Help! Sport seat frame repair

[325SME]

The squab frame on my drivers side sport seat is knackered (feels like the frame has broken!) and I'm either looking to get it repaired or to replace it with a spare frame (thanks Simon). Has anybody had any experience of stripping/dismantling the seat base? How difficult is it? I was thinking of putting the old and new frames side by side and swapping the necessary parts over to the new one.

[Brianmoooore]

The fracture usually occurs where the thick walled metal tube that forms the basis of the hinge for the backrest is welded to the thin metal of the seat frame side.
Seat bases are easy, if a bit fiddly and time consuming to strip down. Just remove all the metal clips and split metal rings and remember where they all go.
When you've got it all off, it can be welded, or replaced if you have a suitable donor.

[Simon]

The fracture usually occurs where the thick walled metal tube that forms the basis of the hinge for the backrest is welded to the thin metal of the seat frame side.
Seat bases are easy, if a bit fiddly and time consuming to strip down. Just remove all the metal clips and split metal rings and remember where they all go.
When you've got it all off, it can be welded, or replaced if you have a suitable donor.

Brian, I had a look at this seat the other day, and I know where you mean about the break you mention, as mine in the M3 has broken here.

The seat Steve has a problem with is a different one though, one I haven't seen before.
When you pull up on the seat back, it seems to hinge halfway along the base, when you push back on the seat back, the base lifts out... any ideas?!

[e30bb]

I swapped bits from a donor seat.

Its easy, no special tools required, but its quiet fiddley.

This was useful:

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

[Brianmoooore]

The fracture usually occurs where the thick walled metal tube that forms the basis of the hinge for the backrest is welded to the thin metal of the seat frame side.
Seat bases are easy, if a bit fiddly and time consuming to strip down. Just remove all the metal clips and split metal rings and remember where they all go.
When you've got it all off, it can be welded, or replaced if you have a suitable donor.

Brian, I had a look at this seat the other day, and I know where you mean about the break you mention, as mine in the M3 has broken here.

The seat Steve has a problem with is a different one though, one I haven't seen before.
When you pull up on the seat back, it seems to hinge halfway along the base, when you push back on the seat back, the base lifts out... any ideas?!

Haven't come across this one, but strip it down and it should be obvious.
Link above has some good photos. Have seen 2 and 3: perhaps Steve's is a photo 1.

[325SME]

The fracture usually occurs where the thick walled metal tube that forms the basis of the hinge for the backrest is welded to the thin metal of the seat frame side.
Seat bases are easy, if a bit fiddly and time consuming to strip down. Just remove all the metal clips and split metal rings and remember where they all go.
When you've got it all off, it can be welded, or replaced if you have a suitable donor.

Brian, I had a look at this seat the other day, and I know where you mean about the break you mention, as mine in the M3 has broken here.

The seat Steve has a problem with is a different one though, one I haven't seen before.
When you pull up on the seat back, it seems to hinge halfway along the base, when you push back on the seat back, the base lifts out... any ideas?!

Haven't come across this one, but strip it down and it should be obvious.
Link above has some good photos. Have seen 2 and 3: perhaps Steve's is a photo 1.

Had a rummage around when I swapped the seats around the other night Brian, looks very much like 1st picture as I could feel some jagged edges just below the tubular frame for the side bolster. That link looks very useful so fingers crossed I'll have a bash next weekend....