Front Seats For 74 Tii Needed

[frached]

I am in need of front seats for a 74 tii, blue. 

[wegweiser]

To help you get the right parts, make sure the folks offering / selling them know that 7'4 seats are unique to THAT year only! Partially smooth / pleated covers, unlike earlier and later seats!

 

Go get 'em!

[frached]

Thank you for sharing the knowledge. I may be asking too much but do you know of any photos that show the pattern difference?

[wegweiser]

Photo with smooth vinyl on one (upper) portion of the backrest center section is correct and unique to 74 only.

 

Other photo shows later seat (pleats entire length, note narrow headrest, too)

 

blue seats are 1972/73 era which has a different texture entirely but shares the seat pad part numbers with the 74 seat. 

 

Note hinge differences also. up to 73 had chrome tall hinges, 73-74 had black tall hinges.. later 75/76 era had shorter plastic hinge covers.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Paul

Edited October 25, 2019 by wegweiser

[Conserv]

14 hours ago, wegweiser said:

Photo with smooth vinyl on one (upper) portion of the backrest center section is correct and unique to 74 only.

 

 

Just re-posting Paul’s photo of the 1974-only seats. The original horsehair (gummihaar) seat pads, which provide the taut cantilevered shape of original ‘02 seats, have turned to dust in the above examples.

 

Although BMW broke with their previous ‘02 upholstery style for the 1974 model year — the long-standing 12 pleats — the frames of a 1974 model seat are the same as a “late 1973” seat, with its widespread headrest supports, 12mm headrest supports (increased from 10mm in mid-1973), and “eared” headrests (changed from the earlier tubular style in mid-1973).

 

If you are replacing the seat covers on these new seats, a late-1973 seat frame would get you to the same place as a 1974 seat frame.

 

The 1974 model tii also provides an oddity.  Unlike most model years, which ran from September through August, the 1974 tii model year ran from October 1973 through December 1974. It was extended past August 1974 so that BMW could sell a few more tii’s under the less-restrictive 1974 U.S. emissions standards — and BMW chose to not comply with the 1975 emissions standards by pulling the tii from the U.S. market. But it also meant that from September 1974 through December 1974, BMW was produced 1974 tii’s alongside 1975 2002’s. It appears that BMW continued to use the 1974 seats in the tii’s, and only in the tii’s. But... at some point, they just ran out of 1974-style seats and, the evidence suggests, some very late 1974 U.S. tii’s — I’m guessing they are largely December 1974 examples — left the factory with 1976-76 style seats. Thus, if you had a U.S. tii manufactured in December 1974, you’d probably be fine using the 1975-76 style seats (narrow headrest supports, black plastic covers on metal recliners).

 

Confused yet? I’m doing my best. ?

 

Below: 1974 style rear seat shown in the 1975-76 U.S, 2002 brochure.  (It’s all that was available when they did the photography in August 1974.)

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by Conserv

[otisdog]

As usual, Steve & Paul have it covered.  So to get the proper recliners, the month of manufacture is necessary, so what's your VIN? Given the nature of 2002 production, there are no absolutes with '74 seats, but it's fairly safe to say December tii production had plastic recliner covers, and possibly some November production too...

Edited October 26, 2019 by otisdog

[frached]

Thanks to each of you, your level of detailed wisdom is awesome! My 17 year old and 22 year old are helping me with these cars and I am really hoping they can absorb and carry on your contributions. I have a 74 tii  mostly original but it does have a few mods-  VIN-2782036- one of which is aftermarket seats up front, which I am trying to reverse. I found covers from World Upholstery, they want $750 for the fronts. Any of you know or trust these folks or do you have a better supplier? This car came out of CA and at one point I have been told was being considered for restoration for the Spartanburg Museum. Thanks- Fares

[wegweiser]

World Upholstery ( at least when Mike owned it) was a great source for correct, high quality seat upholstery....another source worth considering is GAHH in California. Neither will be cheap, but both offer high quality stuff. 

 

The right aftermarket seats won't hurt the long-term value of even a tii IMHO... but when the original seats are PROPERLY restored and re-stuffed, they're actually pretty comfortable as well. Genuine BMW seat pads are available for roughly $400 each (I think we sell them for about that) ... but if you go with something home made / locally created, make SURE they don't use awful, mushy crap that will make the seats look and feel like cheap garbage. Nothing grosses me out like poorly / overly stuffed overly soft seats. 

 

With that said... I have E21 Recaro seats in my own tii, but the originals (still in decent shape) are safely stored indoors....just in case I get the urge to go "all original" again. 

 

Paul

[Conserv]

On 10/26/2019 at 10:22 AM, frached said:

Thanks to each of you, your level of detailed wisdom is awesome! My 17 year old and 22 year old are helping me with these cars and I am really hoping they can absorb and carry on your contributions. I have a 74 tii  mostly original but it does have a few mods-  VIN-2782036- one of which is aftermarket seats up front, which I am trying to reverse. I found covers from World Upholstery, they want $750 for the fronts. Any of you know or trust these folks or do you have a better supplier? This car came out of CA and at one point I have been told was being considered for restoration for the Spartanburg Museum. Thanks- Fares

Fares,

 

Two notes:

 

First, my records suggest your car was manufactured between June 20 and June 24, 1974. But... you should get a BMW Group Archives report for your car (no cost, two business days): info.grouparchives@bmwgroup.com. Just send them an email with the VIN and request their data.

 

Thus, based on the car’s tentative manufacturing date — and assuming your goal is to replicate the original interior — you need the 1974-only style of seats, shown by Paul above.

 

Second, I’d recommend you get vinyl samples from both World Upholstery and GAHH before you purchase — again, assuming replicating the original interior is your goal. I say this particularly because, for years, I could easily recognize tan World Upholstery replacement seat covers, as distinguished from original seat covers or even GAHH seat covers, by their “fleshy” tone. World Upholstery calls their tan vinyl “Gobi Tan”. It has not been, historically, a perfect match for BMW’s original square taillight tan, which BMW called Beige (in their color brochures) or Nylon Brown (on their window stickers). You may be looking for Marine Blue (a.k.a., Navy Blue), but certainly examine vinyl samples before you buy from any supplier.

 

Granted, the vinyl BMW originally used on door cards and seats was generally not a perfect match. But a closer match is preferable to a less-close match.

 

Best regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28, 2019 by Conserv