Took my seats out today to swop belts over and stuff like that, and have noticed something im not too keen on to be honest with my indy...

Basically the seats bolt through the floor in each corner into the aluminum floor and that is it, so the seat is only secured to the car via 4 x bolts through into a 3mm or so aluminum sheet..

I had a westfield and other kit cars all as far as i can remember the seats bolted through chassis rails or cross rails as part of the chassis structure..

Is bolting a seat into a aluminum sheet good enough do you think i assume it is as thats how MK must make them but im a bit supprised thats all, whats your thoughts guys..

Rob..

there is usuall a couple of steel strips across the chasis, which you drill and mount throug. Not sure if you have a really early chasis. To counter this you can also use a large washer / metal plate to spread the load

I personally would weld in a bar if i was you. Would prefer something a bit more substantial!!

My 2004/2005 Indy chassis had some metal strips welded across the seating area to which the seats mount.

maybe they were deleted lateron? I'd prefer them to be there, but it seems MK have a habit of skimping on this kind of thing (remember the sikaflex'd in fuel tanks....?)

Mines got cross rails in but no where near where seat holes are check picture below, you would need to be 2ft6" to sit in seat if it was mounted through rails in this position

Who built the car?

My seats are fitted through the bars shown in your picture. Certainly wouldn't pass an SVA / IVA with them just fitted to the ally floor.

Get the welder out and get another set of bars in, or fix another set longways, fixed to the seat and those rails. Could even mount some box section underneath the floor?

Mike

My Indy R has the beams running across.

Pete.

you could use seat runners


stuart

the early chassis didnt have the bars, i welded some in mine.

Yep, strips in mine too, 03 chassis. (I think)

Mk factory built race car mine is...

Yeah think i am going to add a few bars in to be honest,

Rob

remember the seat belt takes the load in a crash not the seat, i understand your point but as long as you use large washers under the floor all is ok IMHO.

if you have mk grp seats the threaded inserts would rip out way before the bolts would going thru the floor.

Andy

mine is a 2006 chassis and has the metal strips my seats sit on box section which is then bolted through the steel strips

As above I used steel box section bolted to the two strips and then mounted the seats to the box section. That gets away from the problem of the seat being too far forward to utilise bolting directly to the strips.

hope that helps

quote:

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Originally posted by Moorron
remember the seat belt takes the load in a crash not the seat, i understand your point but as long as you use large washers under the floor all is ok IMHO.

if you have mk grp seats the threaded inserts would rip out way before the bolts would going thru the floor.

Andy

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Yeah thats true the seat belt is whats going to be doing the work for sure good point there made about the MK GRP seat and the fixings pulling out, it doesnt matter where or what you fix the seat too the seat fixings itself will be the weekest point wont it...

Still might fit some north south orientated runners to the existing cross rails for added security and less flex etc...as per jabbadahut's comment..

I've used the steel bars that MK put in (I'm 6'4" with seat runners. I've set the seats all the way back.

Without the runners, as you say, most people would be struggling to get in the car.

Going into ally, they will probably be enough body movement to start wearing the holes over the years (if not months).

Hi

3mm alloy floor. !!! I wouldnt worry. Looking at the picture you can see that the seat is sat on top of the two stringers anyhow so they are taking the main weight under your backside. Use a washer the same thickness as the two stringers between the seat and the alloy floor so the seat is sat level and not under strain on the mounting points in the grp seat.

What would concern me is whether the original builder has used rivets of the correct size to attach the 3mm floor. But assuming they are OK all looks fine.

And there was me thinking that 1.6mm alloy floors where OTT on thickness.

Cheers Matt

Procomp my car was built by the factory fella MK themselves was a factory built race car for their publicity events and then sold to a mate of mine then to me..

Rivets are the big type 10mm head on them..

Hi

It's not so much the diameter and head size that concerns me. It's the length. Considering it was a supposedly Factory built race car it has to be asked why on earth they used 3mm for the floor. 1.6mm is the norm and 0.7 in NS4 or modern equivalent.

Cheers Matt

Second set of seat rails now welded in only took an hour feel happyier now