Styling Seats from a Fiat Coupè into a Barchetta

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Styling Seats from a Fiat Coupè into a Barchetta

richit

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I’ve never been happy with the seats in my Barch. They’re in good condition with no rips or sags but they aren’t the most comfortable in the world.. even for a small car like this.

There was the option to get it re-upholstered for around €600 but it would be the same seats.. I read that Alfa 147 seats fit well but after a year or more of looking they seem to be in very poor condition or very expensive. Then I read that Fiat Coupè seats go in with a little tweaking.

I found a pair in good condition in Torino (Turin). €200 and they were mine. The condition is excellent. Back leather, even got lumber support on the driver’s seat. There’s an old thread on the forum with someone’s report on how they went in but I thought I just do one again, in case like me you were wondering and wanting more details.

How to fit them.
No need for welding but you will need: a drill, an angle grinder, a rubber mallet (as for any job.. ) and some plasters.

The frame size is identical to the Barch. Just on the passenger seat of the Coupè seat there’s an extra rail you will have to remove. I think it must there so that when you tilt the seat to get in the back of the Coupe it rises or allows it to go forward. Whatever way, it has to come off or the rail won’t bolt to the floor, this extra rail is lower than the others.

I drilled out three weld points then had to chisel it off. The harder part was getting the now unnecessary mechanism off (I didn’t want it to stay and rattle about). Use an angle grinder to chop it out, but go easy!

Next job was to clean them. I find Dove soap the best for leather. Scrub it in neat (no water) with a nail brush then wipe it down with a damp cloth or paper towel. It comes up really well and is a lot more effective and cheaper than leather chemicals. I then used Autoglym leather balm treatment to soften them up.

The seats are a fair bit wider than the Barch seats so it’s a squeeze. but they will go.

Now the hard part (well, I didn’t know what I was doing so it was hard for me). The recliner knob wedges hard against the side panels and you can’t turn it. What you have to do is hacksaw (I needed the plasters here..) and grind off the part that sticks out from the back of the knob so it doesn’t stick out further than the back of the knob. The centre block inside the knob will come away, but don’t panic. Once you’ve cut it put back the square piece of plastic that fell out into the centre of the knob and push on the round centre piece (that you had to prise out to get the knob off). So, now you have the round knob with the centre piece pushed in it and the square bit that feel out all back in place. Offer it up to the shaft that’s sticking out the side of the seat and gently tap it back on with the rubber mallet. Now you will see that the knob is a few mm closer to the seat, not sicking out as much.

I find the recliner is still not easy to turn but it does work, just about..

Now, the lumber support was worse.. You have to take the knob off and cut the shaft down but it still might not be enough. In the end we decided to not leave the knob off and just set the lumber support to a good position and leave it at that. I tried making the knob flatter but it still wasn’t enough. I might try again another time but as it is, it’s fine.

You’ll also want to take the seat belt guides off the old seats as the coupè seats don’t have them. You just need to remove the headrests. Get a pair of mole grips and a thick cloth. Lift up the headrest to max height then tighten on the mole grips with the cloth to not damages the plastic shaft. Turn the shaft 90 degree anti-clockwise and at the same time pull the headrest up. Do this on both shafts and they pop out. Do the same on your old seat and remove the guide and just put it on your Coupè seats. Exactly the same size! How good is that?

The difference?
Huge! The old seats feel like park benches now. They’re pretty nasty things. These seats are soft, give good support and aren’t any higher.

And, all pretty easy to do. Took me a few hours with cleaning. I hope to get around €200 for my old seats (they seem hard to find) so it should balance out.

I haven’t driven it yet… can’t wait. Oh sun is shining. might go give it a try.
 
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Here are a few photos:

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Well done, the little boat looks funny without her skinny seats!
I think I must be the only person who finds the b's seats supremely comfy!
 
Hi Professorwho,
I know exactly what you mean. When I first saw the photos of Coupe seats in a Barch I thought they looked too big. For sure it's a compromise but I found the old seats very uncomfortable. Maybe because I eat too much pasta and drink too much wine... who knows? But now the car is much more comfortable so better to drive. I'm really happy with them and the car.
 
Hi,
I find my original leather seats extremely comfortable, more so than the C class Mercedes I have used. However, I have no doubt the coupe seats are just as comfy, they certainly look luxurious. I only weight 68 kg when wet.
Steve
 
Hi Professorwho,
I know exactly what you mean. When I first saw the photos of Coupe seats in a Barch I thought they looked too big. For sure it's a compromise but I found the old seats very uncomfortable. Maybe because I eat too much pasta and drink too much wine... who knows? But now the car is much more comfortable so better to drive. I'm really happy with them and the car.
I think it's down to leg length etc, they support my thigh bones well and I like a firm seat (i'm 183cm and 86kg).
 
I find them horrible but I'm just under 6ft and 93kg but my wife is slight and she moaned more than me about them! The Coupe seats give much better support under your knees/thighs though. It could be that our main car is super comfortable so everything else seems poor.. Whichever way, I'm really happy about it :):);)
 
Hi!

I hope I am not hijacking this thread with a related question.

I am looking into changing my B's textile seats, which are in a poor condition.
Cannot seem to find any leather, good condition, original B seats.
So I am looking for some compatible ones.

Does anyone know which italian cars seats might fit, with no modification on the B chassis?
Alfa 147?

Thank you!
 
Good question, I've been wondering the same. Mine are getting tatty but I've no complaints comfort-wise. Are Fiat Coupe/Alfa 147 the main options?
 
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