Leather Seats from Germany for $100

FresnoR · #1 11-17-2011, 12:58 AM

I purchased the BMW seats off of Craigslist for $100. They were off of a 3-series I believe. I was amazed at just how expensive seats were for the RV?s, and I was determined to find a more affordable way. Included with the seats were a couple panels and bottom portion of the rear seat (do I smell extra fabric?).

Here is the individual seat, in all her glory. Each seat was 60 lbs! Time to go on a diet. So I completely gutted each seat. Ended up with tons of little motors and controls, I could probably sell them on eBay and pay for the seats. The final weight without the Van?s seat backs was 4 lbs. each!

As you can see, they are a bit too wide, about 22 inches, the Van?s seat back is closer to16 inches.

I can dream, can?t I? A bit too wide?

After removing all the foam, I basically used a sewing awl and pinched the leather together along the two seams down the middle. Taking about 1.5? inches off each side for a total of 6 inches of reduced width on each seat.

Next was to reduce the width of the foam, I cut it down the middle and used a little bit of fiberglass which attached itself to the foam well.

I put in grommets on the rear and small bungee cords to wrap the leather and foam around the Van?s seat backs. I had to round off the 90 degree corners of the seatbacks to fit the leather shape, I also fabricated some right angle aluminum brackets to fit the plastic BMW supports for the headrests.

All in all, it?s not too bad. They are extremely comfortable. The headrests are fully adjustable and removable just as they were in the car. It was a very high learning curve as I have never sewn anything in my life prior to this. The holes for the control sticks were especially difficult for me. I am sure if I did it again I could make the leather much tighter and fitting. In fact, I probably could have saved the lumbar airbags, pump and seat heaters if I would have thought that far ahead. I may just keep an eye on craigslist just in case. Heck, for $100 a set, why not?

pierre smith · #2 11-17-2011, 04:59 AM

Homebuilders can be the most resourcefull scroungers ever! That's not a derogatory statement but a compliment...heck, I bought a Corvair oil-cooler for my Cassutt at a junkyard, for $5, many years ago and it did well!

That, and Wentworth Aircraft salvage for good, usable nav lights for 1/3 the regular price for my -6A.

Best,

Greg Arehart · #3 11-17-2011, 08:29 AM

Great job! There was a fellow near me who used some subaru seats in his RV. He had done similarly in taking all the structure out of the seats, then just plopped them in place - not nearly so nice as what you did (but they did work and the price was right).

cheers,
greg

panhandler1956 · #4 11-17-2011, 08:54 AM

Very ingenious! Kudos to you for being industrious! I'm sure someone will pipe up about burn certs, etc, but I think it's cool.
The true spirit of experimental aviation.

FresnoR · #5 11-17-2011, 09:16 AM

Ah, if I get to the point where flames are touching my seats, I have bigger problems.

I think i also figured out how to tighten them up a bit. Originally, there were hog-ties connecting support wires from the fabric to the foam. I should be able get in there and connect the two back together, that should solve the loose leather and make them look more factory.

Sig600 · #6 11-17-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FresnoR

Ah, if I get to the point where flames are touching my seats, I have bigger problems.

Yeah but the point of flame resistant/retarded material is that in the event of a fire, a small fire bottle can put it out. Those few extra seconds (or minutes) it takes a non-flammable material to combust over something less could very easily be the difference between a scarey moment, or a full blown fire in flight.

Cool idea though!!!! Will look really good if you can snug up the material. What did the final weight come out to be vs standard Classic Aero or Oregon Aero setups? Can you still tilt them forward to access the baggage area?

The fact that you can sell the motors and guys and cover the cost (or even make money) is even better!

az_gila · #7 11-17-2011, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sig600

Yeah but the point of flame resistant/retarded material is that in the event of a fire, a small fire bottle can put it out. Those few extra seconds (or minutes) it takes a non-flammable material to combust over something less could very easily be the difference between a scarey moment, or a full blown fire in flight.

....

I think the newer car standards are probably as good as or better than the ancient FAA flammability standards...

Sig600 · #8 11-17-2011, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by az_gila

I think the newer car standards are probably as good as or better than the ancient FAA flammability standards...

Most current info I could find from the NHTSA website. Doesn't look like the standard has changed since 1972.

Quote:

Standard No. 302 - Flammability of Interior Materials - Passenger Cars, Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles, Trucks, and Buses
(Effective 9-1-72)
This standard specifies burn resistance requirements for materials used in the occupant compartments of motor vehicles. Its purpose is to reduce deaths and injuries to motor vehicle occupants caused by vehicle fires, especially those originating in the interior of the vehicle from sources such as matches or cigarettes.

Lets find out. OP you have some left over material from the trimming? Why not use some to build a tiny little mock up seat, then try and set it on fire!

BTW, I'll bet if you take those seat backs to an automotive upholstery shop, they can get those things looking sweet for next to no cash. Looks like it would be minimal work for an interior pro. That was a brilliant idea.

FresnoR · #9 11-17-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sig600

BTW, I'll bet if you take those seat backs to an automotive upholstery shop, they can get those things looking sweet for next to no cash. Looks like it would be minimal work for an interior pro. That was a brilliant idea.

I will probably do that in the near future. At least see what they have to say. I was hesitant to go to a pro at first since I was not sure if it would be feasable at all to go the automotive route, and didn't want to waste the money. A $100 gamble on the seats was worth it, but not much more. Now that it looks like it will work, I need the professional assistance. There are also a couple other areas that would need cleaned up such as the holes from the side recliner levers and the bottom area. Man, I wish I knew how to run a sewing machine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sig600

Can you still tilt them forward to access the baggage area?

The seats use the existing piano hinge and are able to fold forward all the way to the panel, so baggage access should not be affected.

Snowflake · #10 11-17-2011, 05:19 PM

One of the builders local to me used the leather seat backs from a couple of chairs from Staples/Office Depot on his RV-9. I think he pre-selected for the lightest seat he could find before buying, though. He attached the piano hinge to the bottom of the seat back so he wouldn't have to re-build the seat on the Van's back. I don't recall what he did for the seat cushion itself.