Friday lunchtime query - what size seat bolts?

[Stuart McGill]

Just to save an extra journey and some time can anybody tell me what diameter bolts I need to fit through the rails on some leather s type seats I am just about to fit please? (They are out of a 2001 car is that makes a difference)

 

I’ll take a gamble on the length but it’s the size of the head that is important so it fits inside the rail if you see what I mean.

 

Tips on the length would be appreciated too....!

 

Thanks.

 

 

Stuart

[alan c]

Stuart

Its nearly a year since I changed my seats but I think I tried with M8 bolts in the hope that the rear ones, which are hard to reach, would jam in the seat rail such that I only needed access from below to undo etc. In the end this didnt work and I used cap head bolts of the same (M8?) size instead.

Build manual says use item no 1 from fastener pack ZSE03 - if you can find detail of that on the CC website thats definately what you need.

Hope these ramblings help.

Alan

[Richard Price]

Stuart,

I'll confirm waht Alan says.

They are M8.

If you use M8x20 hex head screws, you can weld them into the seat runners, then fitting and removing the seats becomes much easier. I can geat my seats out and back in again in 5 minutes, working on my own.

You know someone who can help you with this

[Stuart McGill]

Many thanks for this.

 

I'm going to go with Stu Fs suggestion of having a nut between the seat rail and floor (and tighten the bolt on itself) which will mean it will tighten without having to hold it from above....

 

Any tips on lengths? Again I am going withs Stus suggestion of having longer ones at the front so I can raise the front up. I was thinking about a 30 mm (ish) for the rear bolts and say 45/50mm (ish) for the rear. Does this sound about right?

 

(Bearing in mind there will be a nut between the bottom of the rail and the floor)

 

Stuart

[Richard Price]

Again I am going withs Stus suggestion of having longer ones at the front so I can raise the front up. I was thinking about a 30 mm (ish) for the rear bolts and say 45/50mm (ish) for the rear. Does this sound about right?

 

That sounds fine

 

 

 

Edited by - Richard Price on 5 Sep 2008 15:10:04

[Paul Richards]

Stuart

Unusual for me to disagree with Stu F. but I'm not keen on the idea of having the rails sitting on a nut between the floor. I'd much prefer to spread the weight of the floor across the length of the rails.

I found the best solution is to use cap head bolts or dome head bolts with allen key heads. This makes it much easier to tighten. You can get them from Brabbin and Rudd in Bolton.

[Stuart McGill]

Part of the reason for that suggestion was to help raise the front of the seats for a better seating position. I was planning on using some heavy duty (fat) washers above to spread the load.

 

What is an alternative for raising the seats?

 

Stuart

[SLR No.77]

Paul, it's only possible to spread the weight as you suggest by having the runner making contact all along it's length. Much more common in both s-type and Tillett installs to add some sort of spacer at the front to recline the seat a little more. Also, using an oversize heavy duty washer to lift the seat from the floor slightly will allow the sliding mechanism to work correctly and freely - pressure on the sliders is the most common reason why many seats are difficult to adjust

 

Stu.

 

---

Joint Area Representative MAD Sevens (Merseyside And District)

www.superse7ens.co.uk..........the rebuild 😬

 

 

[Paul Richards]

Stu

I was suggesting having the runner in contact with the floor along the full length to spread the load. This won't achieve a reclined seat, but in my mind it is a stronger solution especially when you're my size. I've never been too keen on having the seat mounted directly to the floor anyway, bearing in mind floor is secured by a few pop rivets and we know people have had problems with these. I preferred it when seats were attached to the chassis.

I'm doing some jobs on Sarah's car over the winter and one of the things I'd like to do is improve the seat adjustment, so I'll have a look at this. Obviously you've used this technique with no problems. Perhaps I'll make some large aluminium pads to spread the load or raise the front on a piece of light box section running across the car. This would spread the load and raise the seat, whilst keeping weight off the runners.

 

Paul Richards

Area Representative - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens)

LADS Website

Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional

[6speedmanual]

My tuppence worth.....

 

Agree nuts under the runners not good as they are too small to spread load on soft ali floor

 

Spacers of 1 1/2" dia (or 38mm) better. Hard plastic spacer washers are available from Tillet for this very purpose. They are MUCH lighter than a stack of steelies from B&Q.

 

Agree that distortion of the seat runners can make them hard to adjust, but I've found the most common reason for them not sliding is due to road grit and dust getting caught up in the sliders. To over come this, I've raised the runners 5mm off the floor using aforementioned spacers (grit now rolls around under the runners). Cleaned all the grease off the runners and lubed with a teflon based dry lubricant spray (Bike shops). WD40 no good as it dries out and stops lubricating.

 

On the passenger side (fixed runner aluminium square section) I've used button head allen bolts (in place of the cap head) as they give a much smoother profile on the bottom of the car floor. Plan to do this on driver's side too but have not yet got round to welding captive nuts into the adjustable runners.

 

P

 

 

 

6SpeedManual

*tongue*There's no such thing as too much BHP per Ton 😬