I want to hear and see more of these BMW seats...
Can't get into my hosting accounts so I uploaded a shot here. I was planning to write it up but I'm swamped until the end of the year.
Basically, I was looking for potential donors that would fit. I had a 740IL and loved the seats in that but they're too wide. I've drove 3-series before and didn't mind the seats in them. I found out that there are a bunch of people in the mud forums (i think it was ih8mud or something) that have land cruisers that put them in. Found a dude about an hour away that had several sets for sale and he gave me a pair that were power/lumbar/heated for $100. They needed leather restoration but all the wiring was intact and once I hooked up power to them, they worked. I had only sat in them at his place to make sure they weren't too far gone. They're firmer, but not firm enough to make me hurt on long drives. It significantly improved my comfort from 30 minutes to at least 2 hours before I start noticing anything.
EDIT: I figured out the wiring for the heating element using the stock e46 heating switches. I probably coudl have retrofit the toyota ones but these have 3 power settings and the 4runner ones didn't so it'd be on full blast all the time. They fit in the stock switch area but are too narrow to fill it.
If you're taller than 6' 2", this isn't for you unless you basically lay back. It raises the seat but I can't say how much. Maybe an inch, inch and a half. I'm 5' 8" so I would be raising my seat position this high anyways. My brother's 6' 2" and fits still. This was his car and he said he'd still keep the seats.
I took the old seats out, cut the feet off the rails. I basically took the seats apart first, then was left with only the bottom frame. With the bottom frame out, I started drilling 3 holes on each foot. You have to because it's blind welded. You can see where the centers are if you look closely. There is a mark about 1/8" or so at each point. I drilled with 1/8, 1/4", 3/8" bits and used a chisel to pop the feet off once I did the 3 holes. You'll understand once you start. I was quoted $800 to cut the feet off and make/weld mounts. I did it myself in a day and a half for $40 in bits and bolts, cutting oil and $30 in steel bars I had custom cut to make the adapters. Look up "poor man's racing brackets" to get an idea of what I did. They're solid and definitely in there well. The width of these 3-series seats fit perfectly. They came out of a 4-door e46 sedan, originally gray, now black. I restored some 3rd gen backseat leathers to black also. I had the sr5 cloths previously.
The leatherique I used looked awesome at first but it has definitely not held up. I wouldn't do it again. I'd have opted to get wet okoles from the start on these 3-series seats.
