ADJUSTING THE DRIVERS SEAT

[PYNEY]

hi all, being a short arse 5'6" ! before buying my first chim i have one problem the pedal and seat positions, i've been told that i can get pedal extension from leven ! but i think it would also help to raise the seat by 30mm to 50 mm can this be done, are there any kits out there to do this or does anyone have some good diy ideas , and please dont say GROW !!!!!

[craigalsop]

Have you adjusted the pedals at all? (depending on the age of car, the pedals are more/less adjustable, which may help a bit)
It involves lying on your back in the footwell, but it's not that difficult.

[PYNEY]

i can see that the brake and clutch pedals can be adjusted, but the gas pedal seems fixed

[bigdods]

Dont see any problem here. My Mrs is 5'4 and I am 6'2 - all she does when she drives is push the seat forward.

[craigalsop]

The accelerator is definitely adjustable (at least on mine)
Can you lengthen the accelerator cable? From memory there is a backstop adjuster as well...

[PYNEY]

ok ! thanks for that but what about raising the seat !!! i want to see above the dash lol

[rctonka]

I had a go at adjusting my brake pedal last weekend, I wanted it a bit lower than the throttle for heal and tow, i have undone the locknut but i cannot budge the pedal, any idears folks, wd40 already applied!!

[PYNEY]

carefully applying some heat may do it ! best to let it soak in dw first then try again

ANYBODY KNOW THE BEST WAY TO RAISE THE SEAT IS IT POSSIBLE

[GreenV8S]

PYNEY said:

carefully applying some heat may do it ! best to let it soak in dw first then try again

ANYBODY KNOW THE BEST WAY TO RAISE THE SEAT IS IT POSSIBLE

It can be done with longer bolts and spacers, but if you're looking for a significant increase it will need care and not just a stack of penny washers under the bolt!

[spend]

I used thick blocks of plastic under the runners & longer bolts to adjust my seat to suit, as well as ensuring the load was spread better across the floor (and 2" washers underneath).

The only tricky bit was the front mounts which are off set - so you need 2 bolts for each mount. Then trim the bolts so that they dont ground out

Dave

[Gaffer]

TVR produced a kit for the Far East, basically its 2 metal square tubes that fit under the runners and then bolted onto the floor whith the runners then bolted onto them so you can still move the seat (I have this, I dont have the seat right forward or upright either and I am 5 foot 4).

Speak to Power and see if they can locate a kit, if not - bodge it

Claire

[v8sag]

Just my opinion
The load isn't spread anyway due to the front mounts being higher,sure some wider spacers may help,but using inch and a half washers as packers is'nt going to worsen whats already there.
I'd try adjusting the rear mounts first and see how you go.Existing bolts are m8 x 40mm.

[E2DJH]

Gaffer said:

TVR produced a kit for the Far East, basically its 2 metal square tubes that fit under the runners and then bolted onto the floor whith the runners then bolted onto them so you can still move the seat (I have this, I dont have the seat right forward or upright either and I am 5 foot 4).

Speak to Power and see if they can locate a kit, if not - bodge it

Claire

I just bought one of these from Racing Green to replace a broken one. Less than £10 each!

[GreenV8S]

v8sag said:

using inch and a half washers as packers is'nt going to worsen whats already there.

Putting packing under the seat increasers the bending moment on the bolts. Since a stack of washers has relatively little shear strength it will allow the bolt to lean. This will allow the seat to move but also put offset loads into the floor increasing the danger that this weak point will fail allowing the seat to come loose. Ideally you would fit reinforced mounts under the floor, and there are various places that have done this now. Failing that you could make a rigid subframe, slightly complicated by the awkward shape of the floor. Failing that you could use solid spacers big enough to spread the load and resist the bending moments without flexing the floor. Or you could just use a stack of penny washers and hope for the best.

[spend]

Having fed a stack of washers upside down whilst trying to keep all 4 on and the bolts into position, I would advise you have the telephone number of a surgeon who is expert at replacing fingers A single block spacer..whatever is much easier to install than a stack of washers.

Dave

[PYNEY]

thankyou for all your input atleast it can be done ! when i've lost all my fingers doing it i won't be able to drive lol

[GreenV8S]

spend said:

Having fed a stack of washers upside down whilst trying to keep all 4 on and the bolts into position, I would advise you have the telephone number of a surgeon who is expert at replacing fingers A single block spacer..whatever is much easier to install than a stack of washers.

Dave

Um :taps dave on shoulder: rubber band on each bolt to hold the washers in place while you get it all lined up?

Still don't like the sound of washers though if you're going for more than half an inch or so, and for half an inch what's the point?

[spend]

GreenV8S said:

Um :taps dave on shoulder: rubber band on each bolt to hold the washers in place while you get it all lined up?

Not being an employee & having a luxurious stationary cupboard to rob... the only rubber bands I seem to touch explode into a million pieces at the merest hint of Hooke

Dave

But more seriously the runners and the floor pan are probably not parallel, if you prefer the seat to be raked you need it higher at the front. I don't think this is geometrically possible with washers (you just tighten and pre-stress one side of the FG)

Edited by spend on Friday 14th September 17:59

[siobe]

Also make sure the seat base has not sagged down to the floor before you jack up a seat that should be repaired first. My wife is small and only 5'tall. Adjusted up the pedals, all 3, fixed the seat base back to where it was intended, and now I have to share the car. Kim.

[nikman]

PYNEY said:

ANYBODY KNOW THE BEST WAY TO RAISE THE SEAT IS IT POSSIBLE

Yes it's possible - my passenger seat is now about 1.5 inches higher so that passengers, errrrm, less tall than me can see out ABOVE the wipers rather than between them and the windscreen bottom seal It was a very simple job - no lost fingers, no washers and certainly no elastic bands!! Just one call to Fernies (who have done the job countless times aparently) and it was all done in half an hour while I enjoyed a pint at the Red Lion round the corner.

By the way, where in Herts are you Keith? You're more than welcome to have a sit in mine (passenger side only) to see the difference. Nick.