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Seat, donor options
The Baron - 20/4/24 at 04:54 PM

I’m looking around for some seats. When I originally built my Locost I used some fibreglass bucket seats (think I got them from triton on here, back in the day)

Now that I’m a bit older (with a bit more mass than when I was in my 20’s), I need a bit of comfort.

What donor seat options have people used? I’m considering some MX5 seats, has anyone used these in a Locost, or know their dimensions?

Cheers in advance

Baron

Slimy38 - 20/4/24 at 05:17 PM

I started with MX5 seats, then a few things happened. First I noticed I was awfully high in the car. No problem, a 'foamectomy' is a common thing even in original MX5 seats. Then I realised the foam base actually ends up lower than the seat rails, so you either need to build up the sides or reuse the seat rails.

The third straw that broke the camels back was the headrest. I had a pair of 'tombstone' seats, and realised the head restraint wasn't IVA compatible. So after all that, I just made some seats out of a metal frame with wood base and back, with a plan to cover them with foam and leatherette.

(Edit) Oh, and they're very slightly too wide, but the base will fit in if you fold the bolsters up a bit. And you'll need to do something with the seat tilt mechanism.

[Edited on 20/4/24 by Slimy38]

The Baron - 20/4/24 at 05:50 PM

Interesting……

Luckily for me I passed my sva about a million years ago…..

My Locost has been languishing in my garage for the last 12 years (amazing how domestic life burns time)

Cheers

Baron

Slimy38 - 20/4/24 at 07:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by The Baron
Interesting……

Luckily for me I passed my sva about a million years ago…..

My Locost has been languishing in my garage for the last 12 years (amazing how domestic life burns time)

Cheers

Baron


Ah, you've got a lot less to deal with then!! It'll just be the seat tilt mechanism and the bolsters that are physically too large, at least they are for my Haynes Roadster chassis. They're pretty easy and cheap to find too.

JC - 21/4/24 at 06:27 AM

Ahhh. The Triton seats! Had a pair of those too - so many happy memories of the halcyon days of Locosting and this site!

[Edited on 21/4/24 by JC]

ianhurley20 - 21/4/24 at 08:32 AM

I used two of the three seats from the rear of a mid size MPV , can't remember whether it was a Zafira or a Scenic. Seats cost about £15 for all 3. Some people use two center seats but I used the outers, very comfortable and headrest IVA compatible. I removed all the tipping fittings and bolted them direct onto the floor of the car (with suitable strenghthening underneath). Very comfortable for someone 6' tall and eaten too many pies

Slimy38 - 22/4/24 at 01:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ianhurley20
I used two of the three seats from the rear of a mid size MPV , can't remember whether it was a Zafira or a Scenic. Seats cost about £15 for all 3. Some people use two center seats but I used the outers, very comfortable and headrest IVA compatible. I removed all the tipping fittings and bolted them direct onto the floor of the car (with suitable strenghthening underneath). Very comfortable for someone 6' tall and eaten too many pies


May I ask how you removed the tipping fittings? I had the same issue with my MX5 seats, and the only thing I could come up with was replacing the whole ratchet mechanism with some steel plate. But because only one side had a mechanism (the other side was a simple hinge) I couldn't keep things rigid.

ianhurley20 - 22/4/24 at 03:28 PM

All the fittings were bolted onto the base of the seat which I removed and to keep the seat as low as I could the seat was then bolted directly down which meant it was fixed in place. I'm afraid I don't have any detailed photos but you can see the end result in the car at Raceway
Raceway