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So, I posted this last week in the "what did you do to your 996" thread. But its probably better off/more searchable/find-able if it's got it's own thread (this was also a suggestion by a fellow Rennlister). I picked up a set of 997 Hardback sport seats for a good price here on Rennlist. Before jumping in I did a few searches and it seemed like it wasn't going to be a big deal to get them to work. Physically, they mount exactly like the 996 seats so that's easy. As they're mostly manual and only the seat back recline feature is electric, it basically means there are only 2 wires (power and ground - Purple and brown in my car - not sure it this is standard or not. Some of the online photo's show red or red and black) for the recline, and the seat-belt buckled/unbuckled sensor. The biggest problem being that Porsche changed the plugs they use to connect the harness and seat, so it's not a simple plug n play situation. This being said, it's still a very simple hack. The 997 socket (Big Yellow shell) has male spade lugs for the power recline feature. I went to Napa Auto Parts and picked up an assortment of female spade connectors for about $8. It turned out that the yellow female spades fit the positive 12v lead and the red female spade fit the ground lug in the 997 socket. The 996 harness plug has female "funnel pin" style jacks for the power side, and some funky little 4 way pin style jacks for the seat-belt sensor. To connect to the power side of the 996 connector, Napa didn't have any of the male funnel pin connectors, so I bought a package of the smallest bullet connectors they had (these were the "red" size). As it turned out, they were too big to fit into the receiver/jack of the 996 connector, so I had to modify them a bit by crushing/folding them together with a pair of needle nose pliers, then filling them with solder and grinding them down a bit to the final size to fit the jack - this sounds complicated but it's pretty straight forward (just a pain in the butt). With a little trial and error I was able to get a nice tight press fit so the connections won't come apart accidentally (I hope). The seat-belt sensors were a little scarier because they were contained in a multi-part/multi-pin enclosure within the "big yellow shell"... In reality, it was very simple to deconstruct the shell and remove the smaller grey shell that holds the two pins from the seat belt sensor. Once your remove this grey piece, it's simple to remove the pins with a tiny screw driver (just push down the barbs that are visible on one side of the shell, and the wires/pins pull right out). Once I had all my wire available/accessible I connected them to the existing 996 harness connector, hooked the battery back up (always disconnect the battery before you work on electrical components) and tested the seats... ... ... They worked, albeit backwards - no problem, just swap the power and ground wires and all was good. Also, not seat-belt bells/lights... beautiful! Once I knew everything worked properly, I went to work making sure the seat-belt sensor wires would stay plugged in to the jack and the pins wouldn't short together (since they were just pins at this point and weren't contained in their shell anymore, they were a little unwieldy). I just used heat shrink tubing in various sizes to create a solid "plug" that would stay plugged in. Once this was done, it was just a matter of zip tying the plugs to solid places under the seats so as to remove any stress from the new jumper wires between the incompatible jack shells. I'll attach a few photo's for reference - sorry they're not really comprehensive of the entire process, but it's really simple (simpler than it may sound). I hope this helps anyone doing this in the future.
It definitely feels like "my 20 year old car got better" Wow, what a difference - pretty amazing! Much, much, better... I'm really happy with the difference.
It definitely feels like "my 20 year old car got better" Wow, what a difference - pretty amazing! Much, much, better... I'm really happy with the difference.
Beautiful seats. I bet they're radically different from the base 996 seats. Anyway to make the leather match better? I know some people have the leather dyed black which is easier than trying to match the lighter tan color. Enjoy!
Beautiful seats. I bet they're radically different from the base 996 seats. Anyway to make the leather match better? I know some people have the leather dyed black which is easier than trying to match the lighter tan color. Enjoy!
I'm going to dye them Savanna Beige - I already got the dye - at some point this winter. It shouldn't be too difficult. There are also a few options for new seat covers in the proper color - they're not cheap though...
I'm going to dye them Savanna Beige - I already got the dye - at some point this winter. It shouldn't be too difficult. There are also a few options for new seat covers in the proper color - they're not cheap though...
Great work and they look fantastic. Your going to dye those seat savanna beige? Have you ever done that before? I think you might be asking for trouble.
I gotta find some dark blue seat with silver seat backs for my car!
Nice work dporto! I keep casually looking for a deal on either 996 or 997 sport seats as they fit me marketably better than the standard 996 comfort seats in my car.
