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New 964 Owner—Fixed Bucket Seats, Steering Wheels, Airbags, Rollbar/rollcage ?'s
Hello Rennlist
I've been lurking here for a few months while I diligently scoured the internet for a suitable 964 daily driver / project car
I finally found one last month, and it arrived last week
It's a 1991 Carrera 2 Coupe, in Slate Gray Metallic, with what appears to be a two-toned interior of some sort of gray and Linen/white seats. ~77,000 miles.
Car was $55,000. Not a bad deal for a project car methinks?
Pretty much mechanically sound. A few oil drips here and there (but that seems to be normal for these cars). PO said there was a top-end rebuild the in the past 5,000 miles, but who really knows. (There were several small issues that neither the PPI nor the seller disclosed. But whatever.)
Anyways, I have a few questions. (I was sure to search before asking!)
1. Fixed-Back Bucket Seats and Rear Passenger Access
The interior is pretty dirty and nasty and I will have to at least replace the carpet, possibly the door cards as well (who chooses a white interior?)
I'm also strongly considering fixed-back buckets such as Recaro's Pole Position (have always loved those, even in my Honda days)
I have some track plans, but the car is my daily driver
I want to retain the back seats for transporting smaller humans
Here are my questions in regards to fixed-back bucket seats:
Is it possible to retain practical access to the back seat with fixed buckets in the front?
If not, is switching between stock [Sport!] seats for the street, and buckets for the track something that is easy to do? (Seems that everyone who puts buckets in their cars have to do a bunch of new rails/mounting stuff, some of which require drilling into the rails, etc.)
I've always liked MOMO's Prototipo steering wheel in classic Porsche's. I am okay forgoing airbags as the driver, but I'm pretty sure my wife wouldn't ride anywhere with me if the passenger airbag is non-functional
I know it's possible to wire in a resistor so that the computer thinks the driver airbag is present, thereby obfuscating the airbag light on the dash
Here's my question regarding non-airbag steering wheels and passenger airbags:
Does the aforementioned method of defeating the airbag light cause the passenger airbag to be non-functional?
3. Rollbar/rollcage/harness bar
Similar to the first two questions—if I went the fixed-back bucket route, I'd need at least a harness bar, if not a full rollbar/rollcage
Here's my question:
Can I have a rollbar/rollcage/harness bar and maintain practical usability of the rear seats?
If not, is it possible to have a "bolt-in" rollbar/cage/harness bar situation, so that I could convert back to "street"/passenger-hauling mode after a track day?
***
If there are pertinent threads that discuss either of these two general questions, apologies for requesting already-discussed information (feel free to link to relevant posts if possible).
Thanks
Last edited by ToniWonKanobi; 11-30-2016 at 04:27 PM.
Reason: Added section about rollbar/cage/harness bar
Ahh! Welcome to Rennlist. FYI I bought a 964 because my wife wanted the airbags. I found out later that they are only good for 15 years. There is a company that makes an aftermarket steering wheel with a new airbag and connector for the 964. I haven't seen a replacement for the passenger side though.
While first generation airbags such as these may "have a prescribed lifespan", I expect they would function if you were in an accident and the system was operational. To answer the original OPs question, the system will still function properly IF AND ONLY IF the correct jumper/resistor is installed when the driver's airbag is deleted.
welcome doc .. I am no expert but have dealt in a few of the issues you mentioned.
Fixed back buckets
I have the fixed GT3 buckets (love them) and while I removed the seats and replaced with stock in the beginning it's a hassle (hard to reach bolts and heavy seats to maneuver) and the stock seats are so heavy it's nice to get them out.
RS clubsport approach to Harness mounts
re the harness bar - likely not too hard to install and remove but you can I believe (still working on it) have shoulder strap rings mounted/installed properly in the rear firewall - those can be easily unscrewed and removed if the rear is in use. There are stock mounts for the original seatbelts too but I can't remember where the upper ones are - I use the lower ones now which is not ideal for saftey.
If they're not there (behind the firewall vinyl cover) this will require engine drop or at least intake/blower/breather hoses and sound pad etc.. removal to allow for the welding in of the mounts. Again I'm just getting to pulling out my sound pad to check this so it may be premature.
Congrats on your purchase. Don't currently have a 964 (had one in the past) but do have a 993 with pole positions. While fixedback seats make it difficult to use the back seats, they do slide forward enough to allow smaller people to get into the back seat. I love my pole positions! Super comfy and look the part!
Ahh! Welcome to Rennlist. FYI I bought a 964 because my wife wanted the airbags. I found out later that they are only good for 15 years. There is a company that makes an aftermarket steering wheel with a new airbag and connector for the 964. I haven't seen a replacement for the passenger side though.
