What's the secret to removing the front seats?? - Page 2

CHILI · CHILI's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Moses
Mine were 10mm bolts. Super PIA. Next time I pull the seats, Allens are going in.

That's what I did (great minds think alike!). Plus, they are black. The bolts I removed were silver.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Funny, but I have removed the passenger seat on my '82, don't remember it being dificult. I used either a 3/8 drive wobble or straight, no big deal. (??)

pwd72s · 06:21 PM

Snap-on makes some great shallow sockets. If you need only one? How $pendy can it be? Probably at least triple the Sears price, IF Sears made the tool.

A few pieces of my tool collection are snap-on. Accumulated because they were the only one who made the tool I needed. Like a 4" long 3/8" drive extension..

howie944 · 12-17-2003, 10:52 PM

Yep that ol 4" 3/8 drive extension is the ticket on plug #1 if you don't have the factory tool. Also the round ratchet is great after ya break the plug loose. Watched my guru use the old bakelite one from snap on to pull the plug ..out in no time. New ones are steel.

no substitute · 12-17-2003, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by speeder
Funny, but I have removed the passenger seat on my '82, don't remember it being dificult. I used either a 3/8 drive wobble or straight, no big deal. (??)

Same here, I have the hex head bolts, and it was a piece of cake. There are small head 3/8" ratchets, which do help in tight places.

Hugh R · 12-20-2003, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BGCarrera32
Get behind the seat when its all the way forward and give it a good solid kick to gain some clearance.

This suggestion was right on.

I pulled my seats today to clean the runners (they have been sticking all the time). The "trick" is to remove the front bolts or allen heads (I had allens) slide the seat all the way forward, have someone hold the seat forward/back adjust lever up and from behind push the seat beyond its stop, then you have clear access to the back bolts. Pull the seats out, take the runners off, clean them in a solvent parts cleaning tank, put new lithium grease on the runners and the roller bearings and reinstall. The front bolts act as a forward stop, so put the rears bolts in tight first, you won't be able to get to them again once the front bolts are in, make sure the front holes of the runners are aligned in generally the right area, and then completely tighten the back bolts, then push the seat back and install the front bolts. Seats now move much, much better. While your in there, vacuum everything that you can't get at with the seat in. While I was in there, I also pulled and opened up the DME to get the chip number for Steve W, so we can figure out which of his chips may best suit my car.

vash · vash's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by pwd72s
Snap-on makes some great shallow sockets. If you need only one? How $pendy can it be? Probably at least triple the Sears price, IF Sears made the tool. A few pieces of my tool collection are snap-on. Accumulated because they were the only one who made the tool I needed. Like a 4" long 3/8" drive extension..

i think sears now carry shallow sockets. but i think the sears variation is on a flex head.

KTL · 12-20-2003, 07:36 PM

I don't know when the switch was made from hex to allen/cheese head, but I have seen the hex heads on an SC of a fella to whom I sold my original non-sport partial leather seats out of my 87. I do know that the screws changed from M6 to M8 screws in 1985. Anybody working on taking out his seats would be wise to switch to allen head screws. Much easier to get a hex key under there than a socket wrench!

Something to keep in mind about allen head screws............

The screws for the seats are "low head" screws- regardless of whether they be allen head or hex head screws. Head height doesn't matter for the front screws (at least not on my seats which use a washer with a turned-up tab on it to limit forward movement), but standard head screws in the rear will limit rearward movement when the seat rail contacts the head of the screw.

Low head look like these:

autobonrun · autobonrun's Garage

There was not enough clearance for a ratchet and socket to fit under the rear of my seat either. I bought a set of the hex inserts from Sears, and used a wrench to remove. As the others stated, go back with hex type bolts. I've used these inserts in other tight spots several times since.