have seen these seats is on Japan Yahoo auctions. If you have a friend in Japan they could bid for you. I have tried to become a member of yahoo Japan, but I cannot. It has something to do with me living outside Japan.

As far as a price for these seats, I think they would be quite expensive. For a nice pair with the headrests and shipping costs from Japan I would think they could cost around 1000USD. (800-1000USD for the seats alone) I could be wrong though. I am really not sure how rare they are, but I have not seen many photos of cars with these seats if that says anything.

-Ben

[HS30-H]

Gav,

How about a 'period-look' bucket seat? Something that looks like it might have been roughly contemporary with the car? The CORBEAU GT-8 was always a good choice ( especially in black corduroy and vinyl with the chrome vents ). I think Corbeau still make them, and you can get them to make you a 'custom' colourway / fabric combo as far as I remember. I'd honestly advise you to stay away from anything that looks too modern unless you have other details on the car that fit with that look. To my mind, modern race-style seats can look very jarring in an otherwise early-Seventies period car.

Ben,

I can tell you that ( honestly! ) the "U0175" Sports Option 'Datsun Bucket' seats are not actually all that comfortable.........

As you know, I have them in my car - and I have to say that it can be pretty difficult to get totally set in them over a long journey. I think I'm going to re-install mine and see if I can get them mounted a bit lower. Its not so bad for me ( only 176cm ) but anyone fairly tall will probably feel even more uncomfortable!

Here's a pic of mine in the car: