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Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas #2488654
04/27/18 12:22 PM
04/27/18 12:22 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 111
Connecticut, USA
MRGTX Offline OP
member
MRGTX  Offline OP
member

Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 111
Connecticut, USA
Hey, guys.
I really like the OEM bench seat in the old Dart quite a bit and it's still in fairly good shape but after a whole bunch of handling mods that I'm almost ready to try out, it is occurring to me that the bench seat will quickly become the limiting factor on fun in the curves or any kind of performance on the auto-x course.

I know there are plenty of modern looking sporty aftermarket seats out there that allow for harness bar-mounted seat belts but this is not what I have in mind for my car. Rather, I'm thinking about something like older OEM Porsche buckets...perhaps finding an old beat up pair and having them re-upholstered in black vinyl. The stock 911 seats seem to be available for not absurd money, they're not flashy and they're vastly better for sporty driving.

Other alternatives are OEM seats from early Datsun 240/60/80Z, C3 Corvette...and maybe even as new as Mazda Miata buckets. The emphasis being on OEM looks, non-power (of course), light weight...at least somewhat period correct.

So I have a few questions:

How difficult is it to find a safe mounting point for seat tracks on the floor? Are the provisions for OEM bucket tracks there for bench cars? How did you do it?

Any ideas on how to install modern-ish seat belts? The shoulder harness tha mounts to the ceiling would almost certainly dig into the driver's throat in any kind of an impact...assuming the 45+ year old webbing even held.

Any suggestions on light, functional, tasteful seats that might look ok in stock-themed A-Body?

Any thoughts and suggestions are extremely welcome.


Last edited by MRGTX; 04/27/18 12:26 PM.
Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2488832
04/27/18 09:56 PM
04/27/18 09:56 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,575
The Netherlands
BigBlockMopar Offline
master
BigBlockMopar  Offline
master

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,575
The Netherlands
I've got a pair of '80s black leather BMW seats in my Dart from which I removed the headrests for a bit more stock-ish look.

Positioning them correctly on the floorboard took some trial&error and I had to use/fab spacers on some corners to keep the tracks parallel and true to each other.


Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2489005
04/28/18 11:29 AM
04/28/18 11:29 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074
Manitoba Canada
67autocross Offline
super stock
67autocross  Offline
super stock

Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,074
Manitoba Canada
I have some Scat seats with their brackets, had to move one mount to match the factory floor holes. I used some XV seat belts which work pretty well with the seats.

ED22C619-B739-4DF4-AF05-27DAC0A0199F.jpeg
Last edited by 67autocross; 04/29/18 11:25 PM.

A new iron curtain drawn across the 49th parallel
Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2489133
04/28/18 05:26 PM
04/28/18 05:26 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,644
So Near, Yet So Far
topside Online content
Too Many Posts
topside  Online Content
Too Many Posts

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,644
So Near, Yet So Far
Best seats I've ever sat in were the Recaro option on my '89 Mustang 5.0. Even had adjustable thigh support/extension. Pretty much the same as the BMW sport seat and also a Porsche supplier. Recaro's parent company is Reutter, who built the 356s. Cloth has more grip than leather.

Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2489407
04/29/18 10:31 AM
04/29/18 10:31 AM
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 619
nj
J
JAMESDART Offline
mopar
JAMESDART  Offline
mopar
J

Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 619
nj
You need something with narrow seat tracks to fit in an a body. I used 2 door sunfire seats in my duster. I had a low mile set and they were nice. Super ugly upholstery though and no one wants to re upholster them.
I have a set of gto seats I want to put in it but the floor needs modified to fit.

Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2489552
04/29/18 03:43 PM
04/29/18 03:43 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 413
northeast ohio
M
mkdart Offline
mopar
mkdart  Offline
mopar
M

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 413
northeast ohio
I too have a Dart with a vinyl bench.
I'm interested in a set of Corbeau sport seats.
Been looking at them for a couple years, can't
seem to pull the trigger.
I don't think they would look to
out of place .
Sitting in my car for a hour is a killer
for my back.
The sport seats have a inflatable lumbar
option.

Mike

Dashboard2.jpg
Last edited by mkdart; 04/29/18 03:49 PM.
Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: mkdart] #2489676
04/29/18 08:59 PM
04/29/18 08:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,394
The Pale Blue Dot
Skeptic Offline
master
Skeptic  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,394
The Pale Blue Dot
There's a couple of threads about this floating around. That being said the ProCar by Scat company has some really nice seats that look very right for older cars. Jegs has exclusive rights on these seats that look great, but may be a little "high end" for an A body. Take some measurements- of yourself and the car to get an idea what will fit you. They (ProCar) do a lot of custom work, so give them a call to get some info. HTH, Steve

Last edited by Skeptic; 04/29/18 09:01 PM.
Re: Sporty seat swap with seatbelt upgrades? Looking for ideas [Re: MRGTX] #2490032
04/30/18 03:43 PM
04/30/18 03:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,231
Chicago, IL
P
PLUM_72 Offline
pro stock
PLUM_72  Offline
pro stock
P

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,231
Chicago, IL
Rumor has it that Dodge Omni seats bolt up to e-body seat tracks. The Omni GLH has the nicer upgraded seats. Not sure how different A-body tracks are. A Dodge Omni should be an easy find, especially if you plan to recover them.


1972 Dodge Challenger






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