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Any Roadster 7 fitting tips?
craig1410 - 20/12/03 at 02:34 PM

Hi,
I've just taken delivery of my Roadster 7 seats and would appreciate any tips you guys may have on fitment. I bought one sliding subframe for the driver's side but intend to make the passenger's seat fixed (unless anyone has a good reason why it should be moveable). There are no fitting instructions with the seats, just a packet of 4 domed allen bolts and a set of four socket cap bolts with spacers and nuts.

I'm sure I could figure things out given a bit of time and head scratching but I don't want to have my seats near the car for any longer than is necessary in case they get damaged.

Cheers,
Craig.


zetec - 20/12/03 at 02:57 PM

I've got an Indy with the welded steel floor. I found you need to check the floor does not flex too much if you are using runners, I has to fit some strengthening bars and fix the runners to them.


craig1410 - 20/12/03 at 04:00 PM

Hi,
I've already added strengthening bars across the floor where the seats will mount so it should be okay.

Does anyone know where the spacers are designed to go? I think they must be supposed to go between the seat and the runner but I'm not sure.

Cheers,
Craig.


Jasper - 20/12/03 at 04:02 PM

Buy some decent quality waterproof seat covers for them (about £25 a pair), then when you need to sit in them to measure things up (or when you need to dream a little!) they're well protected. I also use mine for transporting to trackdays on the trailer to keep the bugs off and when it raining heavily.


JoelP - 20/12/03 at 04:10 PM

quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
Hi,
I've already added strengthening bars across the floor where the seats will mount so it should be okay.


me too

quote:


Does anyone know where the spacers are designed to go? I think they must be supposed to go between the seat and the runner but I'm not sure.

Cheers,
Craig.


i bought two sliding subframes at different times, they changed halfway thru. the first came with 4 L brackets that would bolt to the floor, but no spacers. The seat sat fine on the runners with no spacers.

the second seat i finished fitting yesterday. On this, there were two runners, and 4 spacers. i put the spacers in between the seat and the runners, mainly cos the bolts i had were a bit to long not to use them. Then i just worked out how much height i needed to make the two seats level, and made a subframe out of 1" square. Not sure if the spacers were essential though. HTH, Joel.


JoelP - 20/12/03 at 04:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
Buy some decent quality waterproof seat covers for them (about £25 a pair), then when you need to sit in them to measure things up (or when you need to dream a little!) they're well protected. I also use mine for transporting to trackdays on the trailer to keep the bugs off and when it raining heavily.



a good plan. Mine are singed, dented and cut. quite annoying really...

and rusty where the paint came off the runners.


craig1410 - 20/12/03 at 04:20 PM

Thanks for the help guys, I don't intend to leave the seats in the garage once I have made the necessary measurements and fitted the runners. I'll probably put them up the attic once that's done. However, I'll probably get a pair of the seat covers anyway for when the car is on the road to keep them clean and dry.

Joel, thanks for confirming my suspicions on the runners question, I will fit the spacers between seat and runner too.

Cheers,
Craig.


MK7 - 1/1/04 at 08:53 PM

I've fitted the passenger seat without runners / spacer no problem.

My problem is how to mount the seat with the runners.

The seat frame is threaded so bolting the runner to the seat is no problem.

However, the runner is supplied with 4 hex screws, 4 spacers and 4 nuts. I can't see how I'm going to be able to get to both ends of the screw to tighten it cos the floor gets in the way.

It would be OK if the runner had a nut welded to it but it doesn't and I don't have a welder.

Any thoughts?

Thanks


JoelP - 1/1/04 at 09:39 PM

maybe get a friend to hold the nut still and you do the hex end?

on an indy is the seat held direct to the floor or does it sit on bars?


Simon - 1/1/04 at 11:18 PM

Do want Mark Evans did on the Westfield, so he could change the seats for t/days, and what I'll bo doing just to make life easier.

Drill some holes in the floor, in line with the mounting bracket holes, then put grommets in when seats fastened in place.

ATB

Simon


type 907 - 2/1/04 at 12:20 AM

Hi Chaps

Don't know if this will help anyone, but I bolted box sections to the seats crossways, then welded short box sections (in four places) to the chassis with captive nuts in them. I used an extra set of nuts so I can move the seat forward in case a shorter person (I think thats the polite term) wants to drive it.
See pickie.
I'm just too tight to buy runners.

Paul G Rescued attachment lotus seat mounts 002s.jpg
Rescued attachment lotus seat mounts 002s.jpg


type 907 - 2/1/04 at 12:25 AM

Just realized that one pickie dosn't show it all. Rescued attachment lotus seat mounts 006s.jpg
Rescued attachment lotus seat mounts 006s.jpg


MK7 - 2/1/04 at 09:59 AM

It came to me last night that if I slide the runners to the end then I'll be able to fix the fixed bit to the floor and the other bit to the seat then just slide the seat back into place.

Unfortunately the runners don't come apart.

Any other ideas?


craig1410 - 2/1/04 at 10:23 AM

Guys,
I only got one set of runners but I am seriously tempted to get another set as I think this will make the job much easier and neater. It will also save me having to devise two separate mounting methods...

My setup comprises a 16swg welded steel floor onto which I have welded two lateral steel (3/4" tubes between the outer base rails and the tunnel rails on both sides (4 rails in total). These are spaced just wider apart than the Cobra mounting rails and will have some 5mm steel brackets welded to the inside edges and drilled to mount the rails onto. (Will post picture later when I've finished it)Obviously the rails will be mounted to the seats in the first instance and then the seats bolted to the floor. Rather than drill holes in my floor like Mark Evans, I will just weld nuts onto the underside of the above brackets before welding the brackets onto the cross tubes. As far as I can tell the runners can be moved backwards and forwards to enough to reveal the front and back mountings respectively.

Ultimately I would expect that Mr SVA man will be happier with a car where pucka mounts have been used and welded securely onto load bearing members.

HTH,
Craig.