When I used the 126 seat in the 240, it is the same height. now Iam just talking about the seat spring assy, and using the 123 seat tracks, seat pad and MB tex.

I guess I could say we sit higher than before, with the 2 broken springs, it was like sitting on the floor. now I can see over in stead of through the steering wheel.

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

D'oh! I forgot to take pics! I'll take some tomorrow and post them up.

I'm happy to help anyone figure out how to install the seats, if anyone has any trouble.

The w126 seats do have a taller bottom, so at its lowest setting, it won't be as low as the lowest setting on the w123 seat. It's the seat bottom, not the rails. The difference is about 1" unloaded. Also consider that one sinks further into a w123 seat than a firm w126 seat. I am used to driving sports cars so I liked my MB seat low, and the w126 seat doesn't go that low any more. My head doesn't hit the ceiling, and I'm 5'10". Tomorrow I'll measure how much head room I have.

Using the springs out of a w126 seat bottom into a w123 seat bottom is a nice trick. Have you tried the springs for the seat back? My w123 seats were worn out in the bottom and the back equally - I would not have been happy with just fixing the bottom springs.

Yes, you can mount the w123 rails onto the w126 seat, if you want to have the full-on w126 seat. It will let the seat be manually adjusted for forward-backward sliding, and height adjustment. However, you will need to wire some sort of custom switch to the seatback motor directly, so you can adjust the forward-backward lean of the seat back. You might also want to wire a switch for the headrest.

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'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

Anyone try this swap with W124 seats? I love the way the W124 feels. A pair of those seats in a W123 would be a nice upgrade.

__________________
85 300D 3 pedal. Current project.
83 300TD (need rear wiper assembly dead or alive)
84 300SD Daily driver
85 300TD almost 400k miles and driven daily.
98 E300D *sold
86 300SDL *sold and made flawless 10 hour journey to new home.

Uhh, Your "magic bus" isnt a motorcoach is it?

I hear you, as well as the other poster who said the opposite.

Now that I think about it, the leather seats have much more of a 'bench' feel when you sit ON them.

Whereas the earlier tex w126 seats (with the front to back pleats) have a different-shaped bottom cushion with more of a dip, if I recall correctly.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I have exactly the same thing in mind......I like those seats with a manual knob for height adjustment.

I wonder if a w124 260E manual front seats would directly drop into the W123 floor, OR the W124 box would fit into the W123 rails...

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'85 300D Turbo - CA Version

You might be on to something. maybe the later style seats are taller than the earlier seats with the front-to-back pleating.

I don't know about w124 seats. All of the research I did on this and other forums indicated that w124 seats mount differently, FWIW.

I'll take pics today, I swear.

__________________
'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

Alright, I took some pics. The only digital camera I have at the moment is my cell phone, so I apologize for the quality, but it gets the point across.

Here they are. The front height is lowered as much as it can go. The rear height is raised a little bit.




You will need to figure out where to route your wiring and where to put the switch. Here you can see how long I made the wiring and where (about) the switch will sit. The orange wire will be rerouted under the console & dash, and go to the battery + terminal.


This shows the headroom available. I am 5'10", and I measured 3" of space between my head and the roof.


Here you can see the W123 seat belt receivers, which you need to use. They are a little recessed compared to how they are on W123 seats, but they still work fine.


That gold bolt is the one you need to remove in order to swap the W123 seat belt receiver onto the W126 seat's bracket. After this mod, the W126 trim pieces won't fit anymore, so I left them off.


Wiring goes under the carpet...


You will need to cut a notch in the W126 seat's carpet trim piece, in order for the wiring loom to be able to squeeze between the seat and the floor (see pic).


With the wiring loom hidden under the carpet, and the orange wire routed to the battery.


On the driver side, the switch is on the other side, next to the center console. However on the passenger side, I sometimes put my drink there, so I chose to put the switch on the door side. I'm planning on making some kind of mounting for that switch so it doesn't move.

__________________
'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

Thanks for the pictures - it almost looks factory. I'm impressed.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I'm very impressed with that setup. Well done!

x2. Wow they look good in your car. Congratulations.

I was having a hard time picturing the late-style seats in a w123 but I'm impressed with your result.

They look like they're pretty snug to the console. Do they rub the console (any rubbing noises while driving)?

__________________


Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Thanks guys!

They don't touch the console and there are no squeaks or anything like that. The only thing I notice is how much more comfortable they are. I'm very happy with this swap.

I do like the later stitch pattern more than the early one, but to be honest, I bought these because they were the first set that met these criteria: 1) firm, 2) tan, 3) no rips. Comfort trumps all - especially for people like me who drive a lot.

__________________
'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

Great ,looking up grade.
If the switch is basically for the seat back, why not get a switch and the plactic piece from the rear door window lift, and install it to the front door panel?

I never change the head rest position, but maybe 2 switches side by side?

sometimes there are some extra slots for rocker switches where the sun roof/antenna switches are.

Just a thought.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

The rear window switch idea is good. That would work great if one uses the w123 rails.

I considered putting the seat switch inside the map holder, all the way in the front. I got the idea from the Audi A6 (C4). But I didn't want to lose any storage space, and wiring it would have been tricky.

__________________
'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

(Yeah, I know the thread is 11 months old.)

Could you squeeze the switches into the ashtray/lighter? If you don't want to hack up your current one, you could always pull one from the junkyard.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."