Project Carniture

[JamesDean]

Hey everyone,

So I've been throwing around the idea of making regular furniture out of some nice MB seats for a while now...I think a few other guys on here have maybe posted about this too. I know one gentlemen was working on an office chair.

I sourced myself a set of seats (both front and back) from a 1990 w124 300E. The seats are in pretty good condition. The drivers side has two problem spots, one on the side (typical) and one tear in the bottom cushion. The passenger side is in perfect condition, little or no wear. The back seat looked to be in pretty good shape too.

I also got some of the controls and wiring harnesses

Cost: $65

So here's my plan:

1) Wiring Harness - Extend the factory wires out so that I can mate them with a computer power supply and the factory seat switch. DONE

2) Power/Wiring/Memory - Hook up all the wires to their final resting places. I'm not sure what I should do with the memory functionality. I'll certainly hook it to the power supply however, once the power supply is off..I'll lose the memory. Perhaps a small 12v battery? or just skip this all together?

3) Frame/Base - Build/Design a frame so that the seat is at normal height for a recliner and that it doesn't tip over when reclined. Furthermore, design it so that it looks ascetically pleasing. This is where I'm looking for ideas. Right now, its just bolted to some 2x4's on some carpet sliders. I just wanted to get it off the floor and make it easy to move around.

4) Armrests - As with any quality recliner, an armrest is a must. I'd like to use the factory Mercedes arm rest. Is is possible to install two armrests on these chairs? I know that people have swapped passenger and driver seats and thus have swapped armrests over..but has anyone ever put two in? Thats probably a ridiculous question as it wouldn't be very feasible inside a car.

and Finally,

Here are some pictures of the driver seat and the wiring harness I assembled. I used some wire I had here at the house to keep costs down. I believe its either 14ga or 16ga, it should be suitable for this project. The lengths are nothing like you'd see in a car.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/IMG_9461.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/IMG_9460.jpg

[Hit Man X]

nice

[iwrock]

Thats awesome.

[Matt L]

Are those heated seats?

I have a seat from an old SAAB in the garage. No motors, but it does have a heater. Years ago, I had it zip-tied to a rolling cart with just enough room to set a Group 24 battery behind the seat. It's on a smaller cart now and I don't have a spare battery, but one would fit below that seat (on a custom-made rack hanging below, so the battery was just off the floor). There's a connector on the side of the seat to connect to a battery charger.

[JamesDean]

Nah, these arent heated. Just powered. Nice and comfy though. I was originally eyeing a set of seats from a 94 E320 but the car was open over the winter and was full of snow.

[JamesDean]

Update:

Wiring harness is complete. Power supply hooked up. All the motors work.

Memory isnt working 100%. It only seems to work on two of the five motors.
It only works on the headrest and the whole seat forward/backward motor...I'm not sure why yet. When it tried to run the other three it just makes relay clicking noises.

The power supply can sufficiently supply one motor at a time. It will not run two at a time, it overloads, shuts off and then powers back up within 1 second.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/IMG_9462.jpg

Here is my poorly drawn concept drawing for a frame

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/Concept1.jpg

What do you guys think?

I thought the cupholders would be ironic...lol.

[tinypanzer]

It's probably the wiring or connections to the resolvers which tell the computer what position each motor is in.

[JamesDean]

is that a wiring that is on the bottom of the seat or part of the harness that goes to the switch unit? I would imagine part of the motor carriage...

[JamesDean]

Had some free time so I constructed the frame in SolidWorks



Mostly 2x6's and 2x4's

Estimated weight : 37 lbs

I found some decent material that I'll probably be covering the frame with...

I'm thinking of using black rather than the grey as it would probably not match with my chair's grey..

http://www.diyupholsterysupply.com/ps256.html

[JamesDean]

Alright so we had a little setback:

Apparently I actually wanted to build a throne:




Needless to say, we tore it apart pretty quick (before the glue set in) and I'm gonna cut it down by 10"..that'll put Don's feet at the ground...

[Joseph_Conrad]

Ha! That's ridiculous. I was imagining something more along these lines...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-Car-Seat-Office-Chair/

or I suppose a wood frame more like this thread shows...

http://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/car-seat-furniture-pictures-inside-37847/

[cliffmac]

bucket seats (especially the non-driver side) from European cars make excellent home seating. I have personally converted a 1976 Peugeot 504, a 1975 Audi 100LS and a 1983 BMW 533i front seats into killer home chairs...it is pretty cool stuff....

[TheDon]

Originally Posted by JamesDean

Had some free time so I constructed the frame in SolidWorks



Mostly 2x6's and 2x4's

Estimated weight : 37 lbs

I found some decent material that I'll probably be covering the frame with...

I'm thinking of using black rather than the grey as it would probably not match with my chair's grey..

http://www.diyupholsterysupply.com/ps256.html

butt joints? come on now


but, awesome job in SW.

[JamesDean]

Update:

Finally got the right dimensions, fixed the problem and got the chair partially mounted:



Next:

-Finish mounting the back of the chair
-Maybe look into memory issue (only works on 2/5 motors)
-Order cup holders and mount
-Find second armrest for the chair
-Upholster the base with 1/4-1/2" foam + black microfiber stuff.

[PanzerSD]

Like your avatar...yer a nut!

I would have just bolted the thing into an old recliner shell, and a bit lower.
I also would have likely made an aluminum frame of some sort..

College design I'm quite proud of my cinder block/plywood entertainment center