My front seat replacement Project

[Audiophyle]

So Ive started working on a front seat swap in my 04 E, and while this wont have detailed pictures or function as a DIY, it should help anyone understand the amount of work involved and if its something they want to do.
Unlike the other Honda OEM seat swaps, I will not be reusing the Element seat rails, this will be more like an aftermarket seat install and I will be fabricating my own seat bracket to bolt these new seat rails too.

I am using OEM leather seats from a Hyundai Tiburon, which I was able to snag very cheap and are OEM grade which means they pass all crash rating standards. (not the case with many aftermarket seats)


This is just sitting in place, which puts your rear end a couple inches lower than stock.

I will most likely be lifting them up slightly with the custom brackets to set the seating platform at the same height as OEM, but I will give them more rear ward movement & tilt the fronts up just a hair higher.
I think I will get a little more clearance underneath for amps as well, which will be needed at a later date. lol
These seats are sooo much more comfortable than the E seats, I cannot wait to get them installed.


A question I came across yesterday though, is WTF is this thing attached to the seat belt reciever?

My E does not have side airbags, so the seat belt should only have a SRS sensor. However this thin canister thing clearly states it contains an explosive material.



This is the assembly removed from the OEM seat


And this uses the same 14mm bolt as the Hyundai seats, so I will easily be able to mount these latches to the new seats. I will be fabbing up a front C bracket to hold the canister, and drill a small hole near the bolt hole to match the Honda latch alignment tab. Then its just a matter of trimming the plastic around it & either leave it uncovered (will be hidden by a center console I plan to build) or make my own cover piece to hide it.


So does anyone know WHY this thing contains an explosive compound?
Does my E have the rare unpublished 007 ejection seat option? lol

[ramblerdan]

That is the automatic belt tensioner, activated in the event of a crash.

[GR8Bike]

Originally Posted by ramblerdan

That is the automatic belt tensioner, activated in the event of a crash.

Damm. Was liking the idea of seat ejector system. Be tough though w/o an overhead sun roof. Oh well, guess the belt tnsioner makes sense. Like the seats. Pics, when installed, please.

[Island E]

Doers that thing pull the entire latch part down when you get into a crash? Is that how it works?

[lizzurd]

In the event of a sever enough accident an explosive charge goes off in the cylinder causing the buckle to retract 2-3 inches to take up the slack in the seat belt. The mechanism in the should belt also locks up.

[misdirection11082]

i love how much info we can all gain from this site.

[Audiophyle]

Thats crazy, never would have thought such a thing. Sounds almost dangerous, but Im sure its had some serious R&D done around it.
Was really pulling for it being an ejection seat though.

I hope to get started on the brackets this weekend.

[Island E]

Originally Posted by Audiophyle

Thats crazy, never would have thought such a thing. Sounds almost dangerous, but Im sure its had some serious R&D done around it.
Was really pulling for it being an ejection seat though.

I hope to get started on the brackets this weekend.

BTW, your speaker box is working splendidly. Finally got around to installing it about 2 weeks ago. You should have warned me about the b!tch bolt that's underneath that one metal piece. I saw that and was like "Oh hell no he didn't?!?!?"

[lizzurd]

Originally Posted by Audiophyle

Thats crazy, never would have thought such a thing. Sounds almost dangerous, but Im sure its had some serious R&D done around it.
Was really pulling for it being an ejection seat though.

I hope to get started on the brackets this weekend.

They can be dangerous. While not a bad as an airbag they still need to be handled with care. every couple of months we have to set off airbags and buckles before we can dispose of them and the buckles make a hell of a noise when they go off.

[Audiophyle]

Originally Posted by Island E

BTW, your speaker box is working splendidly. Finally got around to installing it about 2 weeks ago. You should have warned me about the b!tch bolt that's underneath that one metal piece. I saw that and was like "Oh hell no he didn't?!?!?"

I know exactly which one you are talking about, but it didnt seem that difficult to get to so I figured you could get it. Glad to hear you finally got it up & running, and hope you enjoy it for long time.

Originally Posted by lizzurd

They can be dangerous. While not a bad as an airbag they still need to be handled with care. every couple of months we have to set off airbags and buckles before we can dispose of them and the buckles make a hell of a noise when they go off.

Are retractable buckles that popular? All Ive ever set off were steering wheel airbags, but this is the first time ever seeing these.