Fitting Sparco Seats!
- Thread starter 996dom
- Start date
random hero
New member
As fen said,you will also need to get the runners from some non electric seats ,i had some sparco seats for mine but they were just a bit too narrow and were a pain to line up with the factory floor holes.
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Peter Empson
PCGB Member
I bought sliding sub frames from Cobra for my drivers side.They weren't cheap for a few pieces of metal but it does work well, the only downside is that it's a bu**er to fit and keep completely square (obviously the picture here shows it twisted, just as it arrived in the box).
For me this gadget is invaluable, it only added a few mm to the height and means that my mechanics and myself can all drive it in comfort (I have quite short legs which doesn't help).
I suspect that this mount would fit other bucket seats but don't know for definite.
Best regards,
Peter
For me this gadget is invaluable, it only added a few mm to the height and means that my mechanics and myself can all drive it in comfort (I have quite short legs which doesn't help).
I suspect that this mount would fit other bucket seats but don't know for definite.
Best regards,
Peter
random hero
New member
I got my runners off some manual early 924 seats !!
I spent most of yesterday fighting with Cobra seat on Cobra fixed steel mountings and have pleasure in noting my comments:-
What a so'n'so! After the best part of a day I am still not 100% happy.
Because my body is more comparable with 21st Century man than the earlier "racing snake" physique that most "standard" racing seats are designed for, I had to get the wider "GT" model. The GT seat only just fits in my GT car with handbrake clearance on the brink of unacceptable.
After fighting the original seat out of the car I got to measuring. The runners were consistent in that none of the pre drilled holes fitted.
I fitted both runners to the seat and sorted the location and best compromise for holes. Once marked I removed the runners from the seat again and set about elongating the holes with a round file. I finally got the inside runner fitted after much filing. This is far from easy as the thickness of the steel is such that you need some play to avoid cross threading the bolts.
With the inside mounting fitted I then removed it, fitted it to the seat again and measured from to the outside mounting. The unloaded seat give a false impression suggesting the outside mounting would hit the original bolts at the back but kiss the edge of the floor fixing at the front. Again, much filing later and another trial fitment demonstrated the front mounting further over than I thought - it would have hit the runner for a full hole - just.
How would I do it now?
1. Remove existing seat
2. Fit mounts to new seat
3. Locate seat in desired position with you sitting in it and mark position of mountings on floor (use tape on the carpet).
4. Make template of existing car fixing holes relative to position of mountings as marked.
5. Transfer holes to underside of mountings and re drill - undrilled mountings would be far better than the mecano you get with the holes in just the wrong place.
6. Check mountings fit to floor fixings with some minimal play
7. Remove inside mounting.
8. Fix inside mounting to front of seat only - leave some play.
9. Fix outside mounting to car floor (should already be there)
9. Put seat in car and fix inside mounting to floor
10 Fix outside mounting to seat
11 Fix rear inside mounting to seat and tighten front mounting
Seat belts?
As the original seat belt mount is fixed to the seat runner, fixing to a steel seat mounting should be no worse. I've not got to that bit yet but that is my intention. It will most likely require a bracket welded to the mounting as there isn't sufficient clearance just to bolt through.
Further notes:
The original seats are surprisingly low and (as Fen noted elswhere) requires the new seat fixing almost as low as it will go - particularly if you need clearance to wear a helmet. This makes fitting more of a challenge than it would otherwise have been. Perhaps I sould have trial fitted it high on its mountings to assist fitting and dropped it subsequently.
Still, no-one said it would be easy.
What a so'n'so! After the best part of a day I am still not 100% happy.
Because my body is more comparable with 21st Century man than the earlier "racing snake" physique that most "standard" racing seats are designed for, I had to get the wider "GT" model. The GT seat only just fits in my GT car with handbrake clearance on the brink of unacceptable.
After fighting the original seat out of the car I got to measuring. The runners were consistent in that none of the pre drilled holes fitted.
I fitted both runners to the seat and sorted the location and best compromise for holes. Once marked I removed the runners from the seat again and set about elongating the holes with a round file. I finally got the inside runner fitted after much filing. This is far from easy as the thickness of the steel is such that you need some play to avoid cross threading the bolts.
With the inside mounting fitted I then removed it, fitted it to the seat again and measured from to the outside mounting. The unloaded seat give a false impression suggesting the outside mounting would hit the original bolts at the back but kiss the edge of the floor fixing at the front. Again, much filing later and another trial fitment demonstrated the front mounting further over than I thought - it would have hit the runner for a full hole - just.
How would I do it now?
1. Remove existing seat
2. Fit mounts to new seat
3. Locate seat in desired position with you sitting in it and mark position of mountings on floor (use tape on the carpet).
4. Make template of existing car fixing holes relative to position of mountings as marked.
5. Transfer holes to underside of mountings and re drill - undrilled mountings would be far better than the mecano you get with the holes in just the wrong place.
6. Check mountings fit to floor fixings with some minimal play
7. Remove inside mounting.
8. Fix inside mounting to front of seat only - leave some play.
9. Fix outside mounting to car floor (should already be there)
9. Put seat in car and fix inside mounting to floor
10 Fix outside mounting to seat
11 Fix rear inside mounting to seat and tighten front mounting
Seat belts?
As the original seat belt mount is fixed to the seat runner, fixing to a steel seat mounting should be no worse. I've not got to that bit yet but that is my intention. It will most likely require a bracket welded to the mounting as there isn't sufficient clearance just to bolt through.
Further notes:
The original seats are surprisingly low and (as Fen noted elswhere) requires the new seat fixing almost as low as it will go - particularly if you need clearance to wear a helmet. This makes fitting more of a challenge than it would otherwise have been. Perhaps I sould have trial fitted it high on its mountings to assist fitting and dropped it subsequently.
Still, no-one said it would be easy.
Neil Haughey
New member
Resurrection again. I found that Brey Krause in the USA make side mounts to fit various popular seats such as Sparco onto sparco runners and into our cars. Porscheshop sell these, their price though is not cheap.
http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9060.php
http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9060.php
I don't know how the prices compare shop wise but that is a lot of money relative to the manufacturers seat plates.
In honesty, as I did, you should be able to make the manufacturers base fit with nothing more advanced than a round file.
If you have a standard width seat you should have no problems at all. With a big bum seat you need to file out more of the bracket but I can't see that would be any different with the BK seat mounts. The advantage with the manufactures mounts is they will be steel (or aluminium) where as the BK ones are Stainless which is much less fun to file.
In honesty, as I did, you should be able to make the manufacturers base fit with nothing more advanced than a round file.
If you have a standard width seat you should have no problems at all. With a big bum seat you need to file out more of the bracket but I can't see that would be any different with the BK seat mounts. The advantage with the manufactures mounts is they will be steel (or aluminium) where as the BK ones are Stainless which is much less fun to file.
random hero
New member
The rails mounted onto the seat mounts no problem other than i had to drill an extra hole as they didnt quite line up.I couldnt get them to line up with the holes on the floor (only just) so i fitted the seat with the inner rail/mount and then bolted the outer rail/mount to the floor first them bolted it to the seat which went on no problem. Ive since changed my seats to recaro profi spa's which were lined up exactly to the original floor holes and fitted in just as easy as a normal seat !!
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