I finally found a guy that fabricated car seat bases at a reasonable price. After being quoted anywhere from $250 up to $1000 to have the seat fitted, I was getting close to giving up and selling it.
I bought a Magna drivers seat from the wreckers to butcher the base so I could get a set of Magna runners and to keep my old seat intact.
This guy made up a frame to bolt onto the runners after taking measurements etc. I rang an automotive engineer to find out what was required and made sure that the frame was going to comply. Essentially I had to keep the mounting point for the seat belt on the original runners.
After the seat was fitted, it was a little lower than original and a little to the right, so the steering wheel sits about 10-15mm of centre, but you don't notice. I am so wrapped with how well the seat holds you in place and how comfortable it is. I drove 4hours without stopping and got out without a sore back. That's a huge win.
Photos below.
For anyone wanting to do a similar mod, PM me and I'll give you details if you want.
To give you an idea of what it cost, here is what I spent:

Recaro 'Ergomed' seat bought 2nd hand on ebay $680
Replacement Magna seat from wreckers $40
Fabricated base $200
Engineers certificate $143
Total cost: $1063
For comparison, the cost of a new one ($1400) fitted $1800

The guy that made the base is in Newcastle, if anyone wants his number.

1000 bucks for a seat...i think ill be leaving this mod to rest..dam

i've got my racing seats on the stock rails at the moment, and they sit way to high...I went to one place about making some custom rails and they wanted $450 PER SEAT!!!

would you be able to get more pics of the rails for me mate?
i might be able to knock something up

cheers
sean

WOW - now you have an excellent seat that is useful for all those times you are gonna go circuit racing!

Oh - hang on - you don't have a racing harness so you can't go racing.

So you achieved for $1000 what you could have achieved with a small pillow - or adjusting the lumbar support.

All the haters :gtfo: ....the guy spent money on his car and is obviously happy with the mod so dont shoot him down

they do look very good are they heaps comfy and hold u in to ? looking good.

are they really padded or are they very hard, my friends RX7 seats r very hard and only comfy when u r driving a lil quick as opposed to being stationary

WOW - now you have an excellent seat that is useful for all those times you are gonna go circuit racing!

Oh - hang on - you don't have a racing harness so you can't go racing.

So you achieved for $1000 what you could have achieved with a small pillow - or adjusting the lumbar support.


WOW - you brought a magna that goes above 120km/h instead of a bike - now your cool.


Oh - hang on - it's illegal to go those speeds.

So you achieved for $20 000 what you could have achieved with a small second hand hatchback- or a bike!!


----------

:D but yer, i can understand wat you mean.. but if you've got money, you spend it on ways to enhance your life... whatever that means.. dont take the piss out of a bloke for doing what he wants. Please note the above example was an extreme exaggeration used to highlight a point.. you have a nice car =] You could make it better/faster/more comfy, whether thats a waste of money is purley an individual thing ;)

edit* i like them btw... i sat in a pair the other day.. .line them with leather and get all seats replaced with those side hugging bits, and +++. Looks the goods.

Actually you can't achieve the same cabin room, towing capacity, boot space, comfort etc with a second hand hatchback or a bike.

Maybe have a think about your analogies before you post.

how bout u all shutup

whingers

the seat looks great man, recaros are comfy as

what i wanna know r they really padded? ... or like my friends where they r very firm

Actually you can't achieve the same cabin room, towing capacity, boot space, comfort etc with a second hand hatchback or a bike.

Maybe have a think about your analogies before you post.
Maybe you shouldnt be such a tosspot in the first place..


Well done on getting your Recaro in the car and meeting the engineering requirements.

Now now - there is no need for name calling. That's just immature.

You are meant to be a moderator after all.

This seems to be a commonly asked question about replacing seats, custom rails, engineering requirements,etc.

Finally, a member has done it, and posted prices. Good work!! :thumbsup:

The definitive requirement seems to be keeping the seatbelt mount on the original rail. Great info for future modders.

TL-R - Everyone expects positive and negative comments when they post up mods, but they don't expect to be slagged with snide remarks insinuating that they're stupid. Try and be a bit less harsh. :confused:

WOW - now you have an excellent seat that is useful for all those times you are gonna go circuit racing!

