Heated electric reclining rear seat exposed.

[WGB]

To remove my rear struts to replace the gaiters I have to remove my rear seat.

Nobody seems to know how to remove an electric reclining rear seat so here is how I did it.

This is how the seat works.



This is the seat in the vertical position - it is controlled by the front of the two switches in each rear door. The rearmost switch controls the window on that side and the front one controls the seat. The orange switch in it's own housing on the B-pillar is a two position switch for the rear seat heater on that side.



This is the seat back at full recline.



The seat squab is bolted at three places on it's leading edge this picture shows two of those bolt holes



The central runner carries the motor and all three are bolted to the leading edge of the base of the seat squab.



The two outer runners have the bottom of the seat back screwed into their rears with a hinge on the base of the seat back.



This view shows the rear of the seat back with hinges visible on the bottom edge and locating lugs visible on the upper rear below the headrest positions.



This view shows a slightly out of focus view of the brackets on the rear firewall which allow the top of the seat back to both rotate as well as fall vertically as the seat reclines. What is not clear is that there is a restriction at the bottom of the bracket so that the seat back cannot fall vertically past a certain point but must be lifted vertically for it to be disengaged and the seat back removed from the car.



This trim piece normally sits level with the top of the seat back and had to be unscrewed at it's three self tappers to give enough vertical clearance to disengage the seat back from it's bracket. The amount of gap visible in the picture demonstrates the amount of vertical movement allowed by the upper bracket mechanism.

It's a bit of an odyssey but may be interesting to somebody - took me about an hour to work out and get it all out of the car.

Whoever last put it in marked the right rear scuff plate - that will be another job to get that tidied up.

Bill

[s class]

Bill,

Thank you very much - the time you spent is well worth it.  I am seriously considering retrofitting the reclining feature to my blue car - in fact I have been for a long time - even when Chris still owned the car I had been meaning to ask him to investigate the particulars. 

Do I gather that the parcel shelf is special to the reclining seat version, or is it a standard shelf with an add-on strip on the leading edge?

Would you say that the seat bottom and backrest frames are the same as the standard model, just with additional/alternative brackets etc attached?

[AMG69]

The interior trimmer marked the scuff plate without telling me? What a suprise...   

[WGB]

The interior trimmer marked the scuff plate without telling me? What a suprise...  

Chris,

Do you know if the plate is chromed or Stainless and where they came from.

Do I gather that the parcel shelf is special to the reclining seat version, or is it a standard shelf with an add-on strip on the leading edge?

Would you say that the seat bottom and backrest frames are the same as the standard model, just with additional/alternative brackets etc attached?

The seat back looks similar to a standard one with extra bracketry welded on but it is not as wide as the side bolsters at either end are separate and stay bolted in place on the firewall rather than being an integral part of the seat back like most seats. You can see this in the second photo where the bottom of the rear seat back is forward of the side bolster at the lower end.

The seat base looks like an entirely different pressing and is more rigid and a different shape.

I have another standard rear seat sitting in my shed from a 450 (2 sets actually) so when I have time I will photogragh them side by side and either post them if anybody else is interested or e-mail them to you.

Bill

[s class]

Thanks Bill,

As one might have expected, it seems there are more differences than are first apparent. 

[116Benz]

I'm interested in seeing them side by side, that would be great Bill.

[WGB]

For those interested here are the squabs and seat backs side by side with normal 450 on left and reclining on the right in each instance.





What is not shown are the two side bolsters on the outer edge of the seat back that are bolted to the rear firewall and do not move when the central back rest reclines. There is also a small leather covered trim piece at the bottom of the rear door opening which covers the rear of the squab which would otherwise become visible as the seat reclines

Bill

[116Benz]

Kewl, thanks Bill, I didnt expect that much difference.

[s class]

Thanks Bill,

I would say your 6.9 must be about a 1978.  What year is your 450?

The squabs actually look functionally very similar - just more heavy duty in the case of the 6.9. 

[WGB]

Thanks Bill,

I would say your 6.9 must be about a 1978.  What year is your 450?

The squabs actually look functionally very similar - just more heavy duty in the case of the 6.9. 

The brown seat is not out of my car - it was dropped off by Nathan when I purchased the rolling chassis "sans doors and interior" parts car from him.

My 6.9 has been variously described as late 1978 or early 1979.

It would appear to have been delivered in early 1979 and I will contact the classic centre for a certificate at some stage.

Various trim bits I have been removing are marked 8-1-79 which I assume dates the car to Jan or Feb 1979 production - Probably Jan.

Bill

[AMG69]

Thats right Bill - def Jan 1979; confirmed by the fact that Craig's (3 down the production line from yours) is Jan 1979!

[AMG69]

Bill, bought scuff plates off EBAY as originals cracked.  I cant recall where - thought it was Carshine.

[WGB]

Rather than post all the bits that have previously been done I have added some new photos for the benefit of S class to show some of teh finer features of this heavy setup.

I might add the leather has been replaced in the intervening four or so years.

The seat is driven bya geared motor that lives in a depressed shelf that has been sunk into the floor under the rear seat



It is operated by an extra switch on the rear door on each side



The backrest hinges off these welded on metal fittings on the rear firewall



Here are some photos taken against a ruler to give measurements





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The motor drives the centre of the three runners and all three runners are bolted to the seat squab at their leading edges



The bottom of the seat back has a pair of hinges that join the seat bottom to the rear of the two outer runners so that as the runners and the squab move forward the seat back comes forward at the base and descends slightly.

In this position the hinge is opened right up and wired to the back to enable transport but normally it would hang down and bolt to one or other of the outer runners. The seat back does not bolt to the central runner.



The upper part of the seat back hinges into the plates welded to the rear firewall with brackets that have been welded onto the seat frame and to which four "sliding Jaws" ar fitted. These are the same as those used for the sunroof.



Extra detail showing the sliding jaws on the extra bracketry.



The seat back itself looks like a standard seat back with the brackets added but shortened at the outer edges as shown in earlier photos - it would be quite possible to fabricate one from a standard frame.





The edges are filled in with bolsters that bolt to the rear firewall and rear floor .





The gap exposed between seat back and squab as it reclines is covered by a leather covered metal trim piece which screws to the floor at it's lower edge and through the same screw that holds one of the lower mountings for the bolster.



The top of the bolster is held by two trim screws that are usually hidden behingd the seat back.



The bottom of the bolster is held by a self tapper at the bottom and another from a piece of metal that hangs down the side near the bottom and bolts through the same hole as the trim piece.



The bottom bolster mounting is covered by a leather covered flap that has a piece of foam glued behind it



The foam acts as a spring and closes the gap between the side bolster and the squab in whatever position the seat is in.



The gap between the top of the seat back and the hat rack is filled with a trim covered angled piece that is held by three self tappers that are exposed when the seat back reclines.

Here is a photo of the piece and another showing the cross-sectional shape.





The seat bottom is the same shape as the standard squab but has a re-inforced bottom with a flange at the leading edge as has been shown before where the three runners bolt.

If you need any further detail S class make it quick as most of it is now back in the car and tomorrow morning it will all be back in and (I hope) not seen again for many years.

Bill

[Squiggle Dog]

Great write-up! This really gives me an understanding of how those work. I have a seat back from a 6.9, and though it is not a reclining seat, it has coil springs and the torsion bars covered in fabric like your reclining seat back.