Racing Seat Install QUESTION! *HELP*

[robcarync]

I finally got my super sweet Wedge Engineering brackets and sliders to put my Hunsaker seats in my 318ti!

I know how to unbolt the seat, unplug some stuff...disconnect the battery etc...

but now I have a question...SEAT BELTS!

The receptical for the seatbelt that it clicks into is bolted to the stock seat/slider...if I remove the stock seat, where do i Put the receptical so i can still have a seat belt?! I was hoping the seat belt clicky piece would be attached to the actual car and not the seat...is there a way to bolt it to the bracket or something? I haven't looked into it too much, but I guess I need to find a way to do that...

[BMW_Hatchback]

[robcarync]

I mean everyone has a 318ti...look at the piece where the actual buckle clips into...it is attached to the side of the stock seat bracket/slider.

if you take stock seats out, and put racing seats in...what are you supposed to do with it?

I guess I could take a pic of the sliders I have and what not...but anyone that has racing seats installed should have an idea of what i am talking about...

[robcarync]

NEVER MIND IM AN IDIOT

that is why they have little 90 degree bends off the bracket with a hole drilled in it...

im stupid

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by robcarync

NEVER MIND IM AN IDIOT

that is why they have little 90 degree bends off the bracket with a hole drilled in it...

im stupid

With sliders you should be able to just bolt it on. Some people also get the E30 mechanical tensioner and buckle receptacle, as opposed to the E36 pyro tensioner, that one is a bit easier to bolt onto aftermarket seat brackets and sliders.

[robcarync]

i am assuming i should reconnect the wire harness attached to the seat belt receptacle?

i am trying to figure out how to take the seat appart so i can get the wire out without cutting it. it is routed and jammed way up in the seat cushions and i cant pull it out.

and now the damn sliders dont work...wedge drilled the right holes...except one of the holes is not accessible because the slider covers it up...even if you slide it to the other side. you cant get a wrench to the bolt since its covered.

what a ****ty day...something that should have taken a couple hours tops has taken all day and i cant even get the things in there now...

[mohaughn]

Installing aftermarket seats can be a real pain. Mainly because there are so many different types of seats, they all have different measurements, sliders are made differently, etc...

In order for the pyro tensioner to work properly all of the wires have to be hooked up to it. Otherwise, it would never get the signal from the car that an accident has just happened so that it can fire and tighten the belt.


In order to get my Sparco seat installed I had to get the VAC aluminum side rails and I used VAC floor mounts. No sliders. Even then I had to put the seat on the side mounts in the wrong position(to high), and then attach the side mounts to the floor mounts. If I put the seat in the right height position it was to low and I could not get the bolt started in the floor mounts.

After I had the side mounts attached to the floor mounts, I had to loosen up the front bolts slightly from the side mounts, and completely remove the two rear bolts. I was able to drop the seat, and then put the rear bolts back in and tighten the front bolts ups. I did all of this, and then realized that the seat was off centered with the steering wheel.. hehehe, what fun!!!

The final solution will be for the fabrication shop to modify the VAC floor mounts to get the seat into exactly the right position.

[robcarync]

ok i got the seat belt recepticals off and on the bracket...got them bolted to the bracket...and seats are installed...but have a few questions:

what about the seat sensor for the passenger seat? do i need to put that in place too? I read i could just cut the harness off and connect the two wires together to make it look like there is someone in the seat at all times.

also...there is a bowden cable off the front of the receptcal...it attached to a place under the stock seat. not sure what that goes too...but there is no place to attach it to now....what did you do with that?

Now I have airbag light...assuming it is related to the passenger seat sensor because the other wiring harnesses are plugged in...

man...i thought this would be much simpler...4 bolts and be done...but this is kinda complicated...well mainly annoying...

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by robcarync

ok i got the seat belt recepticals off and on the bracket...got them bolted to the bracket...and seats are installed...but have a few questions:

what about the seat sensor for the passenger seat? do i need to put that in place too? I read i could just cut the harness off and connect the two wires together to make it look like there is someone in the seat at all times.

also...there is a bowden cable off the front of the receptcal...it attached to a place under the stock seat. not sure what that goes too...but there is no place to attach it to now....what did you do with that?

Now I have airbag light...assuming it is related to the passenger seat sensor because the other wiring harnesses are plugged in...

man...i thought this would be much simpler...4 bolts and be done...but this is kinda complicated...well mainly annoying...

You need to put a resistor between the two wires on the passenger seat to fake it out and make it think there is a passenger in the seat. That will cause the airbag light...

I'm not sure about the bowden cable as my setup is removing all of the stock airbags and using aftermarket harnesses, so I removed all of the wiring and am not using the stock belts. Take a picture of what you are talking about and I may be able to find some info for you.

[robcarync]

What resistance should I use?

I will try to snap a pic of the bowden cable...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...20&hg=72&fg=05

You can see it coming off the end, but it isnt labeled...probably because the entire thing is a subassembly from a supplier...

the seat belts are functional...they click in/out fine and tighten up if you yank on them. The bowden cable orignially attached under the stock seat somewhere.

[robcarync]

Update:

I sat on the seat sensor and measured the resistance to get the correct resistor. I wired that into the harness.

The only open issue I have is the bowden cable. Thanks for the help.

[cooljess76]

Also note, the front seat belt receptacles are armed with an Automatic Locking Tensioner. This device retracts the recepticle about 2 inches in the event of an accident. 318ti's built up to 03/97 use a mechanical auto-locking mechanism(part#'s 72118167711 left and 72118167712 right) while models built after 03/97 use a pyrotechnic auto-locking mechanism (part#'s 72118221013 left and 72118221014 right).

[bmorekirby]

Originally Posted by BMW_Hatchback

agreed

[cooljess76]

Originally Posted by bmorekirby

agreed

This is just an old thread. The only reason I revived it was to add an important safety note regarding the seat belt receptacles.
One should also note, when swapping seats from another vehicle, determine which style of receptacle your car came with. Then verify that the seats to be installed have the same style receptacles. For example, if your car was built before 03/97, your seats need to have the mechanical style tensioners. If your car was built after 03/97, your seats need to have the pyrotechnic style tensioners. The electrical connectors are different between the two to prevent you from hooking up the wrong types. Prior to disconnecting any part of the SRS system, ALWAYS disconnect the battery. The battery should only be reconnected AFTER all of the SRS components are installed and reconnected. Failure to do so will result in an SRS light that can only be reset with a special tool or by the dealer.

[stuartrp]

Do you guys know if vader seats will fit in my TI...and if the rear M3 seats will fit as well?