other seats in e21

[letsgo7815]

short of aftermarket, what other seats have been adapted into an e21. . . .
im looking at front and back....

ive seen a post about 6 series e24 seats being used but i just missed a set...
gonna go measure some tracks and back seats tomorrow at yard.

[Layne]

The seat mounting brackets welded to the floor in an E21 are not level. So the only options are to use E21 tracks or to cut the brackets out and create something new. Most people aren't willing to cut the car unless it's a racer or a junker, so I'll skip that option. Recaro made U channel adapters that went on top of the original tracks and created a level top for the Recaro seats. This technique would work for any seat with a flat bottom, but the height can easily become too much, especially for taller drivers. Also note that 77-78 seat tracks and mountings are different than 79-83. Early ones are the same as a 2002, with the adjusting lever being part of the floor. There are different Recaro adapters for each.

Cliffs: Nothing fits, but you could probably make anything fit, but it might be too tall.

[hotdish]

Also note that 77-78 seat tracks and mountings are different than 79-83. Early ones are the same as a 2002, with the adjusting lever being part of the floor. .

My euro '79 has the early adjusters, I think that might have been a mid-year change in '79.

[OLD MAN]

My euro '79 has the early adjusters, I think that might have been a mid-year change in '79.

Think this is it as my 79 320-6 euro has/had all the late model stuff on it.

[Bonsaibacker]

I made the decision early on that I would modify my car as it was not a stock beauty. That said, I installed E46 manual seats after I pulled out the perches and added some bracing. Changed my relationship with the car! They are very adjustable.
The draw back is that they are big- I removed my map pockets and although I have had passengers in the back, I cannot say they enjoyed being shoe horned in. But let's be honest- how frequently do you use your back seat???

[Layne]

My euro '79 has the early adjusters, I think that might have been a mid-year change in '79.

Might be. Realoem does not tell a cutoff date. My 3/79 car has all the late model stuff.

[hotdish]

Might be. Realoem does not tell a cutoff date. My 3/79 car has all the late model stuff.

This is getting kinda off-topic, but it looks like the cutoff date in the realoem 323i catalog for the seat rails is 09/78, which would usually be the start of the 79 model year. A Recaro seat rail spacer has a cutoff of 08/78 listed for the 323i and 09/78 for the US 320i.

My 323i has a build date of 06/78 but is titled as a 1979 model year.

[Somjuan]

I made the decision early on that I would modify my car as it was not a stock beauty. That said, I installed E46 manual seats after I pulled out the perches and added some bracing. Changed my relationship with the car! They are very adjustable.
The draw back is that they are big- I removed my map pockets and although I have had passengers in the back, I cannot say they enjoyed being shoe horned in. But let's be honest- how frequently do you use your back seat???

That's funny, the manual e46 ones must be wider than the powered ones. Mine have no interference until well up the center console

[Heretic E21]

I have the blue interior (carpet, seats, rug) and my seat fabric was trashed from the sun (Texas car) and I went to the local wreckers lookinf for anything I could actually sit in, and found some very comfy and blue seats from a late 80's Celica GTS. It was quite easy to adapt the E21 stock rails over to the Celica seat frames. They only a bit wider than E21 seats, and only start to touch the center when way up close to the dash, closer than anybody would ever sit.

The driver seat also has a height adjustment knob and power lumbar and bolster, which I grabbed the switch and short harness for from the same Celica and installed in my BMW. Some people have said they don't look period correct for that car, but colour wise, they blend nice with the OEM Blue, and many people who don't know these cars have commented how comfy the seats were back then, and then I tell them they are Toyota seats. :p

[BastardE38]

I have a set of Recaros out of a MkII VW GTI. The E21 seat rail adapters swapped right over and they're so much more comfy than E21 Recaro seats.