Holding down bolts for seat runners
Discussion
The previous owner of my car has had a modification done to increase the height of both seats. I am going to keep the arrangement for the time being - because I can see more of where I am steering the wedge! 25mm square section tubing has been used under the runners with longer holding down bolts. This is probably not ideal because tubing is only 60mm long (used locally at the bolt positions) and maybe putting a point loading on the f'glass floor.
I have got the seats out at the moment so I can clean the carpet. Undoing the bolts and nylock nuts took about 5 hours with just me! - Wrong bolts fitted
i.e nothing to stop the heads turning, the top of the shank needs to be square to fit the square hole in the runner.
Can anyone help please with the following:-
1) Can I buy these bolts from a car dealer? Anyone know what car manufacturer the seat runners came from?
(I have found some 60mm long carriage bolts in Engineering type shop but they have round raised heads and I would have to cut the sides down to fit in the runners) They need to be high tensile strength with hex or square head.
2) Anyone else done a similar or better mod. to raise seats 25mm?
Got to get it sorted urgently - good weather for top down!
I have got the seats out at the moment so I can clean the carpet. Undoing the bolts and nylock nuts took about 5 hours with just me! - Wrong bolts fitted
i.e nothing to stop the heads turning, the top of the shank needs to be square to fit the square hole in the runner. Can anyone help please with the following:-
1) Can I buy these bolts from a car dealer? Anyone know what car manufacturer the seat runners came from?
(I have found some 60mm long carriage bolts in Engineering type shop but they have round raised heads and I would have to cut the sides down to fit in the runners) They need to be high tensile strength with hex or square head.
2) Anyone else done a similar or better mod. to raise seats 25mm?
Got to get it sorted urgently - good weather for top down!
Mine were raised with nuts larger than the securing bolt. Punched a hole in the floor
So had to fit a large alloy plate either side of the mounting to make the seat secure again.
Oh and the spinning bolt head? Tried wedging a screwdriver against a flat on the head? Worked for me.
>> Edited by jmorgan on Wednesday 28th July 21:56
So had to fit a large alloy plate either side of the mounting to make the seat secure again.
Oh and the spinning bolt head? Tried wedging a screwdriver against a flat on the head? Worked for me.
>> Edited by jmorgan on Wednesday 28th July 21:56
Don't panic too much about needing high-tensile bolts. The floor will rip before the bolts do. I use stainless so I can get them out again if I need to! Also large washers or steel plates under the flor would be a good plan (I assume you've thought of this).
The seats were made by Cambro in Coventry so the runners are common to quite a few other cars of the era (well, slightly earlier era I suppose!).
I devised an upgrade using Austin Maestro seat runners. On the Masetro the runners latch both sides, whereas the originals only latch one side. Cut a piece out of the tube that links both slides and weld it back together - hey presto, more secure slides, and the bolt holes are in all the right places.
Ian
The seats were made by Cambro in Coventry so the runners are common to quite a few other cars of the era (well, slightly earlier era I suppose!).
I devised an upgrade using Austin Maestro seat runners. On the Masetro the runners latch both sides, whereas the originals only latch one side. Cut a piece out of the tube that links both slides and weld it back together - hey presto, more secure slides, and the bolt holes are in all the right places.
Ian
wedg1e said:Previous mod. incorporated 38mm dia washers both sides of floor - so ok there and latching on just the one side is still operating fine. But how did you stop the heads turning?
Don't panic too much about needing high-tensile bolts. The floor will rip before the bolts do. I use stainless so I can get them out again if I need to! Also large washers or steel plates under the flor would be a good plan (I assume you've thought of this).
The seats were made by Cambro in Coventry so the runners are common to quite a few other cars of the era (well, slightly earlier era I suppose!).
I devised an upgrade using Austin Maestro seat runners. On the Masetro the runners latch both sides, whereas the originals only latch one side. Cut a piece out of the tube that links both slides and weld it back together - hey presto, more secure slides, and the bolt holes are in all the right places.
Ian
I think TVR only had one sized bolt for all fixings. 1/2" by 4" and a hammer
More to the point, do you think you can make it work? Then do it. My garage has a goodly selection of nuts and bolts to replace the 1/2" by 4" that I come accross doing various jobs.
>> Edited by jmorgan on Wednesday 28th July 22:33
More to the point, do you think you can make it work? Then do it. My garage has a goodly selection of nuts and bolts to replace the 1/2" by 4" that I come accross doing various jobs.
>> Edited by jmorgan on Wednesday 28th July 22:33
wedg1e said:
Previous mod. incorporated 38mm dia washers both sides of floor - so ok there and latching on just the one side is still operating fine. But how did you stop the heads turning?
I used Hex head (Allen) bolts....
I locknutted them and accepted the 1/4" rise on seat height.
I added an extra nut below the seat rails to lock off the bolts. Then I put the seats in through some penny washers and screwed the nuts on underneath the floor with more big washers.
Hope this make enough sense, the Leffe is taking effect
>> Edited by tallbloke on Thursday 29th July 00:15
Hope this make enough sense, the Leffe is taking effect
>> Edited by tallbloke on Thursday 29th July 00:15
Standard structural bolts are referred to as grade 4.6, high strength are grade 8.8 and aircraft industry are grade 12.5. I agree with Ian though that the fibreglass would fail first with any bolt. I have never seen the seat ripped out of the floor in any crashed TVR. Has anyone else?
19560 said:
Standard structural bolts are referred to as grade 4.6, high strength are grade 8.8 and aircraft industry are grade 12.5. I agree with Ian though that the fibreglass would fail first with any bolt. I have never seen the seat ripped out of the floor in any crashed TVR. Has anyone else?
Yes... When my ex-wife wrote off my Vixen. Have seen bolts fail on GRP panels but through corrosion more than anything.
The Esprit is exactly the same - but with less chassis too! 
Actually it looks to me as though the Esprit floor was intended to have a subframe under the seat: I may consider it, and one for the TVR too. even without welding to the chassis, a substantial load spreader couldn't be a bad thing - though as stated, floors don't often get ripped out.
Steve (H), was the Vixen incident in any way related to the 'ex' - wife status?
Ian
Actually it looks to me as though the Esprit floor was intended to have a subframe under the seat: I may consider it, and one for the TVR too. even without welding to the chassis, a substantial load spreader couldn't be a bad thing - though as stated, floors don't often get ripped out.
Steve (H), was the Vixen incident in any way related to the 'ex' - wife status?
Ian
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