Cleaning and installation of Porsche 911 seats

[70 Cam Guy]

First off, let me start with these are not installed yet. I have a few projects running concurrently for the moment so it will likely take a couple more weeks for me to get them in the car.

I've been thinking about doing 911 seats for a while and opportunity arose to buy a nice pair for a nice price. They are from an early 90s 911 and the driver has power. He explained the front and back of the seat bottom can be adjusted for elevation. They are certainly not light but I haven't weighed them yet. The seats have leather fronts and vinyl backs.

The seats have bottom mounts so adapting them to the Z's sliders should not be too tough. As you can tell, these look very similar to the Z seats and Porsche has used this basic design for a long time. I am not sure which seat came first but it would not surprise me if Datsun copied Recaro on these. I wanted sport seats that looked correct in the Z and I think these will work beautifully. They are also VERY comfortable, Porsche would not have used them for so long if they hadn't done something right.

As you can see in the first picture, they were grimy and needed some cleaning. One of my friends is an old time body man and general car guy, and he suggested using Kiwi Saddle Soap to clean and restore the leather/vinyl. Having followed his advice in the past with great success I had no trouble giving it a try. Using a bucket of water, fresh sponge, and 2 white towels, I set to work. The soap lathers with the sponge and elbow grease does the rest. When I was done with a section I wiped it down with the towel. It was pretty straight forward and this stuff worked great. I washed each seat and put them in the sun and then washed them a second time.

The difference is night and day, the seats are clean and they are much softer than before. The driver's bolsters have some wear but the leather is not cracked yet.

Still to be determined is the color. I have the butterscotch interior so these may be in for a color change but I am waiting to see how they look

[70 Cam Guy]

Some of you may remember seeing the first post months ago. Well, I finally made time to make brackets and install the seats. I've also been told more recently these are out of a 944, and not a 911. They all look so similar

I ended up keeping the Porsche sliders. After removing the Z seats, I could tell the modern sliders were considerably stronger. The Z sliders only lock on 1 side and the other moves freely. The Porsche sliders lock on each side, which, I would assume, contributes to some stability.

Adapting the seats to the mounts just took some creative use of steel flat bar. I found the lowest profile bolts and locking flange nuts to mount the seats as low as I could. The bolts are class 10.9 so I'm comfortable with their strength.

Installed, the seats look like they were made for our cars. I sit a bit higher in the car but it's not too bad. I can probably get them lower but I don't want to cut or drill any of the floor bracing. The Porsche seats are wider so the sliders come very close to the floor bracing in the rear. I installed these with the intent of not drilling new holes or cutting. If you're 6 feet or taller, you will want to get these lower than I have probably.

I love the feel of these and am more happy with the color than I expected. Eventually I'll get the driver seat wired up but it's nice as it sits now. I also love the fact these flip forward with the switch. It makes tossing in a bag quick and easy. Unexpected perk

[spitz17]

Oohhh fancy Andy, can't wait to see these in person!

[conedodger]

Those are either '80's 911SC or later Carrera 'Sport' seats with the extra side to side supports in the seat back.

"I am not sure which seat came first but it would not surprise me if Datsun copied Recaro on these"

I am not sure if Datsun copied Recaro but Recaro was a contractor to Porsche and that seat might have actually been made or designed by Recaro.

I think if you want to go to the trouble (I would have to) of getting them lower in the car, you could cut out the seat supports and lower them an inch or so. Might be the perfect finishing touch.

[tlorber]

Interesting. I had a chance to get decent pair of 911 seats for cheap, but I measured them at about 2" wider than stock. I didn't think they would fit. Let us know if you find out for sure what car they were out of.

[70 Cam Guy]

Those are either '80's 911SC or later Carrera 'Sport' seats with the extra side to side supports in the seat back.

"I am not sure which seat came first but it would not surprise me if Datsun copied Recaro on these"

I am not sure if Datsun copied Recaro but Recaro was a contractor to Porsche and that seat might have actually been made or designed by Recaro.

I think if you want to go to the trouble (I would have to) of getting them lower in the car, you could cut out the seat supports and lower them an inch or so. Might be the perfect finishing touch.

Thanks Dr. Rob, I do agree getting them an inch or so lower would really finish the look. I had one of the tall guys at my friend's shop sit in the car today, and he actually had a good 2-3" above his head when seated in the car. I forgot to ask how tall he is but I am 5'8" and he has to be at least 6 feet tall.

I appreciate the ID suggestions on these. It made me do a Google image search for "porsche 944 seats" and "porsche 911sc seats", and they look very close to the 944 leather seats. Both guys have said they are Recaro's regardless of the model from which they came. Looking at this link I got from the search, I'm pretty convinced they are 944

http://www.rennsportmotors.com/1986944turbo.html#

Drilling new holes in the front seat mount and bolting the sliders straight to that would lower the front ~3/4" (thickness of bar + spacer). Doing some modding to the rear brace will net maybe 1cm. You would probably need to fab a new bracket in the rear to go lower since the sliders are outside the rear mount 'pedestals'.

If I recall, the sliders on these seats are 16" apart (hole center distance). The forward bar I cut to 18" and the rear bar is cut to 17" wide. You can probably see the rear bar looks a little crooked because front-to-back distance of the bolt holes in the sliders are about an inch different on either side

[lbpdz]

I am looking for a set for my 71, either the German or Factory seats (the car came with no seats). Where are you finding these deals? I would really like to find some as a set so my daughter can at least sit in her car..

Any info that can be passed along would be very much appreciated.

[psdenno]

I appreciate the ID suggestions on these. It made me do a Google image search for "porsche 944 seats" and "porsche 911sc seats", and they look very close to the 944 leather seats. Both guys have said they are Recaro's regardless of the model from which they came. Looking at this link I got from the search, I'm pretty convinced they are 944

http://www.rennsportmotors.com/1986944turbo.html#

Looks like a match to the 944 seats in the ad. Good luck with the project. They should be comfortable - I put about 20 years of "butt time" in my 944 before selling it and and never had an uncomfortable moment.

Dennis

[conedodger]

944 and 911 seats are the same. I forgot about the 944 because in general, I don't do watercooled Porsche. Although I do like the Cayman, GT2 and 3, and new 918 Spyder.

Anyone interested in doing this same swap can find ads on Pelican Parts. Follow the links to the classifieds. Rennlist is another possibility.

[70 Cam Guy]

I actually bought these from the owner of Bauer Porsche in Oakland since my Dad has known them for years. My friend that has a shop now also worked for them for 8 years. I have seen the seats pop up on Craigslist from time to time. They come up on ebay but shipping is usually expensive.

Rob's suggestion to watch Pelican Parts is a good idea. Their message board is pretty active.

I would also consider Miata seats or RX7 (FD) seats. They are both high back and have a nice shape for our cars. I'm not sure how the mounts compare though

[70 Cam Guy]

944 and 911 seats are the same. I forgot about the 944 because in general, I don't do watercooled Porsche. Although I do like the Cayman, GT2 and 3, and new 918 Spyder.

Anyone interested in doing this same swap can find ads on Pelican Parts. Follow the links to the classifieds. Rennlist is another possibility.

My friend has a 71 911, it's a thing of beauty. Fuchs wheels, wide body fenders, whale tail, vintage Recaro buckets. Between the Weber IDF's and exhaust, it sounds so amazing when we have the chance to hear it.

I'm also a fan of the new Cayman and the Spyder and others you named