DIY 7th Gen Racing Seat Install

[bioweapon]

I installed my seats a couple weekends ago, and snapped a few pics during the process, so I thought I'd post them up. I know there are DIYs for racing seats into a civic, but this is 7th gen specific. Following this DIY will retain stock seatbelts, and give no SRS lights when finished. All pictures are for passenger side, as i did the drivers real quick one morning, and didnt take pics. Everything is the same though. I'm doing this with generic black racing seats, flame away, I can handle it. Here goes: DISCLAIMER: I accept no responsibility for injury or death due to seats installed using this guide. Removing the stock seats is technically modifying the stock safety system. It is up to you to use Grade 8 mounting hardware, and bolt everything down properly. If any of the holes dont line up on install, you will need to drill and tap the floor in order to have all 4 bolts holding the seat down. Use your head. Required Tools/Parts/Etc. 1 - 7th Gen Civic 2 - Racing Seats 2 - Sets of racing seat brackets. 2 - Sets of sliders that will fit your seats. All the required mounting hardware to bolt everything up Note: Grade 8 bolts are recommended, as they are very strong and will not shear off in the case of an accident. 14mm socket 3-4 inch extension Needlenose pliers or other device to snap off PITA white cable clips. Any other sockets or drivers required for mounting your specific seats and sliders. 1) You need a set of seat brackets: I got mine from Arizen Racing, and they are solid. I am 100% happy with them, they fit perfect, have an awesome powdercoated finish, and are strong as all hell. Im not advertising for them, but at the same price as the ebay brackets, they actually fit. http://www.arizenracingsports.com 2) Bolt your sliders to your brackets. Make sure that you put the bolt down, and the nut inside the slider. You need basically nothing sticking out of the bottom of the bracket so put the bolt head down on the bracket, or the holes in the floor of the car wont line up, since the seat is sitting up on the mounting hardware. See next shot for reference. 3) Bolt the slider/bracket combo to the seat. The brackets need to be set up like this, in order for the holes to line up, keeping in mind this is the passenger side, as i said before. On the side thats closest to the door, you want the short side of the bracket on the inside, and you'll notice the front and back of the bracket are bent on different angles. The one that is almost 90 degrees goes at the front. Notice the green arrow, bolt heads are on the bottom so as to not hit the floor when the seat is mounted. 4) Now into the car! From the back seat, remove these plastic covers from where the seat bolts to the floor. If they break, dont worry, you cant put them back over the new brackets anyways. 5) Remove the two bolts found under those plastic covers. 6) Remove the two bolts found underneath the front of the seat. 7) The seat should now be able to move around now, as it is not bolted to the floor anymore. But wait! Dont try to take it out of the car yet, or you will damage some important stuff. Disconnect these two cable connectors. The blue one is a standard pinch connector, but the yellow one has a spring loaded sleeve that slides back and forth to release the connector. Its tough to explain but once you see it you'll understand. 8) Here is where your implement of breaking white plastic retainer clips comes in: Break those. There wont be a hole for them on your new seats anyways. Or if you figure out how to unclip them, do that. Im just impatient. 9) Now you should be able to remove your seat! STOP! This is a perfect time to vaccuum out under your seat. And its also a good time to go to the store and purchase a drink with the money you've found under it. Thats what I did. 10) Moving on... seat out of the car: Disconnect (or break) those cable conectors off, they wont fit on your new seat. Make sure you do not damage any wires, we need the cable connectors themselves still intact, just the white part that holds them on to the seat needs to be broken. I realise that these do in fact slide off of those white things, but its way more satisfying, and faster, to break them off. 11) Removing the stock seatbelt buckle: One last 14mm bolt holding that thing on. Take it out. 12) More breaking! Break that one one too. I hate those things. When youre done you should end up with something like this: 13) Stock buckle and new seat come together: Its kinda tricky to get the explosive to fit in its little curved metal home, and get the bolt hole to line up properly. Make sure you dont cross thread when youre bolting it down. Messing up those threads would not be fun. You kinda have to bolt it down first without the explosive in its spot, then push the explosive in from the top. Then tighten down the bolt. 14) Put seat into car. Reconnect the SRS cables and tuck them under the seat. Bolt it down. The brackets I used were adjustable on all 4 corners to make sure the seat sits square. You are now done one side. Repeat for other side. 15) Turn on the car. You should end up with something like this: No SRS Light!!!! 16) Take a step back and check out how freaking sweet your new seats look! Sit in them, enjoy your handywork, knowing what you just accomplished in under 2 hours, knowing you just saved yourself $200+ on a professional install. Feels good, huh? Good luck guys, if you have any questions, feel free.

