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TRIPPFONTAINE

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I was recently looking to replace the original seats that came with my 72 CSi with a set of Scheels. 'Course for the prices I've seen the Scheels going for I'm thinking maybe there's an alternative out there that might offer matching style, comfort and cost to the Scheels. Anyone got strong opinions on the merits of particular Recaros or other makes?
 
Hi John-Paul - Bill (Ajay) was looking for candidates in order to get sufficient numbers to produce Scheel copies - one of the locals was going to produce the 'blanks' in Melbourne and you could get them upholstered as you required - thats as much as I know - maybe give him a call and get more details
 
What about Corbeaus? They have a variety of styles that look like the old Scheels or something more comfortable. I don't know about seat brackets, though.
 
michael said:
It is my understanding that the original Scheel seats are quite uncomfortable.
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I concur. The lightweight Scheel buckets fitted to the CSLs require a lot of flexibility to get into and out of and if you are broad of beam, forget it. Even the driver's seats with the backrest adjustment (fitted to the last 57 Batmobiles) are uncomfortable. But then I am used to Recaros and Volvo seats.
 
I found some modern Scheel seats that are great. The problem with any seat is going to be that its too narrow for the original rails. I had to make mine by welding crossmembers to the original rails and mounting the seats to the crossmembers. If you cant decide on which seat, I suggest the one that comes with the bracket.
 
As the owner of a Scheel equipped CSL I must also ask why you'd want to do this. The seats, while cool in appearance and supportive in cornering, are horrible in most use cases. It stock form it's impossible to fit proper seatbelts due to the profile of the side bolsters, which protrude past the legs and midsection of any but the portliest of drivers. If you're slim enough to be able to get in and out comfortably, the seatbelts won't provide you with any sort of comfortable protection. I tried to install original three point harnesses, but they didn't work. There's no way that original CS/CSi seatbelts would work either. I ended up with very simple and basic lap belts, which are of course not very safe at all. I'm not certain but I've been told that CSLs essentially came without seatbelts at all. Curious if Yannick or Gerrit or any of the other more knowledgeable among this forum can support or deny this belief.
 
corsachili said:
Nope, those are not CSL Scheels.
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Yeah, I know. My point is that the original post stated that the seats are for his CSi (see-ess-eye), which leads me to think he might not be looking for CSL seats, but for the optional comfort type Scheels, available at the time as an option or via the aftermarket.
 
just to clarify, the seats I have in my '72 Coupe are the ones that originally came with car. Nice, dark blue velour but not firm enough for me for the longer trips. Micheal is correct. I definitely like the look of the Scheels that came stock with CSLs but from what I hear they're not that comfortable - the
Scheel Manns and some of the those listed on the Classic Car site look real nice (and affordable enough given the strength of the Oz dollar).
I guess it's a question of what will fit and how much putzing around with rails etc is necessary.
 
Most modern aftermarket seats come with, or you can order mounting kits.
IMHO go for what you find comfortable, if your not a stickler for originality. I would suggest a good colour match is going to be the biggest problem.
Ricaro is probably the biggest maker of bespoke seats, making all sorts from bus drivers seats to rally seats for the WRC boys (and girls)
There are firms which make "copies" of early style seats, the biggest problem they all face these days is the current legislation for safety etc etc.
The E28 in various guises has good seats right through to the M5 and M535 which used Ricaros. The mounting may be different but you should be able to sort that out.
As a side step, but something worth thinking about I once saw a 2002 fitted with M3 series seats, both front and rear and it looked good. So you might be able to adapt 5 series or 3 series seats to fit.
 
Regarding Corbeaus,
I think there are a great seat for the $$ if orginality is not an issue. I am running two different kinds in me couper's 'custom' interior.

The driver side is a FIA race/track legal model called the Forza (two widths availlable, various material options) and it is a fixed back/position mandated by the race clubs. For the passenger I had another fixed Forza but got anoyed at the lack of access to the rear seat/luggage area (my coupe now has a seat delete kit) so I replaced the Forza with a Corbeau TRS which looks similar to the Forza. The fold down feature is a must for easy rear access in our coupes. I used the Corbeau sliders for adjustment and fab'd some brackets to bolt it all up.

My buddy (navigator) loved the TRS on our recent romp thru the Sierras stating he thought it was much more comfortable than the seat in his Land Rover Discovery, I agree it is very nice. Comparing the Corbeaus to other brands, it becomes aesthetic preference and body fit. My brother has a Recaro race legal seat in his racer, its a bit lighter and tighter...and a bit harsher on the bum (I had to add a pillow for one long trip we made!) Great on track but I'd say a bit snug for daily use, the Corbeaus seemed to have a slightly more relaxed fit around the seat area. I am using lap belts until the roll bar goes in, then it will get the 5pt harnesses.

So, find a dealer and try some various brands on, you might like something. If you like spirited driving, they are a huge improvement over the stock seats. Vintage Recaros from early 3 & 5 series are great options also, but are getting harder to find.

www.corbeau.com no affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

HTH
-shanon
 
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