Guest Anonymous Posted February 26, 2001 Share Posted February 26, 2001 Hello, I see lonehdrider's has a Miata seats in his Z and was curious about the height and maybe advice for mounting... Thanks Chuck Pics of his seats can be seen at: http://www.bent8z.bizland.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2001 Share Posted February 27, 2001 I used the stock early Z seat sliders, that required me to space the seat up off the sliders about 3/4" because of the Mazda's seat pan. The Z used a pipe frame, and a side latch slider that will foul on the Mazda seat pan without spacers. In hindsight, I might have (and may still when I get everything else done) looked at some aftermarket seat sliders that are flatter and allow me to lower them again. Don't get me wrong, its not like they're SUV tall, just noticably taller than stock Z seats. Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsil Posted February 28, 2001 Share Posted February 28, 2001 Well, you know what, the stock Z seats are kind of low. I'm 6'3" and my head was at least 3 inches from the roof. I'm raising mine until I have about and inch. That way I can see better, too. the windshield isn't exactly huge, so better vision will be had since I will not see as much dash and more of the road. I was going to use some '95 Mustang seats, but they were from the guy I bought the engine from, and we all know how THAT turned out, so never mind. The Miata seats seem to be a good alternative. AL ------------------ http://zcar.netdojo.com My Upcoming Solo Album Site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Shasteen Posted February 28, 2001 Share Posted February 28, 2001 I like those seats; I took note of them the first time I looked at your site. Every time someone on HybridZ mentions them it reminds me of how aged my "Off White" bucket seats are...barely cracked but extremely delicate. I'ld definately prefer to use some current/90's tech. seat which should be more comfortable than the Z's seat. The Z's seats were ahead of their times & are still comfortable...just not as refined as the current stuff. I've never really looked at Miata's before; do they only make black interiors or are they like all other sports cars & pretty much make the other general colors as well? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 Miata seats - comfy! Short too. I've seen them in a beigefawn kind of color and black. Leather or suede both. Another possible seat - RX7 seats Comfy and both leather and suede can be gotten. Same color choices though. If these seats interest anyone I can take some measurements off my car, they can usually be found at www.thepartstrader.com I think I MIGHT have seen blue for sale too but I'm not sure. (shrug) Note that the RX7 has holes up by the headrest tailor made for shoulder harnesses - an intentional design feature I'm told Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 Yeah I had Rx7 seats in mind when he suggested Miata (probably had more of those in stock), might be a bit more money for Rx7 seats, but they are pretty nice (I loved the last gen. RX it was wicked looking). Yeah as Blkmgk said, the miata seats were either black or buckskin, they did have a leather option in those colors I believe and they did have a special edition that had a blue paint color (dark metalic not that bright blue) which may have had a different color seat, but your not likely to see a set of those. Any of the japanese sport cars would probably have passable seats size wise, like probably Supra, Miata, Prelude/Del Sol and I think I yardsticked some of the earlier (third gen) camaro seats as being a good width, but most of those looked like they had a dog living on them in the weather (I don't know why the dismantlers let decent seats sit out in the weather around here..). Lots of possibilities, scoure them yards and grab em up! Lone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 I'm probably going to go Honda CRX seats--a buddy of mine has an Si that has Recaro-like seats that would look oh so fine in my ride. But, as usual, I'll probably change my mind about the seats when a "deal" comes along! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clint78z Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 Other seats I like are Toyota MR2 and VW Corrodo seats very nice . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 I recommend looking at the Corbeau line of seats. Pete P is using the seat that I first found a few months back. You can get the A4 shipped to you for $320 plus shipping and they offer adjustable Lumbar for an additional $60. They also sell sliders for the seat as well. For the headache and aggrevation of trying to fit factory seats, I'd look at the aftermarket for nice quality seats! Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 With all due respect, 320.00 PER seat plus shipping is considerably more than many nice reasonably comfortable OEM seats in good condition from the dismantlers at 250-350 a PAIR. For the vast difference in price, I hardly think its all that much work or hassle, especially considering the much more drastic mods we untake on our cars. (if you have problems mod'ing a seat into the car, forget an engine swap.) Depends on your cash flow (or lack there of,) and car usage I guess. Just an opinion of course. Lone ------------------ http://www.bent8z.bizland.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 Had not thought of the MR2 seats or the VW Corrodo seats. Corrodos might be hard to come by in the junk yards, but the MR2...Hmmmm. Otherwise, Honda! If I can't get the color I want (black or something close) I will have them recovered if need be--I have friends.