Ok so let me start out this update with a huge disclaimer...
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS TO YOUR CAR< IF YOU DIE BECAUSE YOUR SEATBELTS FAIL!
Okay now that we got that out of the way, i am pretty sure that this is entirely safe however I am not engineer and I am just an enthusiast who likes to make cool shit...
Anyways so I spent the last few months trying to source a set of bmw motorsport seatbelts, you know the red ones with the bmw motorsport stitching that came in the e36 m3 LTW...I know a few companies claim to sell it or maybe they do, but they always seem out of stock whenever I tried to buy them, and sets seemed to always go for 500+ and well, I cant justify spending that much on seatbelts...anyways a cheap pair of fronts showed up on bimmerforums and after nearly getting completely lost in the mail they showed up...and today I got antsy and sat down to see how easily they would go in
I had seen pictures of the e30 seatbelts before and knew they were similar but not the same as the e36 and that it was not a direct fit, what I didnt know was that with a drill and about 30 min, anybody with a little know-how could make them work...
Here the e30 and the e36 seatbelts sit side-by-side
You can see the mounting position is much lower on the e36 but for the most part that is the only difference...and it is...
So I drilled out the ...rivets? things holding the mounts together and with a good bash with a rubber mallet they came apart (I also ground the ends off one side but got too excited to take any pictures of it
I then drilled a 1/2 inch hole dead center in the mount, where I felt as if there was still enough structural integrity left in the mount, however if you drill to high it will not fit, so this seems like a happy medium
After that it literally bolts right in just like stock...shockingly easy, the only thing that doesnt look totally stock is the bolt through the top piece as the e30 cover does not work, but I am going to look and see how the e36 covers it up and possibly see if that will fix the problem...
And the good news is the e36 seatbelts will work the e30 receptacles so no need to replace those, now I just need to figure out the rear seats and getting them to match
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS TO YOUR CAR< IF YOU DIE BECAUSE YOUR SEATBELTS FAIL!
Okay now that we got that out of the way, i am pretty sure that this is entirely safe however I am not engineer and I am just an enthusiast who likes to make cool shit...
Anyways so I spent the last few months trying to source a set of bmw motorsport seatbelts, you know the red ones with the bmw motorsport stitching that came in the e36 m3 LTW...I know a few companies claim to sell it or maybe they do, but they always seem out of stock whenever I tried to buy them, and sets seemed to always go for 500+ and well, I cant justify spending that much on seatbelts...anyways a cheap pair of fronts showed up on bimmerforums and after nearly getting completely lost in the mail they showed up...and today I got antsy and sat down to see how easily they would go in
I had seen pictures of the e30 seatbelts before and knew they were similar but not the same as the e36 and that it was not a direct fit, what I didnt know was that with a drill and about 30 min, anybody with a little know-how could make them work...
Here the e30 and the e36 seatbelts sit side-by-side
You can see the mounting position is much lower on the e36 but for the most part that is the only difference...and it is...
So I drilled out the ...rivets? things holding the mounts together and with a good bash with a rubber mallet they came apart (I also ground the ends off one side but got too excited to take any pictures of it
I then drilled a 1/2 inch hole dead center in the mount, where I felt as if there was still enough structural integrity left in the mount, however if you drill to high it will not fit, so this seems like a happy medium
After that it literally bolts right in just like stock...shockingly easy, the only thing that doesnt look totally stock is the bolt through the top piece as the e30 cover does not work, but I am going to look and see how the e36 covers it up and possibly see if that will fix the problem...
And the good news is the e36 seatbelts will work the e30 receptacles so no need to replace those, now I just need to figure out the rear seats and getting them to match
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