mk1 seat change - seat belt problem?
Discussion
I was supposed to be helping out with a seat change on a friends mx-5 on Sunday, hers is a 1997 mk1 with the seats with the seperate head rests, and we were supposed to be changing them with the early mk1 seats with the speakers in them.
The problem we found was with the seat belts. The originals have the buckle bolted to the seat, and the new ones do not. It there a way to mount the old seat belts to the new seats, or do you have to change to a different buckle arrangement?
How are the old mk1 buckles fitted?
Thanks in advance
The problem we found was with the seat belts. The originals have the buckle bolted to the seat, and the new ones do not. It there a way to mount the old seat belts to the new seats, or do you have to change to a different buckle arrangement?
How are the old mk1 buckles fitted?
Thanks in advance
The seat belt clip is actually attached to the seat runners rather than to the seat itself. I don't know if a JDM one-piece Mk1 seat can be bolted to the later 2-piece seat runners or whether the seat belt clip would be in the way.
ETA: The mount for the old 1.6 style seat belt on the transmission tunnel does not exist on Mk2+
ETA: The mount for the old 1.6 style seat belt on the transmission tunnel does not exist on Mk2+
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Tuesday 9th February 14:27
lewis s said:
The original seat has the buckle mounted on a runner that is again bolted to the transmission tunnel behind the seat.
The new seat has no provision for this arrangement.
Will she need another, longer buckle to bolt straight to the transmission tunnel?
The car is a 1997 1.6
Ah, never owned a late 1.6 (no one wants them as they are de powered) so they have the 1.8 arrangement too. The new seat has no provision for this arrangement.
Will she need another, longer buckle to bolt straight to the transmission tunnel?
The car is a 1997 1.6
Still as per my first reply.
You need the early 1.6 clip / buckle.
I'll happily sell you a pair for £28 posted.
Ok, I know this post is quite old, but I have been having the same problem and there seems to be a distinct lack of information about the issue anywhere on the web. My hope is that someone searching the same issue might stumble across this like I did.
So the first point is, if you are swapping early mk1 seats into a late mk1 car then its NOT just a straight 4 bolt swap. The late models have their buckles bolted to the seat base with a "slider" bolt attached high up on the tunnel.
The earlier models have their buckle bolted directly to the tunnel, but the bolt hole for this is low down at the bottom of the tunnel. So you can't just replace your late model buckle with an early model buckle as the result would be driving around with the lap part of the belt somewhere around your boobs.
In despair I tore both seats apart and came up with quite a successful solution. The seat bases are pretty much identical, the only difference is the plate on the late model base that the buckle attaches too is not present on the early model bases, so all I did was swap the bases. I should have made a you tube video, but lets see if listing the process helps anyone:
Start with the late model seats (with the buckle bolted to the seat). This applies to both driver and passenger seats.
1) Remove seats from car by undoing the 4 floor bolts and the tunnel bolt attaching the buckle slider to the car (take not of the orientation of the plate that comes off with it and the location of all spacers and washer to aid refitting)
2) Unbolt the buckle fitting from the seat base (its 1x bolt next to the buckle itself and 1 tiny screw). Keep the screw and the bolt safe.
3) On the same side of the seat, but on the seat back, unscrew the small screw on the plastic plate that attaches the seat base to the seat back.
4) Working on the other side of the seat, remove 2x tiny screws holding the plastic trim to the base/back connection plate.
5) Now this bits a bit fiddly. I couldn't find a way to remove the seat back angle adjuster handle, which would have allowed me to remove the plastic trim. I just gently lifted the trim panel up to reveal 2 bolts that bolt into the seat base. I could just about get a 12mm spanner in there to remove them.
6) The seat back will come away from the seat base. (Please do not operate the seat back angle leaver at this point, it hurts when it wraps your knuckles!)
7) Back on the other side of the seat you need to remove the plastic trim from the plate that was holding the seat base to the seat back. Do this by pushing the screw grommet out sideways (I just pushed the back of it with a wide screwdriver). The plastic trim will then slide up revealing the metal plate, which is a permanent part of the seat base.
8) Turn the seat base over and remove the runners. Its just 4 bolts (10mm I thinK).
9) Go around removing the hog rings which attach the seat cloth to the base. (if your seats have been re-covered then instead of hog rings you may have tie-wraps). Once all hog rings are removed gently unwrap the cloth upwards. You will then see that there are a few more hog rings on the side of the bolster attaching the cloth to a metal bar. Remove these too.
10) Now its time to remove the foams. Gently go around prising the foams from the metal base with your fingers DO NOT USE ANYTHING SHARP as you will ruin the foams. They didn't appear to be glued in, so it doesn't need much force. Be very careful here not to tear the foams.
You should now have a bare base. Now do point 3 to 10 with the replacement (early model) seats. Once removed it should just be a simple case of placing the early model foams into the late model bases. To reattach the cloth I just used tie-wraps, which worked great, but I'm sure a professional will call me heathen and insist that hog rings are used.
