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Thread: E36 Vader seat swap

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Hawaii
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    2
    My Cars
    95 E36 325i

    E36 Vader seat swap

    I know it's been covered before, but I have a 95 e36 325i sedan, and recently came across a set of front Vader seats. I started the swap because I read that it was the same bolt pattern, which it is. The problem I ran into is the seat belt lower mounting points by the doors. The previous owner swapped the electric seats for manual ones and drilled a hole in the plastic and ran an unsecured bolt through the bracket, into the plastic. The square tab in the plastic trim was not used, like it was bolted on the outside without a nut on the inside. The question is, without a welder or waiting for adapter parts, what are your suggestions?
    Last edited by TravisMud; 05-06-2017 at 11:14 PM. Reason: Spelling

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2001
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    STR, MUC, LHR
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    25,293
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    I love turbos!
    Pics would help.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
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    69
    My Cars
    '95 M3| '98 M3 | '03 M5
    Without pics it is hard to tell but I think I understand what you're describing. The bottom of the seat belt on coupes mount to the body of the car while sedans are mounted to the side of the seat. The plastic trim with the square etched in the plastic is where the bottom of the belt should be inserted. However, you don't have to but it'll look ugly and the plastic side piece of the seat will be lifted. I used a dremel to the square etched part on the plastic. A T30 torx bolt from your old seat should be reused to secure the seat belt to the vader seat.

    Your situation should be similar to mine as I put manual vaders into a 98 M3 sedan.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
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    45
    My Cars
    1997 M3 Sedan
    Quote Originally Posted by in4lee View Post
    Without pics it is hard to tell but I think I understand what you're describing. The bottom of the seat belt on coupes mount to the body of the car while sedans are mounted to the side of the seat. The plastic trim with the square etched in the plastic is where the bottom of the belt should be inserted. However, you don't have to but it'll look ugly and the plastic side piece of the seat will be lifted. I used a dremel to the square etched part on the plastic. A T30 torx bolt from your old seat should be reused to secure the seat belt to the vader seat.

    Your situation should be similar to mine as I put manual vaders into a 98 M3 sedan.
    The T30 torx bolt does not fit into the hole of the seat belt bracket. How did you get around that?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Seattle/Tacoma Area
    Posts
    192
    My Cars
    99 Euro Sport Twin Screw
    Bringing this thread back to life.

    I have a 98 m3 sedan with manual, heated seats that I want to swap a set of manual, heated Vaders that I picked up into it. I thought the seats bolt right in and no modifications were nessacary? But now It sounds like the bracket where the seat belt mounts to the seat on the sedan, (that's secured by a torx bolt) is different than where it will mount to the Vaders? What's the deal? Do I have to cut the plastic, etc? Any pictures would be awesome! Confused here. Thanks! Just picked this car up! Modding within the first week! Hehe

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