Howdy,

I have a 1987 Turbo with 95,000 miles on it. (I made it a V8 twenty years ago... not that it is important for my question).

The driver's seat is okay, but a bit worn. I do NOT want to buy new seats at this time.

Does anyone know if the seat rails can be swapped? If not can the seat padding etc be easily swapped on the frames?

TIA

 

^What are you trying to do, find a better passenger seat and use it to replace the worn out driver's seat? I'm not 100% sure as it's been a long time since I reupholstered my seats, but I think it's possible to unbolt the rails from the seat frame and swap the rails from one seat over to the other. The problem you'll have if you're using a passenger seat on the driver side is the recliner lever/mechanism will end up on the wrong side, and in addition to being awkward to use, it may interfere with the tunnel/console when you slide the seat forward & aft.

 

I sold the passenger seat from my parts car to a local forum member who was in the exact same boat and planning on doing the exact same thing. His screen name is pjtj2, I think. Try to locate him and send him a PM. He was selling his car in the "2nd gen RX7's for sale" section here recently. It's a vert.

 

I don't want to spend money on it currently. Perhaps in the future I will put a set of Recaros or similar in it.

I don't care about the recliner lever. I'm over 6'2" and the seat is always back, and I never adjust the rake. No one else drives the car or is even a passenger, so the seat won't need to be moved back and forth.

If I can switch the rails that is good enough for me. Thanks.

 

I will look him up tonight or tomorrow. Thanks.

 

I recently swapped good passenger foam + cover to a driver seat frame. Difficulty 2/5. I watched a few youtube video's and looked through another thread about re-covering the stock seats.
All the padding fits, however the bottom pads are not symmetrical. On both seats, the outer foam piece points outward toward the door and the inner piece is more vertical.
My driver seat rubs the center console, but it doesn't prevent it from sliding.

 

You made me go out to my garage in 20 degree weather. Ugh!
Unless I'm not looking at them straight my 1987 turbo seats look symmetrical. What year/model car were you working with?

 

Your seats are NOT symmetrical, nor are they interchangeable.
The bottom of the passenger seat- all models- is very different to accommodate the hump (which clearances the cats) in the trans tunnel.
This difference- the "inner side" rail mounts higher and at an angle- would make swapping seats more than just a bolt in affair.

 

everything on the Fc looks symmetrical, but hardly anything is.

 

I have a passenger seat bolted to a driver seat rails on my driver side on my gutted out FC, with no carpet, and the seat back adjustment leaver does not have the plastic. and it fits but barley

but if you had carpet and the plastic seat trim im not so sure it would work.


the seat adjust lever is close to the seat belt too is another issue. keep in mind it will be on the wrong side of the seat if its swaped. so you can barley get to the leaver even with no carpet or plastic on it.

 

I don't know the exact lineage of either donors, but they are all turbo parts.The passenger cover didn't like the driver frame, but it works.
Overall it's a subtle difference, but it becomes apparent when things start hitting each over. It may only be apparent on the turbo seat since it has more bolstering