Wanted, Advice on replacement seats for '73 240

[visionary]

I need to replace my seats and because I drive the car for distances, as there is no direct route to or from Idaho, I want to put something more comfortable with more support. I also would like to find a replacement out of a junk yard because of the cost. Any ideas or recommendations???

Keith

[2ManyZs]

I can think of quite a few cars that might give up their seats to a Z. Miata, Sentra, 280 Zx, 300 ZX(?). I guess it all depends on what you can find, what feels good to your "framework", and what will fit in the Z. Take a measurement of the bottom cushions overall width and go scour the junkyards. Most of the time the interferance is the bottom cushion width not fitting down into the tunnel area, and lining up with the stock seat mounts. You will probably have to do a little modification to the seat tracks to bolt them up or make up some brackets to make them fit.

I seem to remember a discussion about the late model Miata seats fitting, and they have stereo speakers in the headrest, one less thing to tinker with.

[BadDog]

If you find somthing, let me know if you're going to sell your 240 seats (black?)... my seats aren't in bad condition, but I think they're from a 280Z (no vent thingies in lumbar area)

[byunique]

I converted my 73's seats to Fiero Seats. Remember the old Pontiac Fiero? A telltale sign of the seats is the speakers in the headrest. Don't expect any high fi sound from the speakers by the way, they really are designed for a car that can't mount speakers anywhere.

I had saw somebody else do this conversion and he said they bolted right in. Well, not too bad. The front holes are pretty much right on, the original holes had to be enlarged a little. The rear holes are shifted about an inch, but you can easily fabricate a simple bracket to make this work.The best thing about these seats is that they were $150 from the junkyard and they were very fresh...like new and grey. The seats also fit the car very well, the are on the slimmer side and have good side bolstering, and they have a tilt mechanism which is very easy to use. The amount of padding is very good, but too much, and the ability to tilt easily makes long distance driving a breeze.

If will post some pics if you still interested.

[visionary]

I would like to see some photo's if you have some of the fiero seats. I could care less about the headrest speakers, I have a Kenwood system with rear 6x9 and front 5" speakers but would like a mod that has minimal fabrication....

Thanks, Keith

[visionary]

Hey Baddog and anyone else who is interested:

There is a Z shop in Lakewood Colorado ( a suburb of Denver) called Fortunate Wheelz. The owners name is Bob Bush,303.798.9822, and this guy is a brilliant Z mechanic with alot of parts. Baddog, he has a set of seats you may be interested in... tell him Keith with the Idaho Z sent you.

Keith

[BadDog]

Thanks Visionary!

[MDyer]

If your seats are structurally in decent shape, I'd suggest having them done by a GOOD reupholsterer. They can "rebuild" the cushioning, which provides unbelievably better back and rear-end support. I had been wrestling with the transplant idea, as well as Recaros and Corbeaus, etc. I decided that the folks that designed the Z obviously have a feel for style and scale; I just updated the look (consistent with my "vision" for my 77; albeit mildly customized). See my post, which is only a couple before yours. I'm thrilled w/ the outcome. Great support, firm yet comfy. No wrestling/modifications to make something fit. If you're interested, I can get you in touch with the professional that did mine.

[byunique]

[visionary]

Brandon,

Car looks great. I like the seats and the fit is very consisitent with the interior. I think I will look around in the yards.

By the way, I lived on Nob Hill and Buena Vista for many years while I worked downtown and in the media district in SOMA.

I'll let you know...

Keith