Sports Seats

Sports seats were fitted to various Sport models of the E30 range.

Please update me with information about Recaro seats, photos etc

this is a link to the best instructions on how to re-build the sports seat

http://www.esatclear.ie/~bpurcell/318isseat.html

and if it fails >>>>

how to recover the sports seats 1. Slide the seat all the way back and undo the front bolts, then all the way forward and undo the rears.

2. With the seat still in the car tilt it sideways and undo the seat belt mounting, lift the seat out the car.

3. Place the seat on a bench/table at a suitable height as you will be leant over it for some time

4. Tip the seat forward so it is leaning on the top of the back rest (having removed the headrest first) at the hinge point on the bottom of the back rest cover you will see 2 cross head screws, remove them.

5. Put the seat right way up and carefully raise the back rest cover up, there are two hidden clips at the headrest end holding the top.

6. You can now see inside the frame of the back rest, there are two recesses, one either side and close to the bottom, remove the two large cross head screws from within.

7. Undo the plastic hinge point covers and set aside with all the other items removed.

8. Looking into the area where you have removed the back rest cover, carefully prize the wire out from the seat back lever (the one that allows you to let rear passengers in) follow this wire down the inside of the backrest frame and bend out tabs holding it back.

9. Viewing the hinge mechanisms, the same wire (hoop ends) leave these attached to the hinge points and feed the wire out through the gap in the back rest side bolster and finally remove the nylon grommet, you will see that you can now lift the back rest off the base.

All that sounds a lot more difficult than it is, it is just long winded to describe

Please note that if you want to replace the base side bolsters other dismantling will be required.

10. Remove the seat belt receiver (bolts into either end of a bar that holds the back of the seat base fabric) and turn the seat base upside down, carefully prize the bar out of the hinge point either side, this will release the back of the runners and slide the bar out through the fabric loop.

11. At the front of the seat base, remove the clip and pin that secures the arm for the adjustable bolster and then carefully with a flat screwdriver lift the metal securing tabs/spikes from around the underside of it as well as the plastic strip that will now pull off from the long edge.

12. With the seat base still upside down, you will see that the foam in the base is clipped with "Hog Rings" through the seat springs and in some places to the edge of the side bolsters, you will need to tug and twist these out with snipe nosed pliers (keep them and using the snipe nose pliers you will need to bend these back into a u shape to reclip the new base).

13. Finally look for the other metal tabs/spikes across the back edge of the seat frame and pull the material, bend up the tabs and lift the material off them, the seat base will now be released.

NOTE PUTTING THE HOG RINGS BACK IN THROUGH THE FOAM IS A BA**ARD, you will need to put a cushion between your bench and the finished side of your base (with the seat upside down between the bolsters) and push the U shaped rings (that you re-bent earlier) down into the foam with you snipe nosed pliers and then at the same time turn them so you have the points facing you and then squeeze them closed around a seat spring. No problem, just about covers most of it except to add that to change the side bolsters on the back rest, you really need to remove the centres first, same with the base, the side bolsters are again hog ringed through a wire running along the length of the bolster and fixed to the edges of the springs, and then on the other edge of the bolster they are hooked onto the tabs/spikes YOU MUST FIX THE RING THROUGH THE WIRE SIDE BEFORE HOOKING ONTO THE TABS.

(Note; when I recovered mine I used zip/cable ties instead of hog rings {invented by the devil} and they are MUCH easier to use. daved)

The only parts i haven't mentioned, so i might as well now, is to remove the base side bolsters, you need to release the hinge mechanisms as follows:

1. Remove the front adjustable bolster knob (can be quite tight),to remove the plastic side cover is one plastic spike, lever under the cover not the spike or you will break it, and slide forwards then remove the lever under the cover (star drive screw) if you are swapping a bolster from the handbrake side to the outside, just make a new hole for this lever spindle, no big deal.

2. In the centre of the hinge mechanism there is a little short lever, over a circlip, gently lever this out and remove the circlip (both sides)

3.Wedge a screw driver against the bar in the curved slot and rotate the hinge mechanism, it will then twist off out the way, allowing you to peel the material off, once you have unhooked and removed rings as before.

If you are working on seats for a 4 door/touring, the backrest will lift straight off with no wires to worry about. Don't expect to get it all done in a hurry, it takes time and makes your fingers bloody sore.