This ad is not displayed to registered or logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on Honda-Tech!

[fventura03]

what year is your car? DRL? wiper light? crazy ebrake light?

weird............

[bioweapon]

03. And its Canadian, which means DRLs are the law. When you start the car with the ebrake pulled, the daytime running lights are off, so that DRL light is on. That wiper light is cause im out of windshield washer fluid.

[fventura03]

i have none of those lights, my ebrake light says "BRAKE"

[LatinEM2]

very nice DIY.

[InanimateCarbonRod]

Did you also eat the jellybeans you found under the seat?

[bioweapon]

It was a mike & ike, and no, i thought about it though.

[Newfie]

Originally Posted by fventura03

i have none of those lights, my ebrake light says "BRAKE"

Canadian cars are not aloud to have english on the guages since we do have a french population as well. Has to be all symbols were possible! His cluster looks exactly the same as mine except my guages are faces are same as the body color of my car, came factory like it too? (pweter mist metallic)

[fventura03]

^ok cool, didn't know that.

[UNBRE4K4BLE]

Originally Posted by bioweapon

What kind of shift boot is that?

[bioweapon]

Its an aftermarket celica boot. Matches the suede in my doorpanels. I'm not a fan of the whole honda black with red stitching stuff, so i had to get one thats black with blue stitching. And it has a metal ring at the top instead of a clip, i like it better.

[b0yg0tskills]

anyone know if the 2000 celica gts seats would fit in our em2's?

[bioweapon]

If you can get rid of the factory sliders from the seat, then you'll be able to weld up custom brackets to make them fit.

[UNBRE4K4BLE]

Originally Posted by bioweapon

Its an aftermarket celica boot. Matches the suede in my doorpanels. I'm not a fan of the whole honda black with red stitching stuff, so i had to get one thats black with blue stitching. And it has a metal ring at the top instead of a clip, i like it better.

The fact that it has a ring at the top is what made me ask what kind it is. The stock civic shiftboot is crap if you're not using the stock shift knob anymore. Where did you get it, if you don't mind me asking? I've been wanting one with a ring at the top for a while now.

[bioweapon]

I got it off ebay. If you want the black and red, a CTR boot will have it, along with the ring. I think i paid like $5 for mine though.

[chicohonda02]

How do you remove the sliders? from the seat. I have to take them off my stock ones and intall it on my corbeau seat. Can you help me out, I'm having a tough time find any info.

[BojeEM2]

I bought the new slidders with my Corbuea TRS seats, I dont think you can put the stock slidders on Corbuea seats. I got the double locking ones too........so that seat will not go any where.....(unless I want it to)

[bioweapon]

you definitely want to get some aftermarket sliders and brackets. the stock ones wont come off the stock seats easily. Even if they did, you are going to have a really hard time getting them bolted up to an aftermarket seat.

[datEM2]

sorry for digging up a thread from the grave, but this is something that i have been looking for some time now. But just two things....both of those clips are attched to the seat belt latch? and what is that black "explosive" things attached to it?

[toyomatt84]

Originally Posted by datEM2

sorry for digging up a thread from the grave, but this is something that i have been looking for some time now. But just two things....both of those clips are attched to the seat belt latch? and what is that black "explosive" things attached to it?

Both sensor leads are attached to the seat belt catch. And that "explosive" thing is part of the catch mechanism.

[FobFobFob]

Nice DIY. Just in time, i have to replace the seatbelt buckle.

[Willabee]

do only arizen (sp?) seats/sliders work for those brackets?
=/ kind of confused

[datEM2]

Yea so i just now looked at the bottom of my seats. My passenger seat has 4 wire harness clips and my driver side has 3 of them. Unlike in the picture that only shows 2. I assume that because my seats have the side airbags built into the side that those wires so to the airbags? I want to retain my front passenger and driver airbag. So i guess new seat are out the question right?

[toyomatt84]

Originally Posted by datEM2

Yea so i just now looked at the bottom of my seats. My passenger seat has 4 wire harness clips and my driver side has 3 of them. Unlike in the picture that only shows 2. I assume that because my seats have the side airbags built into the side that those wires so to the airbags? I want to retain my front passenger and driver airbag. So i guess new seat are out the question right?

You could always have the new seats fitted with the old seat's Side Airbags.

[EternalBlueEX]

I'm looking to get a used Buddy Club seat for why coupe, whats the best way to install that seat? Or it there no side mount brakets for our cars? Dezod have anything?