2007 Mini Cooper S seats in 1999 TJ

[Gfacer]

So I had a few comments on the Tiburon seat thread but I am going to go through my process to put 2007 Mini cooper s seats in a 1999 TJ (so 2003 on - your results may vary). The goal is to make 2 plates that allow a simple swap of the seats on the existing base. I am also hoping to get the tumble function to work but that will likely require the bracket on the original base to either be moved or replaced. The cable in the mini cooper is there and should work but the spacing is not quite right to just drop it in.

I started by removing the passenger seat and then measuring out the holes (see the tiburon thread for this bit). After a lot of trial and error using carboard I then made a few plastic brackets and then a few more modifications and finally an aluminum test set in 1/8". The seats now touch but do not interfere with the roll bar in the back and the door pocket in the front.

In the pictures the red circles are the TJ seat studs. These now secure the adapter plates down. The blue is the seatbeat bolt which is retained in the factory position. The yellow is the tumble mechanism.

In the next pic with the blue plastic I realized that the holes for the mini had to go back to allow the original stud to have enough clearance (luckily the mini seat frame jogs in) and it also gave better clearance to the seatbelt on the other side.

The clear is my final plastic version (cracked out when I tried to fit it).

The holes on the mini are asymmetrical (304mm on one side and 200mm on the other) so another adjustment was made. Then the aluminum brackets bolted up and to finish it off some pics of the seat and the clearances. Basically it just barely fits. The worst spot is on the seat belt retractor but it will flex past it or if the height is raised it will clear it fine. This might get a little better with 1/4" steel instead of 1/8" as it will be raised up just a little more. I will have to make sure the original studs will work with 1/4" plate.

The aluminum is far to bendy but good enough to get in and test it all out.

Now on to the driver side for a bit.

Side note: The bolsters are a bit of a pain to get over in real life.

 

[Gfacer]

Ok so the good news is the driver's side seems to be a mirror image. I did not have enough aluminum to do a second set but I found some machining PVC which is pretty rigid so I tried that. I realized I did not really give a good image of the parts so see that below (machining preview).

At this point I think I am ready to send it off for cutting - I plan to use send cut send which looks like about $95 for the pair USD delivered just across the border where I can pick it up. It may still need a piece to stiffen the one side of the wide brackets. Maybe the steel will be enough but ideally it would have a bend on the edge. We'll see later I guess.

Only difference on the drivers side is the tumble part is a totally different set up so it'll take 2 approaches when I get to that part. Oh and now that I am in the drivers seat it does feel it needs a little rise in the back so I might need to make a few shims.

 

[Gfacer]

Playing with shims but it is way more than I would have thought. 3/4' higher in the back seems fine, and 1" doesn't exactly seem too much. The good part is a bunch of the clearance issues go away.

I'll ask on the Tiburon thread what is common there.

Edit: I did see 3/4" mentioned in Tiburon thread or using tube stock across instead of bar stock.

 

[Gfacer]

I'll be working on the shims but if if I can here is a copy of the file as a PDF. This is basically what I think I will be sending to get cut though I might add some shims into the cutting just because I can later.

 

[Gfacer]

Drove around a bit last night with 1" rear shims (still on the plastic) and a few notes:

1) The seats are higher or at least with the shim they are. A little harder to see the traffic lights but otherwise fine.
2) Until messing with them I did not realize how much play the original brackets have. I have extra play because of the plastic plate and probably everything is not tightened down 100% but there is a lot of side to side and front to back play in the original brackets. It looks like you can get some bushing kits for that.
3) As mentioned they are tight in the car - they are also narrow in the base of the seat after the bolsters. Its not uncomfortable but it snug. Your feeling on this may vary.

That's probably it for today. I'll probably run them for a week or so before deciding. If your seats are shot they are a good choice though as a cheap fix/upgrade.

 

[Gfacer]

Ok well I played with the tumble and have them working on both sides. The passenger side needed no modification in the end though its pretty sensitive to the seat handle - the tumble and slide engages immediately. The drivers side I eventually just looped the cable around the little stud that is used on that side and then roughly secured the loop with wire (a nicer fix will come).

Passenger side

Driver's

 

[hear]

I'm surprised this thread has gotten zero attention. Interested to see how this turns out.

 

[Gfacer]

I'm surprised this thread has gotten zero attention. Interested to see how this turns out.

It's basically done if the tumble works, just need to swap out the plates with steel ones and tidy it up. Once I do that I'll wrap it up. It's for the searchers that need it one day.