Oh - hang on - you don't have a racing harness so you can't go racing.

So you achieved for $1000 what you could have achieved with a small pillow - or adjusting the lumbar support.

Wow you're a wanker!

you're all retards........especially u KB.....lol :bowrofl:

WOW - now you have an excellent seat that is useful for all those times you are gonna go circuit racing!

Oh - hang on - you don't have a racing harness so you can't go racing.

So you achieved for $1000 what you could have achieved with a small pillow - or adjusting the lumbar support.
If a Guy wants to improve his car he can spend what he damm well likes & should'nt have to put up with this kind of crap. Anyway from the look of your warranty repair list when it runs out you will be spending $1000 per month just to keep yours on the road.

I'm just so loving this thread atm! I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy everybody's replies.. lol

so who's up next to tell someone that he or she is a wanker/ass hole/di*khead/etc? :js: :poke:

I love your seats dude!! they really look awesome!!

I'm just so loving this thread atm! I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy everybody's replies.. lol

You're an ass clown! :P

BirdMan, they are great looking seats, well done... I would love em but alas I think my ass is just too big lol. How are the seats on your lower back on longer trips?

.... I would love em but alas I think my ass is just too big lol.
?

hahaha thats what i thought.. but discovered the side bits hold a lot in :redface: :bowrofl:

hmmm...interesting set of replies. Thanks for the encouragement from the supporters, and to those who bagged, then go find a website that isn't for car enthusiasts, you are obviously in the wrong place. OK now with that off my chest....
The reason why I spent soooo much money on a replacement seat, is because I do a lot of long trips and I have a bad back. The standard seats give f*ck all support and the cheap Autotechnica park benches are to stiff and uncomfortable _for me_. And that's what it comes down to. The seat I got is comfortable to me and on it's first trip I noticed major improvements in not only comfort, but support and hold.
To answer Stonesour's question, the seat has what I would call progressive padding, It feels soft but it gets harder the more you press on it, if that makes sense. The base cushion is suspended on a rubber mat which has great 'shock absorbsion' qualities so your ass doesn't get tired after an hour or 2 sitting in the one spot. I have a pump up lumbar support so I can adjust if required.
Before I bought the seat I was ready to sell the Magna. I had tried expensive back support cushions, inflatable lumbar bags and soft (wool) seat covers. All had a mild affect on the tired ass/sore back problem but ultimately weren't good enough.
The other thing the seat has shown me, is that putting a stiffer rollbar and strut brace on the Magna DOES actually flatten out cornering. On the original Magna seat, i couldn't tell because the seat didn't hold me very well, so the body rolling was mine. Now I am nice and supported.
Sorry to rave on, but I feel that this is the best mod I have made to make this car pleasant to drive on a long distance and fun around fast corners.

......climbs down off soap-box....

damn i miss my Recaro's....... :cry: :cry:

now all i need is an engineer's cert..... seems they give em out willy nilly up in NSW... :rant:

I'm not bagging the idea, i do like how they look in the car, but would you ever consider doing the passenger side for the same cost? the assymmertry looks a little wierd with one stock and one recaro?

I'm not bagging the idea, i do like how they look in the car, but would you ever consider doing the passenger side for the same cost? the assymmertry looks a little wierd with one stock and one recaro?
:stoopid:

Have to agree on that point, does look a little mis-matched...but at $1000 a seat....I can kinda understand that hehehe

But yeah, nice job! I would love recaros. But given the price, I dont think thats gonna happen lol :bowrofl:

If a Guy wants to improve his car he can spend what he damm well likes & should'nt have to put up with this kind of crap. Anyway from the look of your warranty repair list when it runs out you will be spending $1000 per month just to keep yours on the road.

I agree that he can spend his money on what he likes, but if he puts this info on a public forum, you need to expect to get peoples opinion/reactions. That's what forums are all about and i was just giving my opinion (allbeit a little sarcastic i admit).

And after my warranty runs out - i'm going to sell it!

