I made the same change for my 99

I have a nice new GT3 seat for my 2004 boxster. nice.

I have not looked yet as to how one transfers the seat belt catch. I'm sure i'll figure it out, but if anyone knows.....

More critically, what do i do with the electrical connector. It does 3 things, i believe:

1. feeds power to the recline (power)
2. it picks up the seat belt continuity signal
3. it detects if you are int he seat for airbag purposes...?

Not sure how to progress. what happens if i just ignore it?

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I did this on my '98 and '09 Boxsters. You can transfer the seat belt buckle to the GT3 seat and plug the other end of it into the proper portion of the connector that is in the car. If your car currently has air bags or weight sensor, in the seat, you need to tell the car that these are not installed if you don't want lights on the dash. This can be done with the dealer tool or with a Durametric.

And it looks and feels great, from my quick drive.

[i48.tinypic.com]

As peter says, the seat-belt latch transfers, along with its own wire, which apparently sends the signal for both seat-belt use and keeps the airbag happy.

But there's a bit more to the story - you need to take the multi-wire connector apart and trace the one bundle of wires from the latch to the connector. inside the big connector are several connectors, depending in the year and options. My connector was blue, and has 3 wires in it all of which go to the seat belt latch. By fiddling, i found a side panel that slipped off the big connector, allowing it to come apart non-destructively.

[i47.tinypic.com]

Here's a pic of the entire latch/wire/connector:

[i50.tinypic.com]

My seats came with Porsche slider already installed, a nice bonus ( then again, i didn't exactly get them for free).

Note that the sliders come out of the car with 4 bolts through and into the floor - but requires a female torx (or triple square?) socket.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

After i took my seat all apart, i am fairly confident that the seat itself is not bent, or not bent enough to worry about.

The track.height adjustment assembly however......

[i47.tinypic.com]

Has bends to the round tube and the lever that moves the seat up and down. This both twists and tilts (sideways) the seat - both to the right.

So, i need one of those entire assembles. And maybe the electrical recline switch tht I damaged taking ti apart...

Got one?

or, since i also have an old Recaro LN i'd like to retrofit, two?

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

This is going in your DD, right? Do you still intend to do DE's in this car?

I'm not 100% sure i would choose these seats for a DD. But they are awesome for real driving - since one is held in place, you can be relaxed and control the car with delicate motions - rather than brute force required to steer while holding one's self in place! These are difficult to get in and out - not that i mind the contortions, but the leather will likely wear where you must slip over it and in/out. I might cut and glue a patch there to protect it.

I also find it tight in the shoulders. Great for track, but it does push my shoulders forward and together slightly. I cant imagine how a really big person would fit in these (for those who don't know me, i'm 5'81/2", < 155 lbs).

I this becomes my DD, i may drop a 70s-rainbox Recaro LN seat in - very retro and very comfortable. But that's a project i'm about to begin.

I wont know which car will be which until i have quite a few miles on both. Since the other car likely wont run for a couple months (step #1 get a motor or rebuild the one i have) - that decision is still a long way off.

Now i need to find a good source for good used seat track/slide assemblies - one for the OEM seat and one for the Recaro from the days of acid rock.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2012 02:32PM by grant. (view changes)

It's my DD, and fun car when there's no snow around. I only swapped the drivers seat, passenger remains regular sport seat. Didn't want to lose the ability to put the kids car seat in, plus didn't want to sell my other kidney for another seat! I'm 6' and about 210, and it fits nice and snug, I've even done a 4-500 mile trip in it with one stop, and felt fine when I got there. It's too bad, the seats are so damn exspensive, even a leather pole position(basically the same seat, just different upper design) are 900 or so.


Steve
Guards Red 1999
I'm not a race car driver, but I play one in 2nd and 3rd gear

I actually have two - i bought a pair (used of course). I need to check track rules, i believe i may need two identical seats if i plan to take an instructor, coach, etc out.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I'm sure Pedro or others can back this up, but I believe it is the restraint system that must be the same, so if I went for a track day, I could not wear a 4 or 5 point harness and expect the instructor to wear a reg seatbelt. I would have to wear a regular belt, but since my immediate plans do not call for tracking my car, I guess I needn't worry yet!
Hope we can all get a little TSBL gathering in the spring or summer this year, it has been too long since I've seen many of you guys.

Steve

Steve
Guards Red 1999
I'm not a race car driver, but I play one in 2nd and 3rd gear

... that have to be equivalent, but the restraint system.
But in order to have a 5 or 6 point restraint you must have a seat made for that type of restraint.
They need to have openings for the shoulder harnesses and for the anti-sub belt(s).
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

Exactly--from he PCA rule book on DE's:

Equal Restraints: Both student and instructor shall have the same restraint system. All vehicles must be equipped with a properly installed lap and shoulder restraint system.