docwyte

So I'm swapping my Cobra seats out for a set of Recaro SRD's. I have all the necessary parts to do a bolt in installation. Piece of cake I think, a couple of hours tops I think. Ha!

So after having to totally disassemble the Cobra's from the side plates to get to the mounting brackets to remove those from the floor, I have the seats free. Almost. Now I have to take apart the 6 point harness cam lock buckle so I can release the sub strap. Now I have the Cobra's out of the car.

Next up is assembling the Recaro slider to the drivers side Recaro seat. Then put the seat in the car and struggle to pass the sub strap belt through the sub hole. Then get one front bolt in, only to realize I hadn't installed the pull bar for the slider. Doh!

So now I remove the seat, put on the bar, put the seat back in, rethread the sub belt, etc. Now I'm having issues with the sliders lining up on the factory holes. I can get one front bolt in, but not the other. I'm also having an interference between my welded inner lap belt/stock seat belt receptacle and the inner adjustment wheel on the Recaro SRD.

Darkness is falling and it's my daughter's bedtime, so I leave the tools in the car, lock it up and go inside.

So to recap what I accomplished in 2+ hours of wrenching.
-Removal of Cobra seats, side plates and brackets
-Assembly of Recaro slider to Recaro SRD

That's it. Weather permitting (since I was a dumb *** and pulled the car out of the garage) I'll see if I can finish it up tomorrow.

mj951

Sounds about right, I went through a similar experience a few years back.
I did end up removing the inside **** adjuster on both the driver and passenger seat.

I seem to remember it being trial and error to get the bottom of the seat to align properly with the hole pattern on the universal sliders and align with the floor mounts. To install, if I recall correctly, I slide the seat all the way forward on the sliders, place them in the car and mount the rear bolts first. Then slide the seat back on its sliders and mount the front bolts. I also had to grind the short end of an allen wrench down to fit it between the mounting bolts and seat adjustment bar on the front mounts. Now that I think of it that may have had something to do with the Brey-Krause fire extinguisher mount, sorry can't recall. I guess, don't be surprised if you have to cut/grind an allen wrench down a 1/4" or so. Good luck.

docwyte

How did you remove the inside **** adjuster? Does it just pry off?

User 52121

I did not remove the inside **** adjuster on mine but am now thinking I should have. It binds up against the inside and makes it difficult to get the seat all the way back.

Re: the install - mj has it 100%. I do the same thing. With so little clearance it's kind of a pain but I've had the seats in and out of my car a few times now and once you kinda "figure it out" it's not so bad. Worst part are the front 2 bolts. I have an old set of metric Craftsman allen keys and they *just* fit. You kinda have to push them into the fabric of the seat a little and then they fit. Be careful not to strip out the heads - you want that key in there square.

docwyte

I have a set of allen keys that have the "ball" on the end of them. That keeps me from stripping out the heads. Looks like I'll remove the inner rotary wheel, get the rear bolts in first, then try the fronts.

The rails aren't a passive fit on the floor of the car though. I was having to exert a lot of pressure on the seat to push the rail over enough to line up the holes...

User 52121

Mine line right up, no pressure or force necessary. There are a few sets of holes and mount points on the floor - make sure you're using the right ones. (The right ones are the ones that don't require any force to line them up) Get all 4 bolts in before you tighten any of them. Leave them loose so you can wiggle the seat a bit. Should all fit together without any real difficulty.

As for the rounded ball end allens... ugh... use at your own risk. You have an even better chance at stripping the heads with those because the ball only engages at a single point on each flat. I hardly ever use the rounded ends on anything aside from getting a bolt *started* in a hole.

docwyte

Well, I'd prefer to have the rails a little loose so I have a little play on the floor mounting holes, but I can't since I won't have access to the rail bolts once the seat is bolted in.

So I have the rails bolted to the seats and am using the right bolt holes in the floor of the car, but things are still a little of kilter. It might be caused by the interference I'm having with the inner rotary wheel, not sure.

