Seat removal

[Specky]

I've gotta a slight problem when it comes to removing the seats...

Heavy corrosion...

The spacers have heavy exfoliation corrosion which is causing each bolt to seize inturn and when it eventually releases.... it strips its own thread...

I'm awaiting a replacement nut splitter for the outboards, but the inboards are now the issue...

I need room to work... How are the front of seat attached to the rails..(Rears undone)

Or is there away to remove the seats from the rails in situ

I know it's gonna be hard, but is there a way forward...

TTFN

[RayD]

I’ve just had a look at mine Dave,

At the front, the ‘slider to seat frame brackets’ appear to be riveted on... but I wonder if the idea of the rear ones being detachable allows you to slide the seat off the rails at the front by unlocking the adjusting bar and moving the seat forward.

While you’re on...looking under the car at the inner fixings...are they captivated square nuts?

I’m surprised you need a nut splitter for the outer ones, what’s happened to the nuts?

Ray

[Monty]

Dave, there`s some photo`s here viewtopic.php?f=72&t=8986&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=20

Thats when i removed the runners so i could fit them to the bucket seats, I did drill out the rivets where the rails attach to the front brackets but IIRC the bracket is just bolted on but will be tight for space with the seat in position.

[Specky]

I’ve just had a look at mine Dave,

At the front, the ‘slider to seat frame brackets’ appear to be riveted on... but I wonder if the idea of the rear ones being detachable allows you to slide the seat off the rails at the front by unlocking the adjusting bar and moving the seat forward.

While you’re on...looking under the car at the inner fixings...are they captivated square nuts?

I’m surprised you need a nut splitter for the outer ones, what’s happened to the nuts?

Ray

The inboard are captive

My outboard nuts are seized... 300nm torque wrench won't move em.. more than that it strips the thread... Then you're buggered cos you can't get the nut off

This has also happened on the inboards... So I now need access to the top of the nut for plan B

About sliding off the front, I'll have a go in a few days...

Monty.. I'm gonna start reading...

TTFN

[Specky]

Bloody eck Monty....

That's gonna be nails in situ..

Are the brackets on the front left and right bolted to the seat base?

I wonder if I can squeze in a rat ring...

TTFN

[inkitin]

Bloody eck Monty....

That's gonna be nails in situ..

Are the brackets on the front left and right bolted to the seat base?

I wonder if I can squeze in a rat ring...

TTFN

Specky

If you look at Ray's first photograph, where he has shown the rivet in the bracket. Follow the line of that bracket to the left away from the rivet and it turns upwards towards the seat base. The other end of that bracket is bolted sideways to the metal seat base frame. In Ray's photograph you can't see the bolt head because it's just above the rubber seat diaphragm behind the first clip. This is an absolute sod to get to, even with the seat off and upside-down. The reason is that the diaphragm tension is so tight that the diaphragm won't move.

The only way we managed to get to the bolt was to release the clips and push the diaphragm aside and even then the seat foam had to be pushed aside as well and this wasn't exactly easy even with the seat out of the car. To get at this bolt with the seat in the car I think you might have to cut the rubber diaphragm away !! unless you can release those clips which are under extreme tension and are a bent hook shape.

If they are the original diaphragms I would cut the diaphragm away anyway and replace with new ones when you reassemble the seat. The new ones will improve the seat no end and they only cost £11 each from the aftersales list.

Good luck and if I can be of any further help just shout.

Roland

[Monty]

Dave,

What Roland describes seems to trigger the few brains cells i have left yep thats going to be difficult

The outboard bolts i would just grind off then you can just knock the bolt out, but keep squirty bottle off water and a soaked rag so you can cool it down.

Are you saying the Inner bolts are just spinning?

[inkitin]

Dave,

What Roland describes seems to trigger the few brains cells i have left yep thats going to be difficult

Monty, you're comment above has just stirred my one remaining brain cell into life

An alternative way and I think possibly a much easier way, for Specky to get at that bolt might be as follows:

1. Get somebody to sit in the seat whilst working on it. (The heavier the person, the better, seriously!) This will ease the tension on the sides of the seat cover.
2. Release the edges of the leather seat cover from the channel/groove that the cover edges are held in. Do this for the front of the seat and the two sides. The side against the centre tunnel will be the most difficult to work on. I don't think releasing the seat cover at the rear is necessary for this.
3. Gently ease the front of the seat cover and foam forwards and upwards and off the seat frame. I say gently because part of the seat frame sits within the foam side bolsters and could rip the foam, if done too roughly.

