bga 96 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 (edited) Hi there, new member, Al from England living in Auckland.. got hold of an E30 1988 318i coupe - in half decent nick but in need of a bit of TLC .. just saying hi to everyone - started revamping the car .. attached are a few pics of the exterior and of an E36 interior I have put in ... Edited June 14, 2011 by bga Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m325i 709 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 mint, how hard was it to put the e36 interior in? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
byza213 1 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 welcome looks tidy ! +1 on e36 seats Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bga 96 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 mint, how hard was it to put the e36 interior in? Hi Nick , not too hard.. originally was only going to do the front seats but the rears fitted snuggly so gave them a go too .. got the seatbelt rails shortened and welded back up to make enough room, got some 90x10mm mild steel plate sawed it into 8 relevant sized bits (off TradeMe for $10) .. bolted them in place of the original (ripped) seats put the E36's on top on the plate, marked where the holes were , drilled, stuck bolts in so the threads went through the new seat base and away you go .. it took a couple of days as I had have no access to a power saw and had to cut the steel by hand. - got my inspiration from this link http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=67786 As for the back seats, they are a 50/50 split so used strong plank of wood, and bolted the two halves together using BIG self tappers into the back of the seats and had a few bolts sticking out from the newly assemled back seat that matched the holes in the back of the boot - stuck 'em in and stuck the nuts on by climbing in the boot - solid as a rock .. the actual back seat is secured by small brackets and a lot of Nylon Rope going through various original holes etc .. it is solid .. oh and the edging bits (for want of a better expression) - the bits at either end of the seats are just foam and therefore fitted really snuggly when pushed in .. one thing.. I used High Tensile bolts all over and reinforces the floor where the new seat belt rail holes were with some steel plate also.. if anyone is interested and lives in Auckland I can show the finished product no worries .. PS the seats I used came from a 318ti (compact) cant vouch for back seats from any other model Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bga 96 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 welcome looks tidy ! +1 on e36 seats thanks for the welcome and the comment Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sascha 17 Report post Posted June 14, 2011 Welcome, And sweet interior swap. I've been thinking about this for a while, and also read that thread that you posted. Do you have templates of the brackets you made up? Did you make 4 seperate brackets as in that link or two to prevent "swivling"? Did you get a cert for it? How confident are you with the welded seat belt stalks? Excuse all the questions! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bga 96 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 (edited) Welcome, And sweet interior swap. I've been thinking about this for a while, and also read that thread that you posted. Do you have templates of the brackets you made up? Did you make 4 seperate brackets as in that link or two to prevent "swivling"? Did you get a cert for it? How confident are you with the welded seat belt stalks? Excuse all the questions! Hi Sascha, I dont have templates.. TBH I did them on the fly , can post some pics of the brackets if u r interested.. it was a pretty simple job really - although a little time consuming and it was hard work hacksawing the 10mm steel , I know what you mean about making 2 (or 3) rather than the 4 but there is no swival at all , no apprently don't need a cert as the seats use the existing holes - I did look into it and was told this , if I had created new holes then it would have needed certifying I believe - I may be wrong but we'll see what the WOF brings up.. got a pro to do the cutting and welding so very confident.. he also fitted the supporting plates where the set belt rails now sit and said all was good so am very confident .. hope this helps Edited June 15, 2011 by bga Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sascha 17 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 Sweet, thanks for that. Any chance of sending me through some pictures with measurements or something? [email protected] Cheers mate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antil33t 90 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 E36 interior swap is what I would have done if I didn't score factory E30 sports cheap. Did you modify the seatbelt anchor at all? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bga 96 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 Sweet, thanks for that. Any chance of sending me through some pictures with measurements or something? [email protected] Cheers mate Will do .. the car is at the mrs's work all day .. will take fotos over w/e Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bga 96 Report post Posted June 15, 2011 E36 interior swap is what I would have done if I didn't score factory E30 sports cheap. Did you modify the seatbelt anchor at all? The seatbelt rail was just cut and welded back up as described in the link.. the new hole drilled to accomondate it on the floor was reinforced with a steel plate .. PS I would have rather got an E30 leather interior but they just aren't about Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
