Lowering Both Seats

[engine killer 6]

I am wondering has anyone actually cut the exhaust tunnel to lower the inner seat mounting points?

 

I am using a pair of bucket with runner without spacers and tilt mechanism but still experiencing the crash helmet touching the roof. Without a tilt mechanism I can hardly pass MOT.

 

After a serious look at the mounting points, the front can be replaced by welding a tube (rollcage standard), it will lower the front by about an inch. But the rear..... both seats have mounting points on exhaust tunnel, we have to cut it long and weld a L plate (right corner metal) to stiffen that area and for new mounting.

 

If anyone has done it before, would you mind sharing your experience and pictures?

 

thanks

 

Leung

[Baz 421]

James_R has done this, had the exhaust tunnel cut out and boxed in order to get the seats lower and the pax further back.

 

I can't find any pics, i'll point him at this topic tho.

[James_R 3]

Hiya, yes I've had both sides done, I'll dig the pics out when I get home, but basically you cut in to the exhust tunnel so the buldge round the front of the handbrake bit is then gone (the bits the seat usually bolts to) and the raised box is then cut back. you make some a L shaped bit of steel to fill the section you cut out and then weld 2 L bar's across the shell to mount the sidemounts to. only downside is you look about 12 when you drive it

[rescue dude 0]

I am using a pair of bucket with runner without spacers and tilt mechanism but still experiencing the crash helmet touching the roof. Without a tilt mechanism I can hardly pass MOT.

 

 

I don't have a tilt mechanism on my drivers seat and never have a problem with the MoT.

 

I cut out and plated the standard seat mountings and welded some square tube from the tunnel to the door side of the car using strengtheners at each end.

Side mounting plates were bolted to this and the seat to them.

 

I don't use any runners to move the seat as i'm the only driver so they're not needed thus lowering the seat even more.

 

And yes i do look about 12 when driving but my crash helmet is a nice distance from the roof now.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Hiya, yes I've had both sides done, I'll dig the pics out when I get home, but basically you cut in to the exhust tunnel so the buldge round the front of the handbrake bit is then gone (the bits the seat usually bolts to) and the raised box is then cut back. you make some a L shaped bit of steel to fill the section you cut out and then weld 2 L bar's across the shell to mount the sidemounts to. only downside is you look about 12 when you drive it

 

Pics please, I need to do mine!

[engine killer 6]

Thanks all, it seems it is workable. I do not mind look like a 12 years old kid when driving it as long as my head do not bang on the roof when I hit the kerb.

 

Looking forward to those pics, thanks again.

[James_R 3]

here's the pics, also the harness pick ups were moved back to suit as the harness's were pionting almost striaght down out the seat.

 

 

[engine killer 6]

Thank you very much for the pics.

 

Will that weaken the stiffness of the chassis a lot?

[James_R 3]

If anything strengthen it really, the sheet which replaced is is thicker and the welds stitched on both sides, and the L bar is beefier than the std cross member box section bit, certainly can't say I've noticed a difference.

[swordfish210 20]

I'v just cut my seat mounts out and replaced it with box section but i left the exhaust tunnel standard.

 

I made these plates to weld the box section too:

 

Then i ground away all of the paint surrounding the aeras that i was going to weld the plates to:

 

Then with a hammer and a vice i shaped the plates to fit the chassis

 

Then i welded the plates on:

[swordfish210 20]

I then made up 8 bushes to fit inside the box section and tapped them with a 3/8" UNC thread:

 

And welded them in to the box section:

 

Then i welded the rails in place:

 

I then sprayed them up:

 

and i was done. How to stiffen your shell and make a safe, personalised set of seat mounts in 8 easy steps

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Looks very neat but you've still left in the "hump" in the tunnel. Depending on how far back you want to sit means you still might not get the seats low enough.

 

Here is how my car is done-

 

 

 

 

 

Heres one with the seats in

 

 

I'm 6'2" and sat in the seat with helmet on I am below the level of the cage tube.

[swordfish210 20]

for my personal preffence of driving position, those seat mounts suit me just fine, but i'm only 5' 11" and i like to sit pretty close to the wheel.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I notice your mounting holes are a lot closer to the edge of the car when comparing pictures; the cage door bars dictated the seat position really in my car, plus my height. Its much better now though, I don't like the standard 205 driving position, its too high for me.

[swordfish210 20]

I notice your mounting holes are a lot closer to the edge of the car when comparing pictures; the cage door bars dictated the seat position really in my car, plus my height. Its much better now though, I don't like the standard 205 driving position, its too high for me.

 

mmmm it is a bit on the piss, it's not that bad though

[engine killer 6]

hi Swordfish210, in your case, you have both seats offset to door side by a few inches although it is the simplest way to lower seats.

 

hi Tom Fenton, it is the way i want my car seat to be . but you are cutting part of the tunnel, will it stop/affect the runner movement at all?

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

No idea on the runners, the seat side frames are bolted down, then there is a small amount of adjustment on the side mounts, thats it. Took quite a bit of measuring to sort out where to cut and where they were going to end up.

[Pugnut 9 1 Cars]

i have welded in bars almost identical to swordfish . i dont have any seats yet , but now realise that i may have to do it all again since i'm 6'2" and have a cage/doorbars

 

FECK