This should then, I think, allow just enough access under the foam to reach in and undo the bolt, which from this side will be above the diaphragm.

I haven't tried it this way but I think it should work OK.

Roland

[Specky]

Monty...

I Can confirm the inner ones are spinning as well... (only on the right seat because I keep soaking the left )

To work on the front inboard bolt the seat is in the way...

i'll get there, it's just a question of time...

TTFN

[Monty]

Monty...

I Can confirm the inner ones are spinning as well... (only on the right seat because I keep soaking the left )

To work on the front inboard bolt the seat is in the way...

i'll get there, it's just a question of time...

TTFN

Dave, are you sure the bolt hasn`t snapped? Try lifting the bolt head with a flat screw dirver. Just that i would off thought the bolt would off snapped 1st before it stripped the thread, i`ve had this happen few times on the Elan ie when fitting the rear brace bar

Anyways, good luck with removing the seat

[RayD]

One way to overcome the bolt spinning... unless as Jay says it’s broken off.

Tap a screwdriver or two down the sides of the captivated nut to hold it in position and lessen the chances of it turning.

Put a slightly smaller diameter bolt thro the hole in box section, hold in place with a jack.

Apply a small amount of upward pressure and turn at the same time.

Ray

[Specky]

No it's not sheared..

The captive nuts are in a box section.. so I was gonna remove the seat and drill the bolt out and tap out the remain bolt...

I'll hopefully tackle this job in a few weeks when I have the time...

I did try a lever technique under the runner.... no joy...

TTFN

[RayD]

From the way you described it Dave, I’d assumed the threads were stripped inside the captive nut.

If this is the case the above idea would have been quicker and easier than removing the seat and trying to drill down the length of the bolt from the inside of the car.

If the bolt’s spinning freely now, it’ll continue spinning while you’re trying to drill it.

If I’ve misunderstood what you’re saying, and the bolt and nut are still firmly attached to each other with the captive nut is spinning inside the box section then you only need to drill through the sides of the captive nut. Or...drill the bolt out from underneath while holding it from the top.

Ray

[surfboardfiller]

Heres my solution:

Cut through the nylon spacer/s and the bolt/s with a cutting disc on a hand grinder.
Remove the seat.

Separate the tub from the chassis so we can re glass it and fit new outrigger/s.

Cut the top of the chassis - inboard seat bracket.

Replace the dodgy nut.

Weld a plate over the nice new nut (with a hole in it for the bolt).

Check out the rest of the chassis.

Get the tub resprayed.

Begin rebuild!

[Specky]

One way to overcome the bolt spinning... unless as Jay says it’s broken off.

Tap a screwdriver or two down the sides of the captivated nut to hold it in position and lessen the chances of it turning.

Put a slightly smaller diameter bolt thro the hole in box section, hold in place with a jack.

Apply a small amount of upward pressure and turn at the same time.

Ray

After revisiting this today I have the Drivers seat out...

It turned out the inboard bolts weren't stripped the captive nuts were spining in their retainers... So the screwdriver technique worked...

I still had to remove the seat from the runners to access the forward inboard bolt because it had began to round...

and the nut splitter removed the outboard nuts...They had stripped in situ

The drawing you did would work perfectly for a stripped thread in the chassis..

So tommorrow is a full day on the project car...

Cheers again

TTFN

[RayD]

Thank you for that Dave,

I still think there may be some mileage in....

...I wonder if the idea of the rear ones being detachable allows you to slide the seat off the rails at the front by unlocking the adjusting bar and moving the seat forward.

The reason for me sticking with this is... I vaguely remember it applying to another car in the past, and I can imagine them being put together in that sequence in the factory.

It might not apply in the Lotus due to the lack of forward movement but it’s worth a try before you drill the rivets out.

Ray


Edit...When I first read your post I thought it said

I still have to remove the seat from the runners to access the forward inboard bolt because it had begun to round...

While you’re doing you might be able to solve the mystery as to whether it is possible to detach the top slide from the bottom just by removing the back two bolts.

[Specky]

I'll have a look tomorrow...

and see what becomes apparent...

My edit to your edit...

I undid the rear bolts, tilted the seat forward which gave me limited access to the front seat to rail bolt...(After removing a few seat base clips)

Once the seat was out I could access the inboard forward rounded nut...

TTFN