300sd seats - how soft is "normal"?

[300sdToronto]

OK - I really need help with this. I have hit the first serious challenge in my 3 month ownership of an '83 300sd with about 85,000 miles on it.

My wife has a bad back and cannot get comfortable in the MB seats. She loves the Recaros that come factory standard in our buzzy little 92 Jetta diesel. This is not good. They are upright and F I R M.

She is relatively short - about 5'4" and about 120 lbs. Has two complaints -
(1) the seat squab is too close to the floor as she prefers a more upright, "knees bent" seating position and (2) the seats are too soft.

I'm curious about item (2). Other Merc's that I've ridden in have had rock hard seats. I sink about 2" into the drivers seat which seems excessive as I too am quite light - 170lbs and 6'1" tall. Could the squab springs be shot through prior ownership by a much more substantial owner? The MBTex seat covers bear no evidence of excessive wear, rips, or worn spots. Are 300sd seats much softer than other models?

I have no solution to problem (1) other than complex, custom fabrication.

Comments on how squishy your seats are (excuse the complex technical jargon here) would be helpful. I gotta get this car comfortable for her.

[BioBens]

Search the forum for seat repair with swim noodles. Works like magic.

[Pete Burton]

My seats were squishy like the Sta-puf Marshmellow man. I lived with it for years until my back hurt even after a 10 minute drive. I replaced the fronts with a pair from a '98 BMW 750iL. For me, it was worth it.

[300sdToronto]

Thanks for the posts. Mine of info on this site.

Most of the articles are on 123 chassis seat removal. Any special gotchas about removing 126 seats apart from being careful to disconnect wiring.

Do the seat motors etc add a whole bunch of complexity to the noodle job?

Thanks.

[Pete Burton]

Originally Posted by 300sdToronto

Do the seat motors etc add a whole bunch of complexity to the noodle job?

Thanks.

No.