Well, son of a ___
Originally Posted by justin-in-athens
While first generation airbags such as these may "have a prescribed lifespan", I expect they would function if you were in an accident and the system was operational. To answer the original OPs question, the system will still function properly IF AND ONLY IF the correct jumper/resistor is installed when the driver's airbag is deleted.
I would expect them to function, too, but it might be worth asking a dealer. I'll report back when I eventually take it to the dealer
Originally Posted by HiWind
welcome doc .. I am no expert but have dealt in a few of the issues you mentioned.
Fixed back buckets
I have the fixed GT3 buckets (love them) and while I removed the seats and replaced with stock in the beginning it's a hassle (hard to reach bolts and heavy seats to maneuver) and the stock seats are so heavy it's nice to get them out.
RS clubsport approach to Harness mounts
re the harness bar - likely not too hard to install and remove but you can I believe (still working on it) have shoulder strap rings mounted/installed properly in the rear firewall - those can be easily unscrewed and removed if the rear is in use. There are stock mounts for the original seatbelts too but I can't remember where the upper ones are - I use the lower ones now which is not ideal for saftey.
If they're not there (behind the firewall vinyl cover) this will require engine drop or at least intake/blower/breather hoses and sound pad etc.. removal to allow for the welding in of the mounts. Again I'm just getting to pulling out my sound pad to check this so it may be premature.
Enjoy the development, post more pics and see the first 5 or so pages of my dev thread for insight on seats and carpet etc...
Sounds like switching the seats back and forth is not as easy as I would have liked. No biggie. I like the Pole Positions so much, I could say goodbye to the Sport Seats without much fanfare.
But then I think: will it look stupid to have regular, non-"RS" door cards, and to have regular, non-"RS" back seats ...with the fixed buckets up front?
Originally Posted by ginch
Congrats on your purchase. Don't currently have a 964 (had one in the past) but do have a 993 with pole positions. While fixedback seats make it difficult to use the back seats, they do slide forward enough to allow smaller people to get into the back seat. I love my pole positions! Super comfy and look the part!
haha. Well, the second place contender for many months was a nicer condition one, but it was $75K. And I also found a black one—also in nice condition—for a mere $80K.
These cars are just really high right now. I almost wish I preferred the 993
If I were you I would consider getting one of the Raid (Atiwe) airbag steering wheels - you can order them from Carnewal in Belgium and take advantage of the favorable USD-Euro exchange rate.
I got the perforated Silberpfiel 340mm, which is much smaller than the stock wheel with a thicker rim; Silberpfiel 365 is a slightly less aggressive option.
The airbag is an integral part of the safety system in the 964 and you should have it there for you on the street - you can always use the (easily installed) bridge plug to disable both airbags on the track.
I also have a DAS rollbar - there's no way to use the back seats with the bar in, and it's a pain to remove/install. Taking out the seats isn't a big job (6 allen bolts, replace them or the heads will strip) but isn't something I'd want to do frequently. My rear seats have been deleted and RS lightweight carpet installed throughout (door cards too). I miss neither the back seats nor the door pockets.
If I were you I would consider getting one of the Raid (Atiwe) airbag steering wheels - you can order them from Carnewal in Belgium and take advantage of the favorable USD-Euro exchange rate.
I got the perforated Silberpfiel 340mm, which is much smaller than the stock wheel with a thicker rim; Silberpfiel 365 is a slightly less aggressive option.
The airbag is an integral part of the safety system in the 964 and you should have it there for you on the street - you can always use the (easily installed) bridge plug to disable both airbags on the track.
I also have a DAS rollbar - there's no way to use the back seats with the bar in, and it's a pain to remove/install. Taking out the seats isn't a big job (6 allen bolts, replace them or the heads will strip) but isn't something I'd want to do frequently. My rear seats have been deleted and RS lightweight carpet installed throughout (door cards too). I miss neither the back seats nor the door pockets.
Checked out Carnewal. The "Cavallo Race 340mm Alcantara" doesn't look too horrible, and $621 isn't too high a price to pay for a functioning driver airbag ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Also, is this the [bolt-in] rollbar that you have?
***
Questions:
I assume isntalling the DAS rollbar requires removal of whatever front seats are there?
If the DAS rollbar is bolt-in, how would removal be difficult enough to not warrant insertion/removal around track events?
11-30-2016, 02:32 PM
New 964 Owner—Fixed Bucket Seats, Steering Wheels, Airbags, Rollbar/rollcage ?'s
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There is a company that makes an aftermarket steering wheel with a new airbag and connector for the 964. I haven't seen a replacement for the passenger side though.
