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Up for sale are my clean RX8 seats with modified rails for FC. Shaved the RX8 rails and welded to Planted FC brackets. These recline and slide. The bottom of the seat does rub on the seat bracket a bit, but it slides. Driver seat sits 1" higher and passenger 3" higher than OEM. $550 obo. Can meet in Bay Area or Central Valley Cali.
A couple of questions come to mind:
1. the 1" and 3" higher than OEM (drivers and passenger): is that result of different Planted brackets welded for each?
2. if wanted to make equal heights, would need to replace that set's Planted bracket, right?
3. they look so clean, I have to ask why are you selling them?
Meanwhile, I'll take a close look at my vehicle, and take some careful measurements.
A couple of questions come to mind:
1. the 1" and 3" higher than OEM (drivers and passenger): is that result of different Planted brackets welded for each?
2. if wanted to make equal heights, would need to replace that set's Planted bracket, right?
3. they look so clean, I have to ask why are you selling them?
Meanwhile, I'll take a close look at my vehicle, and take some careful measurements.
1. The 1" and 3" height difference isnt from the Planted brackets. Theyre about as low profile as you can get. Ive read similar reports with the RX8 seats being taller using FC rails as well.
2. I cant see how you could make them any lower while still retaining the sliding seat rails. These seats just sit taller. Theres lots of threads about them in this forum. Im 6'0" and I dont have any trouble, and I can hardly tell the difference between the rx8 drivers seat and the fc drivers seat. You can notice the difference on the passenger seat.
3. Im going from a street car to a track car so everything is going.
Thanks for correcting my misunderstanding re: height differences between the drivers and passenger seats. Makes sense. (Also, I'm 6'0", too, so your word carries extra weight!)
Here are pics of your seats where I've marked the dimensions I just took off my FB. Hope they match up well enough to indicate little or no need for modification. Will look forward to your confirmation/comments/replies.
Am also interested in the height of the seatbacks, from top of the headrest to top of seat bottom at its rear. That'll give me a good feel for how they'd fit in the cockpit space. Lastly, what is the widest point of the seat? I expect all these will approximate the seats I currently have.
They were as best I could do with a tape measure and a bad back without removing the seats. Maybe a better adjective would have been "not precise" rather than rough. I'll have another go at it later today.
Last edited by T Heller; Sep 13, 2020 at 09:10 AM.
Ok, just did second look. I screwed one measure real bad and have improved a couple others. Here's corrected measurements; with one exception, they all look to be in line with yours.
The one dimension that seems to still be at odds is the front driver width: I've got 15 1/4 and you show 14.6; could you recheck that one?
Hmmm. My FB has a Recaro I put in back in '83 or so. It appears to be on its own 'Planted'-like bracket. I do remember having to add something in order to get it installed. (Put it in to avoid driving Chicago-Seattle in the OEM seat; the trip out had really aggravated my shoulder. The return was heaven!!)
Assuming I indeed have a bracket that fits the driver side, I would simply need to replace the bracket on yours with the bracket I have. But that may be nowhere near as easy to do as to say. What would be your thought on what challenge that might pose?
FYI - I am contemplating either of two course of action:
1. get your RX8 seats (so would then have a matching set for first time in 35 years); or
2. simply have the Recaro reupholstered; its looking pretty ragged but it's still solid.
I lean toward the RX8 seats; they look so nice and are the right color for my FB.
Hmmm. My FB has a Recaro I put in back in '83 or so. It appears to be on its own 'Planted'-like bracket. I do remember having to add something in order to get it installed. (Put it in to avoid driving Chicago-Seattle in the OEM seat; the trip out had really aggravated my shoulder. The return was heaven!!)
Assuming I indeed have a bracket that fits the driver side, I would simply need to replace the bracket on yours with the bracket I have. But that may be nowhere near as easy to do as to say. What would be your thought on what challenge that might pose?
FYI - I am contemplating either of two course of action:
1. get your RX8 seats (so would then have a matching set for first time in 35 years); or
2. simply have the Recaro reupholstered; its looking pretty ragged but it's still solid.
I lean toward the RX8 seats; they look so nice and are the right color for my FB.
It would be fairly easy to get these Planted brackets off. Three ~3" welds on each side. Grind them down and smooth out. If the bracket you have is flat, it should be easy welding them on.
On the other hand, if it is as simple slotting one of the holes, thats the route I would go.
Last edited by FührerTüner; Sep 14, 2020 at 07:55 PM.
Gotcha. Now that I've got a clear picture of this option, let me step away for awhile and explore the other for a few days. Thanks for your input; I'll get back to you one way or the other.
(Have given some thought to reaching out to the Indiana factory where I believe Recaros are produced; thought maybe could access some components - particularly the foam surround and seat sections - before going down the reupholstering road. Never hurts to ask!)
I'm simultaneously juggling a number of other restoration tasks; it's been a busy summer -- after getting off to a very late start, thanks to the virus.
Gotcha. Now that I've got a clear picture of this option, let me step away for awhile and explore the other for a few days. Thanks for your input; I'll get back to you one way or the other.
(Have given some thought to reaching out to the Indiana factory where I believe Recaros are produced; thought maybe could access some components - particularly the foam surround and seat sections - before going down the reupholstering road. Never hurts to ask!)
I'm simultaneously juggling a number of other restoration tasks; it's been a busy summer -- after getting off to a very late start, thanks to the virus.
Sounds good, let me know.
Last edited by FührerTüner; Sep 15, 2020 at 08:13 PM.
