Best Front bucket seat to buy from salvage yard? Howto?

All, I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should be looking for instead? Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old bucket seat? Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this feature? Virtually, Warr

I got mine out of a plymouth (?) laser. It doesn't have lumbar but does recline. I like it very much. I paid $40. They are usually bolted to the floor pan with four bolts. You need to slide the seat forward and back to get at the bolts. They may also have plastic trim covering them up. Another tip: Get the passenger side seat they have much less wear. Dave.

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> All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

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> All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

The seat I'm using is the passenger side out of a chevy Cavalier<sp>. It has been great for me as far as comfort, however.. The legs/attachment brackets are a bit too long. If they were one inch shorter I could have a good posture and the angle to the peddles would be easier to adjust. The Fabreic covering is another thing to look at, If it's vinyl or leather, after a GP length race or a 100% NASCAR race, You'll be sticking to the seat and end up with a good rash. This seat only moves forward and back one inch. some times (going from one sim to the next) I need to be a whole lot closer. Other times a whole lot farther. With this seat Each and every leg/bracket is a different length. So, configuring the seat for a level seating arrangement is very tough. After more then a year with this seat I now know it would be better to get a custom race seat for comfort, and some how attach it to the sliding (forward, back) mechanism of a regular passenger seat. Here's the list to look for.. Fabric cover Forward back movement length The design of the legs The length of the legs Confort. I'm sure others can help with the list. Also consider a race seat. -- ========================================= Mike Barlow of Barlow Racing? ========================================= http://members.xoom.com/BarlowRacing/ Racing online with the help of...... Race Communications Association Holodyne Engineering Mystic Music (have Your !!Name/Address!! placed here)

Try to find a VW or BMW in a yard with some Recaro seats... some of them came stock with those, alot of times they were added on by enthusiasts... very comfortable.. thats what i'd do, beats buying a new recaro seat (Big $$$) Ryan

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>All, >I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. >OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying >computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) >Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a >good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to >get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. >I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, >because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. >But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should >be looking for instead? >Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how >do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old >bucket seat? >Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have >speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this >feature? >Virtually, >Warr

How about a fiberglass racing seat? They go for about $40, or $60-70 with cover. They're the same seats you see at a lot of the sit-down arcade driving games.

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>>I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. >>OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying >>computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) >>Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a >>good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to >>get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. >>I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, >>because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. >>But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should >>be looking for instead? >>Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how >>do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old >>bucket seat? >>Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have >>speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this >>feature? >>Virtually, >>Warr

82-83 VW GTI Has great seats cheep or try some race seats 40 bucks www.Summitracing.com jr

Go buy an ATR or the like, vinyl bucket at the local speed shop. The run 50 to 60 bucks, are quite form fitting, and have various colored covers available. Then you'll have a real race car seat. MM

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> All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

Or, if you can't find one with Recaro's (a friend had them in his GTI 16V - SWEEET ) - find one with the VW Sport seats. I have these, alas only in my GTI and not at my computer, and they're very nice too. One nice thing, and this may work very well for a "cockpit" seat - is that the seat angle is adjusted by a wheel on the side and can be tweaked to just the right angle. No adjustable lumbar, but it's a nicely shaped seat nonetheless. You'll find these in Corrados, Golf GTI's and GT's, Jetta GLI's and probably Scirrocos - and they probably put them in some Wolfsburg Editions too. -- Ken's Sig 3.01 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com > Try to find a VW or BMW in a yard with some Recaro seats... some of them > came stock with those, alot of times they were added on by enthusiasts... > very comfortable.. thats what i'd do, beats buying a new recaro seat (Big > $$$) > Ryan > >All, > >I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > >OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > >computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > >Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > >good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > >get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > >I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > >because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > >But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > >be looking for instead? > >Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > >do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > >bucket seat? > >Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > >speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > >feature? > >Virtually, > >Warr

I've had 3 VW so far,(Scirocco, Golf and Jetta) and they have IMHO the best seats, even the non-Recaro ones. They are firm, yet comfortable for hours, and they are also adjustable for height. > 82-83 VW GTI Has great seats cheep > or try some race seats 40 bucks > www.Summitracing.com > jr

I got mine out of a 1998 Chrysler , cloth, lumbar, front and rear movement of the chair and adjustable back with head rest, I mounted it on 3 2x4's stacked with a 1" shim at the front to give the entire seat that laid back effect, I gave 10 bucks for the seat and picked the lumber up at a new home job site(scraps about 2' in length), I then drilled pilot holes and screwed 1/4"x5" lag bolts in the existing front slide rail mount, and 1/4"x 2" lag bolts in the rear, it took me about 30 minutes to put it all together, it's sets better than my Camaro does :-) -- http://www.csranet.com/~pipeline/boots.html#non http://fairchildpub.com/fn/directory/281.htm Jeff Eiland #28 Georgia Boot Chevy aka veiland on ten aka viman on GSB http://jrfan.home.mindspring.com > All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

87' to 91' BMW Recaro .. 325is or M3... KGH

Mid to late 80's Toyota Supra! Awesome, comfortable, and has lumbar, adjustable headrest, etc, etc. I used to own a 1982 Supra and drove it some 6 hours at a time while on road trips. I have a bad back and it was never aggravating to my injuries. They come in cloth and leather. A while back I saw a post that had a pic attached to it of a rollbar set up with a Recarro bucket, 5 point harness, etc. The file was called virtrace.jpg, anyone have a copy of it still? Great job!! I have been looking into building one. The cheapest way I found to do it, is from muffler pipe. Just get the local muffler shop to bend it for you, then just weld it together. You don;t need a fancy welder, just an Oxy/Acetalene <sp> setup and some baling wire. Matt Harper

