How much can i lower seat rails?

[gliding_serpent]

Finally geting the fuel lines out and seat rails shortened. The goal is one inch lower for use with aftermarket sliders with my race seats, while still allowing me to use my original seats now and then.

With the stock seats, in a 3.2, how much can you lower the seat rails without interferance with the seat (stock sliders) and transmission tunnel when the seat is set back? I knew this answer a year ago, but now i forget, and research here suggests 1 inch, but memory says 3/4 in the rear.

A memory jog would be appreceated.

[tdw28210]

I am seriously considering removing my seats rails from the tub, turning them over and swapping them from side to side. Based on the angle, I think I may pick up an inch or so of headroom. Trying to figure out why it won't work. Haven't thought of a reason yet, but I haven't started cutting the welds either.

[Quicksilver]

Seeing that you are using race seats there isn't really a point to lowering the rails. Race seats should be side mounts and it is no big deal mounting the seat below the seat rails. (I've got the bottom of my Cobra mounted about an inch lower than the rails.)

If your "race seats" are bottom mount...
That isn't a great idea. A bottom mount is loading the mounting points in tension and it is WAY easier to pull the mounts out of the composite. A side mount is mounted in shear which is MUCH better plus if it fails it is likely to tear along through the composite making a slot instead of pulling free.

[ChrisBennet]

My car is in storage so I can't post a picture, but I made a bracket that bolts to the bottom of and hangs below, the stock "platform". My sliders bolt to that and my seat brackets (custom made for my Cobra seats, side mount). The end result is a race seat I can slide forward & back and if I ever want to go back to stock seats I can just unbolt the "mounts from underneath" bracket and it's back to the way it came from the factory.

[gliding_serpent]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Seeing that you are using race seats there isn't really a point to lowering the rails. Race seats should be side mounts and it is no big deal mounting the seat below the seat rails. (I've got the bottom of my Cobra mounted about an inch lower than the rails.)

If your "race seats" are bottom mount...
That isn't a great idea. A bottom mount is loading the mounting points in tension and it is WAY easier to pull the mounts out of the composite. A side mount is mounted in shear which is MUCH better plus if it fails it is likely to tear along through the composite making a slot instead of pulling free.

You are correct, except that my side mount seats don't fit between the rails. That was the first thing i checked. I like to avoid headache whenever possible. I need to cut the rails to achieve my goals.

How did you make it work? If i remember correctly, narrowing the rails to make my seat fit between them compromised the holes for the oem sliders.