As for dying your seats I’ve used Leatherique dyes and reconditioners with good result. Not too difficult, just takes time and patience: as with most other projects, prep work is 90% of the battle. I’d think going to a lighter shade (I’ve only redyed the same color) may be a bit of a challenge, but still doable. Keep us posted.
Great work and they look fantastic. Your going to dye those seat savanna beige? Have you ever done that before? I think you might be asking for trouble.
I gotta find some dark blue seat with silver seat backs for my car!
I'll do a test spot on the back bottom of the seat cushion. I don't think it'll be difficult at all. I've done the drivers side bolster of my original seats and they came out great. I've also done the shift boot (which happens to be "natural brown" had I only known!) and a couple steering wheels. Ultimately, if they don't wear well after the re-dye, I can always go for new seat covers (original Porsche Leather) in the proper color. The draw back to this option is that it's expensive. The best price I've found (Topsonline.com) is around $1500 for both https://www.topsonline.com/model/Sea...And_Turbo.html. And the most expensive is Classic 9 leather shop http://www.classic9leathershop.com/u...e-997-and-987/ at $2350 for the pair (which is basically what I paid for the entire seats) Then they have to be installed...I'm not an upholsterer so who knows - I'd rather not go this way, but we'll see.
I'll do a test spot on the back bottom of the seat cushion. I don't think it'll be difficult at all. I've done the drivers side bolster of my original seats and they came out great. I've also done the shift boot (which happens to be "natural brown" had I only known!) and a couple steering wheels. Ultimately, if they don't wear well after the re-dye, I can always go for new seat covers (original Porsche Leather) in the proper color. The draw back to this option is that it's expensive. The best price I've found (Topsonline.com) is around $1500 for both https://www.topsonline.com/model/Sea...And_Turbo.html. And the most expensive is Classic 9 leather shop http://www.classic9leathershop.com/u...e-997-and-987/ at $2350 for the pair (which is basically what I paid for the entire seats) Then they have to be installed...I'm not an upholsterer so who knows - I'd rather not go this was, but we'll see.
These guys were at SEMA and I bought some of their stuff. It really matches well and since it goes on like a paint, you can recolor seats better than just rub-on dyes. I've tried all leather dye products, and these are the best IMHO. They match to Porsche specs and have Savannah beige. https://www.colorbondpaint.com/produ...iant=313000503
Even though the Leatherworld stuff is called "Dye", it's paint...The only true "dyes" are the Analine dyes that were used in "the old days"... I would venture a guess that it's very similar to Colorbond or any of the others. Their claim is that it's the exact same stuff that the manufacturers use - I subscribe to this. If there is a difference, it's more akin to the difference between Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams than anything else. When I re-finish the seats, I'll do a post/write-up.
Even though the Leatherworld stuff is called "Dye", it's paint...The only true "dyes" are the Analine dyes that were used in "the old days"... I would venture a guess that it's very similar to Colorbond or any of the others. Their claim is that it's the exact same stuff that the manufacturers use - I subscribe to this. If there is a difference, it's more akin to the difference between Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams than anything else. When I re-finish the seats, I'll do a post/write-up.
I have Leatherworld dyes too and have found they work no better than other rub-on type leather colorants; however, the Colorbond refinishers come in aerosol form which I found to produce a better factory-like finish with auto applications like seats and other leather surfaces. The same refinisher can be used on other plastic surfaces too. Again, it truly goes on like spray paint and soaks deep into the leather to produce a durable finish. Seems like the rub-on type wouldn't produce color change you desire because you're going to a lighter hue of brown (going darker can be easily achieved with traditional leather dyes), but I'm looking forward to your results. Good luck!
11-08-2019, 10:16 AM
997 Hardback sport seats in a 996
had I only known!) and a couple steering wheels. Ultimately, if they don't wear well after the re-dye, I can always go for new seat covers (original Porsche Leather) in the proper color. The draw back to this option is that it's expensive. The best price I've found (Topsonline.com) is around $1500 for both https://www.topsonline.com/model/Sea...And_Turbo.html. And the most expensive is Classic 9 leather shop http://www.classic9leathershop.com/u...e-997-and-987/ at $2350 for the pair (which is basically what I paid for the entire seats) Then they have to be installed...I'm not an upholsterer so who knows - I'd rather not go this way, but we'll see.
I would venture a guess that it's very similar to Colorbond or any of the others. Their claim is that it's the exact same stuff that the manufacturers use - I subscribe to this. If there is a difference, it's more akin to the difference between Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams than anything else. When I re-finish the seats, I'll do a post/write-up.
