My 91 300SL benz( 5 speed M104 engine so it isn't a total slug) needs different seats. Current ones need recovering, which is a fortune and the electrics are wonky. And they are heavy. Don't need a power headrest or power seats at all for that matter. I want something light, fabric cover and thats about it. Current seats are side track, not sure where to start my search and what to look for. TIA
Are you looking for racing style seats or plush replacements? If you're looking for racing style - Corbeau has cheap but decent offerings. You would probably have to fab up something to mount the seat in a 91 SL though.
What about getting the current ones reupholstered and removing all the fancy doodads?
If you don't have power seats and you can deal with some light fabrication, it's actually pretty simple. Seats bolt to sliders. Sliders bolt to floor. Measure your current seats, go to junkyard and find something you like with similar dimensions. Fabricate a steel adapter to mount the new seat to the current sliders... done. If you have power seats and don't mind depowering, see if you can track down a set of non-power sliders that fit your chassis. If you have power seats and want to keep them... good luck.
Not sure about the roadsters but a lot of MB products from that era use the same seat mounting pattern. My S-Class has a manual base with an aftermarket seat bolted to it. Our W123 has the electric base from a W124 mounted to it. The wiring was simple to make it work. So if you want stock-like seats I'd look for other MB seats that are in good shape and will bolt in.
ShinnyGroove said:If you don't have power seats and you can deal with some light fabrication, it's actually pretty simple. Seats bolt to sliders. Sliders bolt to floor. Measure your current seats, go to junkyard and find something you like with similar dimensions. Fabricate a steel adapter to mount the new seat to the current sliders... done. If you have power seats and don't mind depowering, see if you can track down a set of non-power sliders that fit your chassis. If you have power seats and want to keep them... good luck.
I've got an example of the process here (Youtube video link), where I decided to put a Procar seat in my Buick. I was able to keep the stock power sliders without too much trouble since the power mechanism did not attach to the seat itself.
Do you have access to a welder? If so, the options are nearly endless. It's just a matter of finding something that will fit within the limitations of the interior width and floorpan shape, and adapting the seat to the factory sliders. In the past, I've wandered a junkyard with a tape measure looking for appropriate candidates.
If you don't have access to a welder, I'd recommend pulling one of the seats, and seeing what bolts to what, you may get lucky, and have an easy way to attach a different seat to the stock sliders. Take some measurements of where mounting holes are, and seat height in relation to the sliders. Again, a trip to the junkyard with a tape measure can pay off, but you may need to pull a few seats out of a car in the process.
Wait - just so I can think straight about this - you have seats that have the shoulder belt mounting point integrated into the power headrest mechanism, right?
Mike (Forum Supporter) said:Wait - just so I can think straight about this - you have seats that have the shoulder belt mounting point integrated into the power headrest mechanism, right?
Yes, that could be an issue. My goal is lighter, cloth seats and the harness could be an issue. The car does have a roll bar, stupid moving one though. But since it has a pivot I guess something could be fabricated to replace it and include a shoulder mount bracket. I like the car, but would like it more if it were lighter and more comfortable. There are too many powered functions that are not needed. Top, seats, steering wheel(both up/down and in/out), headrest, even the center rear view mirror has a motor to control it. The L in SL used to stand for light, now it stands for lazy!
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