I like the ball ends, they engage the inside of the allen head and don't strip it out nearly as easily as the other end. I do only use the ball end to start the bolt and get it snug though, then I switch to the other side to torque it down.

User 52121

I feel like one of us is missing something here...

So the sliders are bolted down (tight) to the seat, correct?

Adjust the sliders all the way one direction. Might be better to adjust them so that the seat is all the way BACK - so the two front holes are exposed first. Get those two bolts started. (I usually start off this way since there is only 1 set of holes/mounts on the front, vs. the rear with multiple choices for holes/mounts.) Then slide the seat all the way forward... and install the two rear bolts. If you go the other way (starting at the rear) then you could be off on the holes.

It's also key you adjust the seat to the extreme (either all the way BACK or all the way FORWARD) when starting the bolts because otherwise you could be crooked in the slider (as in, one slider might be further forward than the other and the seat could be sitting crooked.) I did NOT remove the inside seatback adjustment **** and still didn't have any problems getting stuff lined up.

If it still doesn't line up for you... is it possible you have the sliders upside down? You're using actual Recaro sliders, right? This is the slider you're using? http://www.northstarmotorsports.com/.../productID/549


Just scratching my head here trying to figure out why you might not be getting things to line up.

docwyte

Yes, the sliders are bolted tight to the seat. Yes, those are the sliders I have from Recaro. Yep, I'm trying to get the front bolts in first. It seems like the sliders aren't quite wide enough to passively line up on the holes.

I've got the sliders all the way back to expose the front holes.

I think the seat is getting jammed against my inner lap belt harness and seat belt receptacle. Once I remove the rotary wheel on the inside of the seat I'll see how things line up. How does that **** come off?

pontifex4

Here's how to get the **** off: http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2915175

Doc, are your tracks the same width at the front as at the back?

My seat installation technique is to leave put two in at the rear, then slide the seat back and twist it back and forth until it's all the way back and both front bolt holes are lined up neatly with the sliders (I find that there is more usable play in the rear captured nuts than the front ones).

pontifex4

Also, Doc, can you post some pictures of your welded bracket for the inner belt buckle?

docwyte

Yes, I'll take pictures of that as well as my welded sub strap mount too. Pretty sure they're the same width front and back and I know I don't have them installed upside down. I have all three bolts from the slider lined up and bolted into the three holes on either side of the seat. When I flip the seat over 4 bolts do (somewhat) line up on the chassis of the car.

docwyte

So I got the drivers side seat in! I think the passenger rail must've been a little off, once I got the front bolt in and moved the seat forward it kinda of clicked and the rear mount lined right up. Threading my seat belt receptacle past the rotary **** wasn't a lot of fun, but I got it. Only issue with the drivers seat is it doesn't want to slide all the way back and I don't know what it's hitting.

Big problem is the passenger seat. I only have 1 set of Recaro sliders, on the passenger seat I was going to use the Wedge bracket/slider they came with. Unfortunately the Wedge bracket has a cross bar that directly hits my sub strap mounts, so I can't use it. I need to get another Recaro slider. Anyone have an inside double locking, no tabs Recaro slider for sale?

Here are pics of my sub strap and inner lap mount.

mj951

Sorry for not chiming in earlier i've been on the road all day but it sounds like you're making some progress. As mentioned above, to remove the the inner adjustment **** just prey off the cap and pull the **** off.
When sliding the drivers seat back is it hitting something solid? If not it could the rail of the slider binding up on the carpet behind the rear mounts as the rail slides through the channel. Might also be the seat, adjustment **** or shaft for the adjuster (**** removed) binding on the tunnel. The SRD's are a tight fit.

pontifex4

Thanks, Doc. I see that you opted to attach the original shoulder belt buckle to the tunnel, but I can't make out where that eye bolt attahces -- is it through the same hole? Also, was there already a detent in the sheet metal at that point, or did you just drill where it would fit best?