1995 Chimaera drivers seat problem
Discussion
Help needed !!
I have a 1995 400 Chimaera and my good lady has short legs. With the seat fully forward she still struggles to reach the pedals. The garage has looked at it and said the pedal box is NOT adjustable and they cant move the seat forward because of fixing issues. has any one out there had the drivers seat out and identified a way to bring it forward an inch or 2 ???
Many Thanks
Mike
I have a 1995 400 Chimaera and my good lady has short legs. With the seat fully forward she still struggles to reach the pedals. The garage has looked at it and said the pedal box is NOT adjustable and they cant move the seat forward because of fixing issues. has any one out there had the drivers seat out and identified a way to bring it forward an inch or 2 ???
Many Thanks
Mike
the pedals (not the box) are adjustable - at least they are in my '95 Chim. Have a look behind the pedal face - you should see knurled nuts that adjust the pedals. My missus also is VERY short, and couldn't reach the pedals with the seat right forward, when I first got the car.
Adjusted the pedals - missus reached the pedals, pressed the loud pedal, frightened herself to death and has declined to drive it ever since.
Nutsytvr
Adjusted the pedals - missus reached the pedals, pressed the loud pedal, frightened herself to death and has declined to drive it ever since.
Nutsytvr
As last poster says, pedals are on threaded rods through pendant arms.
So, you can turn pedals having slackened off locknut (17 or 15 mm IIRC) and see if that provides enough adjustment for the missus. Don't forget to tighten locknut afterwards!
Leven used to make even longer threaded pedals - all in stainless - which look very fetching! These would certainly provide enough reach for even the shortest legged person.
Might be worth a call to the new folks at Leven Tech?
Nick
So, you can turn pedals having slackened off locknut (17 or 15 mm IIRC) and see if that provides enough adjustment for the missus. Don't forget to tighten locknut afterwards!
Leven used to make even longer threaded pedals - all in stainless - which look very fetching! These would certainly provide enough reach for even the shortest legged person.
Might be worth a call to the new folks at Leven Tech?
Nick
Good point I'm 5"7 and its fine for me, however It was a joint purchase (weekend summer car) I could not get in and out of the Lotus Elise S1 with the roof on and it was a bit girly, so talked the misses into trading it in for a CHIM. She finds it a bit of a handful and is pushing to change it so need to make it drivable for her (Not that she will drive it often) but its hers too ! Dont want to sell it as i think its FAB !!!!
Cheers
Cheers
I am 5'5" and have had a great deal of fun with this.
I have the Leven pedals fitted, which has always suited me well.
Last winter, for reasons I won't bore you with, I took out my seats and carpets.
I swapped the drivers and passenger seats around, and raised the drivers seat so I could get a better view of the bonnet.
Mistake. Ended up smacking my head on the roof far too often getting in and out of the car, and have now lowered the seat back to the floor. However, the better quality of the cushion on this side means that I still have a better position than before. If you want to swap the seats over its very easy but the drivers (in mine) had an extra box section on the front that needed swapping over.
Since the seats are simply bolted to the floor, I can see no reason why new holes could not be drilled and the older filled - as long as they were not so close to each other that a weak point was made in the shell.
As an aside, when I did this I cut some steel plates to sit underneath the car between the bolts in order to distribute the forces transmitted in the event of a crash.
That's my pennies-worth.
Good luck,
Rich
I have the Leven pedals fitted, which has always suited me well.
Last winter, for reasons I won't bore you with, I took out my seats and carpets.
I swapped the drivers and passenger seats around, and raised the drivers seat so I could get a better view of the bonnet.
Mistake. Ended up smacking my head on the roof far too often getting in and out of the car, and have now lowered the seat back to the floor. However, the better quality of the cushion on this side means that I still have a better position than before. If you want to swap the seats over its very easy but the drivers (in mine) had an extra box section on the front that needed swapping over.
Since the seats are simply bolted to the floor, I can see no reason why new holes could not be drilled and the older filled - as long as they were not so close to each other that a weak point was made in the shell.
As an aside, when I did this I cut some steel plates to sit underneath the car between the bolts in order to distribute the forces transmitted in the event of a crash.
That's my pennies-worth.
Good luck,
Rich
Edited by rickprice on Tuesday 25th January 21:09
The drivers seat runners can be un-bolted from the chair and moved forward 
they have 2 sets of holes/positions(tall person,shorter person) 
so no drilling the body either 
obviously involving removing seat from car but apart from a 13mm socket and spanner that's all you need.
they have 2 sets of holes/positions(tall person,shorter person) so no drilling the body either obviously involving removing seat from car but apart from a 13mm socket and spanner that's all you need.Edited by Simon says on Wednesday 26th January 12:21
Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff