Question:

Would it be possible to grind down .5 of an inch off of the floor pan "bars that support the seats?

The reason I aks is that I am 6'2" and my line of site is about 60% of the top of the windshield. IE it is very difficult to drive with the top up.

I would like to grind it down .5 of an inch, refill and than build a small steel brace that also moves the posts back about 1.5". So lower and move back. I just didn't know if these had any structural implications. I could always reinforce, but that .5" will give me enough room to comfortably drive with the top up.

Any ideas? Could I go a full inch? I know there is a curve to the floorpan, but I measured it out and the seat will still go back and forward all the way if I lower it. Plus the seat is always all theway back anyway because of my height.

James

 

im not 100% clear on what you're asking... but as long as you make the seat supports strong enough to hold the seat there in a crash, its good.


the seat support isnt a structual part of the car.... well not directly, in a unibody, everything on the floorpan is stressed, so im sure it has some effect, but nothing too bad.

if you have SFCs, its braced under that area anyway...





as for waht bars you mean... i donno what you're talking about. our seats bolt down directly to the floor pan thru these studs that stick thru. matter of fact, my passenger seat is out of the car right now.(long story)... all thats there are the studs to mount it on.

if you want to change the height, you would have to modify the seat brackets, not the floorpan.




but i would just slide the seat back, and if needed, tip it back more. im 6' 1" and i have no probs..... matter of fact, i lean upward to block the sun with the top of the windshield piece (no need for the sunvisor, hehe) but if i sit bolt upright close to the steering wheel, its not too comfy...

a friend of mine is also 6'4" (and hes only 17 )... he fits in his vert fine too...

 

My problem is I am taller in my torso, not my legs as far as that goes, but your seats, if you removed your carpet, should be on supports. I will try to find the pic of what I mean that I can post that. I am going with SFC's, and I planned on welding a nice support for it as well.

Edit:

Here's the pic



Sorry, never have attached an image before... For some reason it wont bring up the image, just the link, but if you click the link you will see what I mean

 

ahhhhh... gotcha.


if you did do it, id have subframe connectors on JIC anyway......

if it really worried you, you could always add bracing even if all it did is make you feel better about it.

if you dont mind just dropping the seats and not moving them back, you could just make 2 cuts straight down on each side of the stud, (for each stud) and take out the metal, then have the seat sit on the floorpan, so that the seat rail mounting tabs are on the floor.... just tac weld the stud thru the floor.....

 

Well, I am moving them back about 1.5" as well. Just when I was measuring and things getting ready to make some kind of brace that could be welded in I noticed that it looks like it was just welded on and not really part of the structure, but I wanted to make sure. Last thing I want to do is go cut my car in half

So I think I should be able to drop, fill, move back and weld. I am getting a set of Alston SFC's. So that shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the info I will make sure to take pictures as I go along.

 

Get a different seat.

 

lol It is on the track that is the issue and how the seats sit, so a "different" seat isn't going to really do much. As it is I already have 4th gen leather and they go back about 2" more than the stock seats did

 

that wont help


all the aftermarket seats are taller... unless you cut everythign down... and if es doing that, he should keep the 4thgen ones anyway.



the cavvy and sunfire seats sit a lil higher, and arnt as comfy as the 4thgen TA seats

hes on the right track if he has to move em....

 

I like the 4th gen leather seats. I am having them completely recovered though.

 

I disagree. I sat lower in my 85TA than I do in my 86, the 85 had factory Recaros. I attribute that to a MUCH thinner seat cushion.

 

thinking about it... you're right.


but thats the only seat thats significantly lower..... and really hard to find.

 

Not sure if it would affect anything... I am almost 6'5" and my seat is just reclined back and I have no problem driving with the top up, although I have to have my back seats folded down for fear of bending the seat being leaned back so far!! When I get my 4th gen ones I am going to see about extra supports!! Good Luck with what you are trying to do!!

 

Topless91RS
Mine actually did break with my 3rg gen seats. I had to use the back seat to "prop" up the front seat so that I could actually drive. Wasn't fun. No problem with that with the 4th gen seats.

Also I do have my seats at a slant, but than I am just at fingers length to drive, I don't like driving like that. That is why I wanted to lower the rails, than remount the seat. That way I get the drop without having to do the lean back, but even after the drop, I still do the lean back. I will have a LOT of room than. That's the idea anyway

 

i was driving one of my previous 3rdgens one time, and a buddy was sleeping in the pass seat with it leaned back like that..

i hit a unseen pothole, and the bounce make the seat snap. it fell backwards, stopping only because of the back seat.

kinda scary to think what would happen if that happened to the driver...

 

Try having rearranging yourself on a long drive and the backseat that was propping you up fall down and you go with it

Now that's scary lol

 

luckily mine hasn't broke yet but I won't have to worry about it soon!! Didn't think about the arm legth, I have no problems with that so I guess thats why I can do it!!

Yeah moving while driving and having the seat fall would suck!!

 

I'm 6'5" and have the same problem. I drive with the seat reclined quite a bit. I've thought about doing 4th gen seats, but never knew if they would be any different - good to know I could get 2 extra inches of room! Something I just did last week was put on a 13.5" Grant steering wheel - more leg room!

 

I have the grant Steering wheel as well, and your right makes a difference. I am also installing a tilt column so I get a bit more.