Firstfives.org

Hi people
While at Pick-a-Part today, I found a pair of Recaros, or at least BMW sport seats in an '86 325e for $38 apiece. Of course in bad shape.
Would they fit my '81 seat rails so I can install them? I think Pierre said that's all I have to do, but would that include this year?
Also, there's an '80 e12 with very nice whorehouse red re-upholstered front seats. I believe in leather. When I opened the door I smelled leather, but, when I sniffed the seats I got nothing.
This was Pick-a Part in well, sorta Long Beach. I'll get back to you with the info. There's one No. of PCH on Blinn; this one is So. of PCH at Blinn.
People have said it's on Blinn, but I noticed that Blinn angles close to another street that might be the actual street. Greg

E21 Recaros are a straight bolt on.
I also found that early and late E12 seats are intergeable. You just have the use the rails that go with the car.

While at Pick-a-Part today, I found a pair of Recaros, or at least BMW sport seats in an '86 325e for $38 apiece. Of course in bad shape.
Would they fit my '81 seat rails so I can install them? I think Pierre said that's all I have to do, but would that include this year?

No they won't, the rails are too close together. The seats are the same as E28 sports, but not the rail position. There's been lots of discussion on Mye28.com about it over the years. It seems many have made adapter brackets without too much difficulty, but if they're in poor shape to start with, I'd pass if I were you.

Thanx Mike & Pierre. Good info. Greg

Mike W. wrote:

While at Pick-a-Part today, I found a pair of Recaros, or at least BMW sport seats in an '86 325e for $38 apiece. Of course in bad shape.
Would they fit my '81 seat rails so I can install them? I think Pierre said that's all I have to do, but would that include this year?

No they won't, the rails are too close together. The seats are the same as E28 sports, but not the rail position. There's been lots of discussion on Mye28.com about it over the years. It seems many have made adapter brackets without too much difficulty, but if they're in poor shape to start with, I'd pass if I were you.

Excuse the thread hijack...
So Mike W.,
How about swapping E28 seats into and E12?

Pierre wrote:E21 Recaros are a straight bolt on.
I also found that early and late E12 seats are intergeable. You just have the use the rails that go with the car.

Not true in my experience-- I've made some ghetto brackets to adapt some E21 Recaros to my E12. I've been wondering if there are other OE rails that are interchangeable with these seats and my car so I can use real rails w/ no adapters.

Also, to the OP, if you're checking out the yards in Wilmington for E30 sport seats (not Recaro, by the way), hold out for a pair of mint ones, they're more common than you'd expect.

swatterssr wrote: Excuse the thread hijack...
So Mike W.,
How about swapping E28 seats into and E12?

Yep, at least taking seats from an '87 or '88 E28 and dropping them into an '80 or '81 E12 is a straight, bolt-in affair. The only thing you have to do is take the E12 seatbelt and put it on the E28 seat.