Understanding Scheel seats for Porsche 914, 914-6, There are a lot of threads, not a lot of answers… Options

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I just found a pair of Scheel seats for my 914 that I couldn't pass up. They are thought to have never been installed, and the underside and 914 seat rails suggest that might be true. The little damage that the seats do have topside looks like it could indeed be shop wear. Whatever the case, the price was right and the corduroy looked good, so I decided to buy them.

I've sat in Scheels here and there over the years, and some seemed really nice while others were pretty tight. Well, wouldn't you know it: The one wearing the driver's side 914 seat rails is very nice but a bit tight while the one wearing passenger seat rails is loooooovely. That's funny, as taking a tape measure to the width of the seat centers suggests it should be the other way around. And that's when I started to notice the differences between the heights of the pleats in both the back rests and the seat bottoms.

But both seats have 914 headrests that exactly match the material on the bolsters and backs (which looks super original and in generally great shape...in line with the underside of the seats) and both seats came on 914 seat rails that look like they could be NOS. I know all that may not prove much, but…

I've looked through a lot of threads on Scheel seats, and looked around the internet too. Not a lot of great information so far—though maybe you know a better source? Gerrit looks to have let his website go, and the Scheel Austria site seems to be focused on later Scheel seats for Ford Escorts, etc. Any go-to sites or experts now?

I will be installing these seats in my 1973 914 in the weeks to come, and will report back about fit with the factory back pad. And while the corduroy is nice now, I am thinking about buying some of the stuff used in the 991.2 GT3 Touring, as it looks very similar but is sure to be quite a bit more durable given modern wear requirements.

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Many moons ago, someone asked for photos of how my driver's seat was lowered. Getting the last pair of seats out wasn't fun, as I didn't take the time to get the rails aligned as well as they could be, but I took the opportunity to grab some photos of the setup today.

You can see that the cross bar under the front of the seat was cut out and "stepped down" with thicker metal. This was done at Genoa Racing in Novato, CA at the same time that the Engman chassis stiffening kit was added. I lost the ability to change the seat angle (which doesn't bother me, as it's pretty limited in the 914, and not bad as is), but dropped about 0.8 inch. Well worth it, imo...

First pic is the stock seat mount, with angle adjuster. The rest are the modded setup, which was made from a stock setup plus a bit of fab work.