Any 70's Firebird seat (and probably Camaro's too - but I wouldn't be caught dead putting my ass in a Camaro) is by far the most comfortable I've spent any time in. Unfortunately they don't have the adjustability of today's performance seats, but I think that they maybe just made 'em a little better in the first place to make up for that lack. The DEEPLY padded vinyl seat out of my '76 455 T/A was my favorite after I added a cloth seat cover. The seat in my '88 Mustang is bearable, but that's about it. Even with thigh, lumbar, and side bolsters it's never quite perfect. As several folks have suggested, you can get a fiberglass racing seat for about the same price you'll pay for a car seat from a junkyard. I bought a slightly large one for my Jeep and padded it with thick foam *** under a padded seat cover. Feels pretty nice. -dobe-

Here's a source for inexpensive fiberglass racing seats: http://www.pape-ent.com/seats/index.html

My Dad had a '84 Supra, those were great seats :-) -- Ken's Sig 3.01 "Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - Obi-Wan Kenobi Go #43 and #44! volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com

A Recaro.

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> All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

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Ditto, mine was an '83 Supra, most comfortable car seat I've ever sat in.

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>My Dad had a '84 Supra, those were great seats :-) >-- >Ken's Sig 3.01 >"Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" - >Obi-Wan Kenobi >Go #43 and #44! >volksy (at) yahoo (dot) com >> Mid to late 80's Toyota Supra! Awesome, comfortable, and has lumbar, >> adjustable headrest, etc, etc. >> I used to own a 1982 Supra and drove it some 6 hours at a time while on >road >> trips. I have a bad back and it was never aggravating to my injuries.

They

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>> come in cloth and leather. >> A while back I saw a post that had a pic attached to it of a rollbar set >up >> with a Recarro bucket, 5 point harness, etc. The file was called >> virtrace.jpg, anyone have a copy of it still? Great job!! I have been >> looking into building one. The cheapest way I found to do it, is from >> muffler pipe. Just get the local muffler shop to bend it for you, then >just >> weld it together. You don;t need a fancy welder, just an Oxy/Acetalene ><sp> >> setup and some baling wire. >> Matt Harper

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> All, > I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. > OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying > computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) > Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a > good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to > get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. > I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, > because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. > But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should > be looking for instead? > Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how > do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old > bucket seat? > Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have > speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this > feature? > Virtually, > Warr

I got a pair of used Starion/Conquest front seats like 10 years back for $40 each. Were considered good at the time. Any reasonable offer will be considered. Shipping not included. -- Fast as lightning, slick as glass. Out from Hell on a three day pass.

My picks for cheap and (hopefully not so) dirty: Seats from *any* GTI model of a Golf(Rabbit) or Scirocco. These are Recaros, and the best driving seats in anything less than a Porsche. If you get the Scirocco seat, you get height adjustment. Plus, the Germans figured out long ago the benefits of an infinitely adjustable backrest, as opposed to the click-stops in most Japanese sport seats. 80's Supra. Lots of adjustment. However, mostly these come in disco-plush velour, as opposed to the hard-wearing fabric in the Vee-Dubs. I put 300,000 hard kilometers on my trusty Scirocco (flying wedge) and I still have pleasant memories of those lovely Recaros. Take a socket set to the wreckers. The seat tracks are usually held by 4 bolts to the floorpan. sounds like a fun project. Stephen : All, : I have a non-automotive project going that requires a front bucket seat. : OK, I'm building a mini-cockpit for some of my driving and flying : computer games. So I'm a woodworking nerd.... ;-) : Anyway, it seems to me that a bucket seat from a wrecking yard would be a : good thing to sit on, rather than building something myself. But what to : get? My bottom only knows what I have sat in in the past. : I was initially thinking about a Mazda RX7 drivers seat from 1983 or so, : because it had lumbar, front AND rear height, and bolster adjustment. : But perhaps someone knows of a really truly great drivers seat I should : be looking for instead? : Assuming I find one that is in good shape and doesn't smell bad ;-), how : do I remove it from a car? How much should I expect to pay for an old : bucket seat? : Another thought: didn't 1989 RX7 convertable and Pontiac Fiero seats have : speakers in the headrests? That might be useful. Any other cars have this : feature? : Virtually, : Warr

All, Thanks to everyone for both their responses here, and those personal e- mails sent directly to me. Interestingly, the most popular responses were by far: 1. VW Seats from a GTI or Scirocco (Recaros), 2. BMW M3 series seats (also Recaros), and 3. Mid-to-Late 80's Toyota (supra) seats. I visited 4 different wrecking yards (pick-your-part type places) this Saturday and based on the avaialble CLEAN, NOT-AWFUL-SMELLING, and untorn seats, narrowed it down to an 89 MR2 driver's, and a 90 Camry LE 4wheeldrive driver's. I wanted the MR2 first, mostly because it looked a little cooler, but one of the bolts was on so tight, it broke my 14 MM craftsman socket. One new socket later, out came the Camry's. The Camry's has fore-and-aft, infinate recline (via a knob), lumbar, front (thigh) and rear (butt) height adjustment, and a ratcheting headrest. It is far more comfortable than what is currently in my Altima. It cost $20. There is virtaully no wear on the thing, and just a few little spots of, hmmm, a Pepsi spill from long ago? I'll ask about the best upholstry cleaners in another post. Thanks again for all your input. Virtaully, Warr

I would go with Recaro seats... http://www.recaro.com/html_us/home.htm They are expensive though...