 

[hear]

Probably could move this to the how-to section.

 

[Gfacer]

Ordered the steel today. One note is that as the parts are mirrored it is cheaper to only upload 1 pair and then select 2 copies. Quirk of the system. $73.48 usd in the end. I realized too I was using xoemetry rather than send cut send (I thought one was just retail end of the other) and SCS was a little less and I think its popped out of the sheet - we'll see.

The single side file is attached.

 

[IronVarmint]

I've pulled some perfect seats from a 2011 mini. I don't need a tumble without a backseat or a top, and the driver's side is just a slider with spacers right now anyhow. I have aftermarket brackets that are damn close to where they need to be so I'm going use them and burr out or drill new holes. The seats have an elevation pump lever that may get them high enough, if not then spacers. My console is loose from the sub box so I'm not worried too much about that either.

 

[Gfacer]

The seats have an elevation pump lever that may get them high enough, if not then spacers.

Its not the height, it's the angle that requires the spacers. At least in a manual you end up fighting (compressing) the front edge of the seat to push the clutch in. I didn't really notice the issue in the passenger seat where I had no pedals to press. I mean you don't need the spacers but it's a lot more comfortable to drive.

 

[HeffTJ]

I've pulled some perfect seats from a 2011 mini. I don't need a tumble without a backseat or a top, and the driver's side is just a slider with spacers right now anyhow. I have aftermarket brackets that are damn close to where they need to be so I'm going use them and burr out or drill new holes. The seats have an elevation pump lever that may get them high enough, if not then spacers. My console is loose from the sub box so I'm not worried too much about that either.

Where did you find the after market brackets? Thanks to both of you as I've been looking for the closest thing for an easy swap that I can find - not to mechanically inclined!!

 

[Gfacer]

Where did you find the after market brackets? Thanks to both of you as I've been looking for the closest thing for an easy swap that I can find - not to mechanically inclined!!

For my plate - you can download the pdf and probably upload directly to send cut send and get a set delivered to your door. I'm just waiting to figure out customs clearance for my set. But yeah - I'd be curious to know what brackets are already close.

 

[Gfacer]

Metal is here. Hopefully install on Friday.

 

[Gfacer]

So today I am putting in the metal plates and looking at things. I guess my holes are slightly off as the steel bows a little when tightened but meh they fit so...

However driving out today (still on the test parts) I still think its all a little high. I went back to this post: https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/new-front-seat-upgrade.46956/ and reread post #13. Its not that clear in the post but I can see now that they moved the front pivot of the seat down maybe 3/4". That probably does 2 things 1) reduces the need for the back spacers and 2) lowers it slightly. I may try this out just to see how it goes - they do say its the key point - and I think that might be right as it would get closer to the original height and angle which should improve visibility for things like traffic lights (right now on trail visibility would be good). It makes more sense when you have the seats in front of you. The plastic on the outer side may need a little trim if I do that.

Anyhow stay tuned.

 

[IronVarmint]

Its not the height, it's the angle that requires the spacers. At least in a manual you end up fighting (compressing) the front edge of the seat to push the clutch in. I didn't really notice the issue in the passenger seat where I had no pedals to press. I mean you don't need the spacers but it's a lot more comfortable

Where did you find the after market brackets? Thanks to both of you as I've been looking for the closest thing for an easy swap that I can find - not to mechanically inclined!!

Picked a set up off eBay for 180$. They are similar to the ones I had in my track Mini for Corbeau racing seats, just with the mount feet for our TJs. The plan is to use the Mini sliders, tilt features, etc., instead of the ancient OEM mounts. I'll sell those and recoup some of the cost of the new mounts.

 

[Illiquid]

Seat swap is on my to do list. Thanks for creating this

 

[HeffTJ]

Picked a set up off eBay for 180$. They are similar to the ones I had in my track Mini for Corbeau racing seats, just with the mount feet for our TJs. The plan is to use the Mini sliders, tilt features, etc., instead of the ancient OEM mounts. I'll sell those and recoup some of the cost of the new mounts.

Maybe I missed this but what year was track Mini for Corbeau racing seats?

 

[HeffTJ]

Metal is here. Hopefully install on Friday.

View attachment 575551

I live near Seattle and am wondering which machine shop cut your final brackets? It would be worth the drive to the Bellingham area if you thought they could replicate a set for me. I've got a set of 2009 Mini Cooper R56 seats with the OEM brackets. Thank you