I agree that he can spend his money on what he likes, but if he puts this info on a public forum, you need to expect to get peoples opinion/reactions. That's what forums are all about and i was just giving my opinion (allbeit a little sarcastic i admit).

And after my warranty runs out - i'm going to sell it!

And if you keep acting like a cocky fu-k on these forums.. You should expect to get peoples opinions/reactions to your rude arrogant anal retentive behaviour!

Nice work on the seats bro! I think we should just let the poor man's pocket heal.. Before talking about replacing the passengers seat!

SuFz :rant:

And after my warranty runs out - i'm going to sell it!if u hate magna's so much y the hell join the club???
cheers
Rhys

Hi Reece - i have never said i hate magna's.

You're certainly not contributing anything of worth to the club either.

Samurai: You know I'll always love you :redface:

Hi Reece - i have never said i hate magna's.
When addressing someone personally, its usually polite to spell their name correctly ;)

And after my warranty runs out - i'm going to sell it!

Good, then you wont be around here much longer then.


Good job on the seats by the way, all done properly with engineering etc, credit were credit is due. :D

racing seats take seconds off laps, thats a proven fact.

you dont need a harnes to race, my charade has never had a harness fitted to this day and im weekend warrior at the local race track.

Recaros are the cream of the proverbial crop for seats, you could get it done for less than what he paid by getting another brand of seat.

Good work getting it engineered, and you have a genuine, almost medical, reason for fitting so good work. I don't know where all this race talk came from, its not even a racing seat. Looks good dude

If you fit racing seats to any car then dont race, you are a ricer :P

I agree that he can spend his money on what he likes, but if he puts this info on a public forum, you need to expect to get peoples opinion/reactions. That's what forums are all about and i was just giving my opinion (allbeit a little sarcastic i admit).

And after my warranty runs out - i'm going to sell it!
That was not an opinion, It was a Slag. An opinion would be something like, Hey Dude dont like it much & also a bit pricey. Not much like what your Slag was.:nuts:

$1000 is a lot for just one seat in a Magna! But if it was bought purely because you have a sore back, I can understand. Unless you already do, you should seriously see a chiropractor (like me :P). My back isn't stuffed yet, it's more of a preventive thing for me, but I think it's worth it @ $30 a month. Once the damage is done, it's much harder, sometimes impossible to resolve the problem.

Agreed, you only have to see my old man's condition to know the truth of that.

He has to have the pro-disc operation...

That was not an opinion, It was a Slag.

Well if that was the way it was taken, then i apologise.

Thanks for posting the pics. My Recaro is sad and lonely in the loft of the shed. It's been in a Gemini, a Subari Impreza and a Jeep. I reckon (note that this is a personal opinion and not a request to be flamed) that it has been the best "handling" mod that I have preformed on any of them. You get a get far superior feel for what the vehicle is doing when you are in well constrained contact with it, rather than propping yourself up off the other seat and the door when hooking around corners.

I thought racing seats were thinly padded and usually fixed, these are more "sports" seats.

Ken

Well if that was the way it was taken, then i apologise.
Fair enough.

Hey good job on the seat conversion, it's good to see for a change that people aren't modifying safety items on a car without a good think about it first! As for the seats argument, aside from if you have spinal issues most people would get them simply for the increased firmness and lateral support. You don't have to drive at illegal speeds to get the benefits, just enjoy spirited driving.

I almost picked up a pair of MY00 WRX seats last month but I thought I'd save the money, considering especially the rail costs. Regret it now as I ended up just blowing the money on going out anyway!

pricey but fookin nice mate!!

I almost picked up a pair of MY00 WRX seats last month but I thought I'd save the money, considering especially the rail costs. Regret it now as I ended up just blowing the money on going out anyway!

ur a fool jimbo!!! guess i'll still be king of the mountain then!! hehehe :D

One look at this thread would probably turn off most people from posting on this forum. How pathetic is when you get bagged for upgrading the seats to something that was actually designed with cornering in mind. A friend of mine has Recaros in his 4wd and frankly they all should come with it. If you never sat in one that you dont know what you're missing. With prices now getting cheaper on buckets a decent fitting kit maker could make very real money.