mick the builder
Well-Known Member
- Posts
- 5,901
- Location
- Sligo,Wild West of Ireland.
I've had the seats in for a while but always found it difficult to get to the battery so when I decided to replace the broken heating elements, I thought it would be a good time the rework the seat.
The sliders in the original base were grinding back and forth because of the plastic guides and rollers within the frame had broke.
I couldn't get replacements so decided to try and use the sliders on the original seats.
I started by drilling out the rivets that held the sliders on the rx8 seats and cutting off a small lip of metal bent down on the front of one of the rails.
I bolted down he original sliders to the seatbox and sat the rx8 seat on top to position it. I wanted to keep the centre seat so it was a bit awkward getting it right. It turned out I needed to weld to flat 3mm bars to the rx8 seat. One was 2 inches the other 2 1/2inches.
I then drilled and bolted this down in the existing holes in the rails.
As I wanted the seat base removable like the original, an engineer friend of mine gave me some 8mm threads with a 10mm shaft bolts which I cut the heads off and used these as positioning studs. I just had to drill the holes out to 11mm in the front seat brackets. I also strengthened the front but putting in a bit of threaded stud as support for the sides.
Now the base can be lifted out quick and easy to get to the battery compartment.
The sliders in the original base were grinding back and forth because of the plastic guides and rollers within the frame had broke.
I couldn't get replacements so decided to try and use the sliders on the original seats.I started by drilling out the rivets that held the sliders on the rx8 seats and cutting off a small lip of metal bent down on the front of one of the rails.
I bolted down he original sliders to the seatbox and sat the rx8 seat on top to position it. I wanted to keep the centre seat so it was a bit awkward getting it right. It turned out I needed to weld to flat 3mm bars to the rx8 seat. One was 2 inches the other 2 1/2inches.
I then drilled and bolted this down in the existing holes in the rails.
As I wanted the seat base removable like the original, an engineer friend of mine gave me some 8mm threads with a 10mm shaft bolts which I cut the heads off and used these as positioning studs. I just had to drill the holes out to 11mm in the front seat brackets. I also strengthened the front but putting in a bit of threaded stud as support for the sides.
Now the base can be lifted out quick and easy to get to the battery compartment.