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted March 1, 2001 Share Posted March 1, 2001 Her is the issue that may cause you trouble in fitting OEM seats in your car: The early models came with a wider seat area and narrower trans tunnel. Later models added the bulg in the seatwell for the catalyst. Pete P., Chris C. and I all noticed that some OEM seats will fit, but not necessarily optimally. However, the aftermarket race seats work. They are narrow framed, and much M-U-C-H lighter. I agree Lone, the money is pricey, but I think the proper fit of a seat should be likened to the proper fit of a shoe. Mike ------------------ http://hometown.aol.com/dat74z/myhomepage/auto.html "I will not be a spectator in the sport of life!" mjk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 I test fit a Miata seat in my car and they fit very well. I also test fit a 1st Gen Eclipse seat in and they are a bit too wide and too high in the seat bottom. I then had a Sparco "Road" seat (a bit upgraded from the Sparco seat that Chris Cloude has in his 280Z). They fit well, but getting in and out of them was a bit too tight for me, in the seat. Plus they didn't have a recline function, that I wanted. The Corbeau A4, Mike Kelly told me about. OG Racing had no problem with me returning the new Sparco to get the A4. I added Lumbar adjustment bags to the order (they need to be put in at the factory at $69 + $25 labor) so the price was over $800 for seats. Yeah, pricey, but remember guys, I've taken 10 years to build this car (still not done) so these money hits don't all come at once . Think of it as amortizing the project cost over the length of a short mortgage period . The Miata seat is a good fit. I just was not too impressed with the feel of them - I didn't think they had the kind of support I was looking for. The Corbeau A4 has nice side bolsters to keep you in, and the rest of the seat fits me very nicely, like a glove so to speak. They also have cut-outs in the seat back for the harness I want to run. They don't weigh much, less than 10 lbs each as I recall, and the have reclining mechanisms that the Sparco Road did not. But then again, $800 is almost that set of Al heads I want - I guess they'll just have to wait. ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 Pete, I hope your seats have more cush in them then the Corbeau's I sat in tonight. Ouch! These were rally/race seats that literally had little to no padding in the butt area. Very tight too. You met me and know I don't have a wide a$$ (although I doubt you looked ). Are your new seats a "road race" or "sport" type? They sound very different from the one's I just rode in and I'm curious to see what they look like. The quality was good--no complaints, but the ride was harsh. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 The A4 is called a "touring seat" by Corbeau. You can check it out at: http://www.corbeau.com/brochure/a4.html Good padding in the bottom cushion. Sounds like you were sitting in the Clubman, or some similar "racing seat" ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyZ Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 I'm still waiting for the glue to dry on my teeth, but yeah, those were racing seats! Pete, are you getting black seats or some other color? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pparaska Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 The A4's come in black cloth for the $320 list price. You can get leather in any color for more money. I have two black cloth A4s, one bolted in. ------------------ Pete Paraska - 73 540Z - Marathon Z Project pparaska@home.com Pete's V8 Datsun 240Z Pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax240z Posted March 2, 2001 Share Posted March 2, 2001 I found the miata seats really nice and supportive the last time I sat in a miata. One thing to consider is that we are all different shape and sizes, and different seats will fit each of us differently. I have a feeling that I'd have troubles getting my shoulders between a lot of the 'racing' seats out there. ------------------ Richard Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted March 3, 2001 Share Posted March 3, 2001 I've got a set of Recaros in my car. They too are a bit narrow for my taste, not sure which model. At some point they may come out and be replaced but it will depend on what I can get if I sell them. Shoulders and butt are just a touch uncomfortable for me but then I have begun to spread over the years Miata was fine for me but there's not much support in the lower back - trust me. Long trips were managable but could've been better. RX7 is really nice but I've not measured to see how well it would fit nor do I know the weight. Miatas sometimes have speakers in the headrests too which is a nice to have... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Shasteen Posted March 3, 2001 Share Posted March 3, 2001 quote: Originally posted by pparaska: I've taken 10 years to build this car (still not done) so these money hits don't all come at once . Think of it as amortizing the project cost over the length of a short mortgage period . Pete, I need a loan; will you front me the money for my seats....aw-heck; if you're gonna give me a loan...make it for the price of my conversion. I promise it wont take me 10 years to repay! Kevin "Still an Inliner" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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