Refitting is the reversal of removal. When it comes to refitting the buckle slider you will need to cut small holes in the material to allow the bolt and crew to connect with the plate.
Remember to use the correct torque settings. In my workshop manual the bolts to attach the belt buckle to the seat and the tunnel on the car suggest 60nm, while the bolts attaching the seat to the floor is 44nm. Please don't take this as gospel and check your own workshop manual.
I'm happy to answer any questions or take suggestions if it could be done easier.
Chris (1998 MX5 mk1, 1.6, not import)
So the first point is, if you are swapping early mk1 seats into a late mk1 car then its NOT just a straight 4 bolt swap. The late models have their buckles bolted to the seat base with a "slider" bolt attached high up on the tunnel.
The earlier models have their buckle bolted directly to the tunnel, but the bolt hole for this is low down at the bottom of the tunnel. So you can't just replace your late model buckle with an early model buckle as the result would be driving around with the lap part of the belt somewhere around your boobs.
In despair I tore both seats apart and came up with quite a successful solution. The seat bases are pretty much identical, the only difference is the plate on the late model base that the buckle attaches too is not present on the early model bases, so all I did was swap the bases. I should have made a you tube video, but lets see if listing the process helps anyone:
Start with the late model seats (with the buckle bolted to the seat). This applies to both driver and passenger seats.
1) Remove seats from car by undoing the 4 floor bolts and the tunnel bolt attaching the buckle slider to the car (take not of the orientation of the plate that comes off with it and the location of all spacers and washer to aid refitting)
2) Unbolt the buckle fitting from the seat base (its 1x bolt next to the buckle itself and 1 tiny screw). Keep the screw and the bolt safe.
3) On the same side of the seat, but on the seat back, unscrew the small screw on the plastic plate that attaches the seat base to the seat back.
4) Working on the other side of the seat, remove 2x tiny screws holding the plastic trim to the base/back connection plate.
5) Now this bits a bit fiddly. I couldn't find a way to remove the seat back angle adjuster handle, which would have allowed me to remove the plastic trim. I just gently lifted the trim panel up to reveal 2 bolts that bolt into the seat base. I could just about get a 12mm spanner in there to remove them.
6) The seat back will come away from the seat base. (Please do not operate the seat back angle leaver at this point, it hurts when it wraps your knuckles!)
7) Back on the other side of the seat you need to remove the plastic trim from the plate that was holding the seat base to the seat back. Do this by pushing the screw grommet out sideways (I just pushed the back of it with a wide screwdriver). The plastic trim will then slide up revealing the metal plate, which is a permanent part of the seat base.
8) Turn the seat base over and remove the runners. Its just 4 bolts (10mm I thinK).
9) Go around removing the hog rings which attach the seat cloth to the base. (if your seats have been re-covered then instead of hog rings you may have tie-wraps). Once all hog rings are removed gently unwrap the cloth upwards. You will then see that there are a few more hog rings on the side of the bolster attaching the cloth to a metal bar. Remove these too.
10) Now its time to remove the foams. Gently go around prising the foams from the metal base with your fingers DO NOT USE ANYTHING SHARP as you will ruin the foams. They didn't appear to be glued in, so it doesn't need much force. Be very careful here not to tear the foams.
You should now have a bare base. Now do point 3 to 10 with the replacement (early model) seats. Once removed it should just be a simple case of placing the early model foams into the late model bases. To reattach the cloth I just used tie-wraps, which worked great, but I'm sure a professional will call me heathen and insist that hog rings are used.
Refitting is the reversal of removal. When it comes to refitting the buckle slider you will need to cut small holes in the material to allow the bolt and crew to connect with the plate.
Remember to use the correct torque settings. In my workshop manual the bolts to attach the belt buckle to the seat and the tunnel on the car suggest 60nm, while the bolts attaching the seat to the floor is 44nm. Please don't take this as gospel and check your own workshop manual.
I'm happy to answer any questions or take suggestions if it could be done easier.
Chris (1998 MX5 mk1, 1.6, not import)
Edited by ChrisMassey on Sunday 11th January 18:37
Edited by ChrisMassey on Sunday 11th January 18:42
Edited by ChrisMassey on Sunday 11th January 18:45
Unless i am missing something the easiest way out of this situation is to just bolt longer buckles to the tranmission tunnel?
I recently fitted recaros from the RS Ltd into my 97 mk1 so i had the buckle on the seats and that extra metal rail. I just removed the lot in one go and bolted in some longer ones from a early car.
4 x bolts for the seat and the 5th for the buckle on the tunnel.
Sorted!
I recently fitted recaros from the RS Ltd into my 97 mk1 so i had the buckle on the seats and that extra metal rail. I just removed the lot in one go and bolted in some longer ones from a early car.
4 x bolts for the seat and the 5th for the buckle on the tunnel.
Sorted!
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