Seat installation

magnuskgc · 04-12-2010, 04:56 PM

OK so this is probably the most basic question and I feel kinds dumb even asking.

it's almost time to put my interior back in... I was thinking today and I wonder if I am missing parts. The seats (which are power) have the sliders attached and I assumed that I can just put them in place and bolt right in... but it doesn't look like there is a threaded hole in the mount attached to the floor.. am I an idiot or am I missing parts?

Here is the picture (sorry it is not the best) of the floor mount.

87coupe · 87coupe's Garage

When you removed them you probably missed the plate that the screws thread in to. It is likely now sitting beneath the rails.

magnuskgc · 04-12-2010, 06:31 PM

unfortunately I did not remove the seats... they were removed by the PO so.. who knows where they are... anybody got a picture? Is it just threaded plate?

Oh Haha · 04-12-2010, 07:05 PM

Mine had small nuts tacked to the mount.

Don't sweat it, though. Just pick up some nuts and washers to secure the seats.
Now would be a great time to convert to socket head bolts, btw. Sorry, I don't recall the exact dimensions at this time but you can get them at most hardware stores.

Oh, and you might want to consider cleaning the area before putting the seats back in.

magnuskgc · 04-12-2010, 07:21 PM

you are right I should upgrade since I have to get new hardware anyway.... were the nuts tacked from underneath??? If so man I would love to know that welder

Oh Haha · 04-12-2010, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnuskgc

you are right I should upgrade since I have to get new hardware anyway.... were the nuts tacked from underneath??? If so man I would love to know that welder

Mine were but I cannot confirm that it was that way from the factory althoughmy seats were original.

There is supposed to be a steel plate with a nut in the center that goes into the seat rail. I checked the archives as well as the Pelican catalog but cannot find pic for you.

I believe they are only used for the front mounting location.

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

The picture below is what you are missing. This threaded plate is for the front mount location, the rear plates on my '88 Carrera are a little longer and have 3 bolt holes. The bolt in the picture is not OEM. The factory bolt has a flatter hex head and is prone to stripping out. If you stay with the factory style bolts, buy new ones and save yourself the headache. Drilling out a stripped bolt is a PITA...ask me how I know! I think the flat factory style bolt is used so the seat does not hit the bolt when adjusting. I have a roll bar installed so seat adjustment is limited and is not an issue. IIRC I don't think you can use a socket head bolt as the bolt is between the flanges of the seat rail.

This is what our host has listed for the plates:

Pelican Parts - Seat Mount Threaded Plates

magnuskgc · 04-13-2010, 06:25 AM

great..... that looks like what I will need. So it looks as if our host says that 8 are required.... I assume that is 4 per seat, but am I wrong?

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

4 per seat is correct.... That's alot of $$$ for 8 pieces of theaded steel

magnuskgc · 04-13-2010, 06:51 AM

yup...but what are you gonna do right?

chris.817 · chris.817's Garage

For that kind of money, buy a nice tap and die set and make your own...

zippy_gg · zippy_gg's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by aj88cab

The picture below is what you are missing. This threaded plate is for the front mount location, the rear plates on my '88 Carrera are a little longer and have 3 bolt holes. The bolt in the picture is not OEM. The factory bolt has a flatter hex head and is prone to stripping out. If you stay with the factory style bolts, buy new ones and save yourself the headache. Drilling out a stripped bolt is a PITA...ask me how I know! I think the flat factory style bolt is used so the seat does not hit the bolt when adjusting. I have a roll bar installed so seat adjustment is limited and is not an issue. IIRC I don't think you can use a socket head bolt as the bolt is between the flanges of the seat rail.

What kind of bolts did you use as a replacement? I had to drill out 2 of them... and I am not done yet with the first seat.

The original bolt head do strip easy.

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

I used the type bolt in the photo above, M6x15 (or 20) hex head. Check to make sure there is no interference with the movement of the rails if you want the full adjustment range with this type bolt.

The pelican link for the OEM bolt appears to be:

Pelican Parts - Product Information: OEM-90007505703

But a call to confirm would probably be smart.

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

For the OEM bolts I bought a 1/4" hex wrench, shortened the leg to fit under the seats, and ground it down for a very tight fit to minimize stripping the bolt head.

chris.817 · chris.817's Garage

I used the above pictured bolts. On an '87 there is not clearance issue with the slides and much more bolt head for the allen wrench to bite.

dshepp806 · dshepp806's Garage

For those that encountered or (as in my case=stripped) one of these seat bolts,..has anyone had success in dremmeling a slot to make use of an offset screwdriver?

How do you guys "drill" it out, as the seat is "in-place"?

Thanks,

Doyle

aj88cab · aj88cab's Garage

Raise the seat and you kind of have to go at it an angle and be careful not to rip the seat. If there is a silver lining, the stripped out hex head helps hold the drill. I only had one front bolt to drill out. The backs would be a different story.

jrumiano · jrumiano's Garage

How about posting a WTB for those seat plates in the for sale section? I'm sure someone has some laying around.

magnuskgc · 04-13-2010, 05:56 PM

that is a good idea jrumiano, I am going to Hershey next week but if I can not come up with any there I may just do that when the times comes.
I am just about ready for paint and will be moving to the interior after that... so I have a little time.

vytenis · 04-13-2010, 06:39 PM

I too have (almost) stripped these bolts. Then I discovered (and subsequently found on a post here) that if you move the seat all the way back, and remove the front bolts with stops that limit the forward travel, you can slide the seat farther forward allowing access to the rear bolts. Assembly is kind of the reverse. I installed front bolts without stops first. Installed rear bolts and then slid backward to install front bolts with stops. Much more fun on passenger side with the spacers. Use an Allen wrench in a socket instead of the L shaped Allen wrench for less chance of stripping.