Replace the front seats with E93 sport seats

[Patton]

The E93 is a 3 series convertible and the seatbelt is a part of the seat assembly.

Has anyone chopped the existing seat "perch" and installed the E93 seats.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Robert Patton

 

[teahead]

E46 convertible may be easier.

 

[Rek]

I have E46 seats in mine. Electric and heated

 

[mr bump]

I have E46 seats in mine. Electric and heated

Can you post a pic up please rek? I've toyed with the idea of fitting more modern, comfortable seats for a while but cannot decide.

 

[Patton]

Thanks, Rek.
I assume that you cut the seat perch out, correct?

I test-fitted some E46 seats and they do , as you already well know, fit like a glove. So, yes, they are a cool option.

E93, anyone?

RP

 

[Rek]

Here are some pictures. The old seat perchs were cut out and replaced with box section 2.5mm custom made perchs, tied into the sill/rocker and the extended frame rail. On the painted image the fitted perchs are in place. The crossmember is also 2.5mm box section and replaces the rather flimsy sheet metal below the front of the rear seat.

I have two new covers for the top of the seats which are straight rather than curved. When reupholstered, the pattern will mirror those on the rear seat. Chrome fixings and leather on the side plastic sections will complete the job.

They are currently wired for power but not heat as I haven't worked out how to switch the three levels of heating. Any ideas welcome.

I can live without the memory function.

 

[Bmachine]

The E93 is a 3 series convertible and the seatbelt is a part of the seat assembly.

Has anyone chopped the existing seat "perch" and installed the E93 seats.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Robert Patton

Why e93? Use e92 instead. Coupe seats.

Just be aware that they sit a good bit higher than the e9 ones. You can lower them in the seat area with a custom fab bracket but it works best with a manual seat base bc the motors take a lot of room down there. Also the electric seats require a Can bus connection which the e9 obviously does not have.

 

[Patton]

Why e93? Use e92 instead. Coupe seats.

Just be aware that they sit a good bit higher than the e9 ones. You can lower them in the seat area with a custom fab bracket but it works best with a manual seat base bc the motors take a lot of room down there. Also the electric seats require a Can bus connection which the e9 obviously does not have.

E93 is the convertible and the seatbelt comes out of the seat. I'm thinking the 12-volt to the seat's motor control (buttons on the side of the seat) will allow the seat do most functions that do not require the Can/bus connection (Memory/heat).

Rek, thank you for the pictures. I had envisioned a plate steel welded to the floorboard and you confirmed the idea.

RP

 

[dang]

Has anyone tried removing the seat from the tracks and fabricating a bracket between the stock e9 tracks? This would essentially be a manual seat for position and wire it for the back only. I took an e90 seat off the tracks last month to access a seatbelt and they sit several inches above the tracks. The motor is mounted between the tracks for forward and back movement.

 

[Bmachine]

E93 is the convertible and the seatbelt comes out of the seat. I'm thinking the 12-volt to the seat's motor control (buttons on the side of the seat) will allow the seat do most functions that do not require the Can/bus connection (Memory/heat).

The fact that the E 93 has the seatbelts attached to their shoulder is the problem. You have to remove that. The E 92 does not have that problem. The seatbelt works exactly like it does on the E9. So it’s a much easier adaptation.

All motions of the electric seat require the can connection. The 12 V connection will let the controls (fore and aft, up and down, seat back angle) work for about 45 seconds and then the seat computer shuts down. The only things that do not require of the Can connection are the back bolster and lumbar adjustment. That is why it is easiest to get the manual sport seat.

I’ve read that you can supply 5v to pins 2 and 9 (IIRC) to trick the seat into thinking it’s got a bus connection but I haven’t heard of anyone having actually done it successfully.

 

[Patton]

Bmachine, help me out. I am missing something. Would not the seat belt being an intergral part of the e93 seat be advantageous? (Perhaps I need to pull one out of a junk car to understand? I have yet to do that, will be making trip to the salvage place soon, hence my questions at this point.)

Good to know that 45 seconds with 12volt operation will get the seat in position. Making progress here.

Thanks, RP

 

[dang]

I'm on the side of using manual seats, regardless of the mounting. We just got this car in but it's not dismantled yet. Except for the shoulder mechanism being a little bulky the fact that the entire seat belt assy is mounted to the seat seems like it would be an advantage.

 

[Patton]

Dang! Dang, looks like the seats that I'm looking for. I previously owned an e93, they are wonderful, comfortable seats! Can you call me on pricing? My business does FedEx shipping, so you could ship on my account.

If for sale, call 404-226-6678.

Thank you, Robert Patton


s

 

[dang]

Looks like we've sold all of our coupe and convertible seats. Does it have to be BMW seats? We have over 900 front seats inventoried (individually) and I see some really cool stuck come through here.

 

[Patton]

Not really. If you have a moment 404-226-6678. RP

 

[dang]

Here's a set out of an 05 645i. Looks similar. $150/ea, some small blemishes. Seems like you could find something a lot closer to you though...

 

[dang]

If you want to go the manual route you could get something narrow and probably mount them easier. These are Scion FR-S seats.

 

[Patton]

Local @ $895 for a set of brown e93 and I'd still have to redo the side bolster leather on the driver seat. I'm real good with Leatherique, so minor color problems are just that , minor. With prices as fair as $150 each, you've got my full attention! (Yep, I hate the thought of shipping, too.)

404-226-6678, operators are standing by...Thanks, Dang,

RP

 

[Bmachine]

Bmachine, help me out. I am missing something. Would not the seat belt being an intergral part of the e93 seat be advantageous? (Perhaps I need to pull one out of a junk car to understand? I have yet to do that, will be making trip to the salvage place soon, hence my questions at this point.)

Good to know that 45 seconds with 12volt operation will get the seat in position. Making progress here.

Thanks, RP

Changing the seatbelt anchoring system is in my eyes a very risky proposition. In order for the seatbelts to work properly while integrated in the seat as it is on a convertible the seat brackets have to be designed specifically to absorb those potential loads. There is no way the e9 seat mounting assembly is ready for that.
That is why I think the safest is to not mess with the seatbelt system because it is a safety hazard. So I would leave the entire seatbelt system as it is on the E9. This way you can work on the seat part independently without affecting safety. I don’t know what year your car is but in mine (74) the seatbelt reel by the rear deck which, admittedly, makes it a little bit easier. Nonetheless I would not take any chance by trying to jury rig a seatbelt system that was not designed for this car. But that is just me.

 

[Bmachine]

Has anyone tried removing the seat from the tracks and fabricating a bracket between the stock e9 tracks? This would essentially be a manual seat for position and wire it for the back only. I took an e90 seat off the tracks last month to access a seatbelt and they sit several inches above the tracks. The motor is mounted between the tracks for forward and back movement.

Work in progress... Should have the real thing done in a couple of weeks.