replacing front seats (problem with runners)

Scorpio.72 · Dec 2, 2008

Hey All,

I have bought a replacement set of front and rear seats for my car ('82 944) and so far so good but i've ran into a problem...

The back seats were a breeze to install, took about 20 minutes (including coffee breaks! lol) BUT... im having a problem with the front seats. The passenger side freely moves on the runners and i can get to the front 2 and rear 2 bolts holding down the runners, not a problem... However, the drivers seat wont slide forward enough to reach the 2 rear bolts holding the runners, grrrr!!!! [

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Anyone have any ideas how to get around this or do i use the 'brute force' approach by ripping out the old drivers seat bit by bit (removing the cloth cover and underpadding until i can see through the seat) so i can install the new one?

Cheers!

Fen · Dec 2, 2008

It must be jammed on the runners; it should go far enough forward to get to the screws just like the passenger side did. Can you see any reason why it can't slide all the way forward?

944 man · Dec 2, 2008

Are these series two seats? If so did you get the cap headed fasteners too?

pauljmcnulty · Dec 2, 2008

However, the drivers seat wont slide forward enough to reach the 2 rear bolts holding the runners, grrrr!!!!

I'd bet there's a £1 coin in there.....[

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Scorpio.72 · Dec 2, 2008

It must be jammed on the runners; it should go far enough forward to get to the screws just like the passenger side did. Can you see any reason why it can't slide all the way forward?

@Fen - No, thats the strange thing, it wont slide forward enough. I cant see under the seat to check.

Are these series two seats? If so did you get the cap headed fasteners too?

@944man - Ummm, they are half cloth/leather'ish pinstrip seats if that helps at all! (soz, im not very techie with cars, but ask me anything about internet software development and im your man! [

] lol)

I'd bet there's a £1 coin in there.....

@Paul - ...good point, i will check this (if i can work out how to see underneath the seat, there's only about 1/2 inch clearance between the floor and seat), the obvious is always overlooked.

As always guys, cheers for your help, i'll let you know what i find out [

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peanut · Dec 2, 2008

ORIGINAL: Scorpio.72

As always guys, cheers for your help, i'll let you know what i find out []

whereabouts are you Jeff
I'll help sort your seats if you help me with getting a mouse-over image feature on my webpage lol[

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944 man · Dec 2, 2008

The simplest ways to tell are: two mounting holes per side at the rear and electric drivers controls. The cap head bolts are FAR superior to the soft cheap M6 bolts used on the early cars...

Scorpio.72 · Dec 2, 2008

@peanut - ...sure, no problems. At long last, something i can actually help with on this forum! lol I'm not sure if i can post my email, so i wont yet. If its possible, send me an email i'd be happy to help. [

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@944man - ...does this "and electric drivers controls." mean do i have electric seats? If so, no i dont. There just the manual ones that slide forward and back.

peanut · Dec 2, 2008

ORIGINAL: 944 man

The simplest ways to tell are: two mounting holes per side at the rear and electric drivers controls. The cap head bolts are FAR superior to the soft cheap M6 bolts used on the early cars...

the early seats are not electric. I think they started in 86

DavidL · Dec 2, 2008

Jeff,
I'll happily bring along my 944T for compare and contrast if you think it will help!
I'm not far away.
David

944 man · Dec 2, 2008

ORIGINAL: peanut

ORIGINAL: 944 man

The simplest ways to tell are: two mounting holes per side at the rear and electric drivers controls. The cap head bolts are FAR superior to the soft cheap M6 bolts used on the early cars...

Click to expand...

the early seats are not electric. I think they started in 86

Youve lost me. I asked if they were series two seats, which were electric on the drivers side and introduced for the 1986 model year.

Scorpio.72 · Dec 2, 2008

@ David - Cheers for the offer, if no luck i will give you a shout. [

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@ 944man - ummm, ok hands up, im confused now ...its an 1982 944 Lux (and the replacement seats are not electric, there the same as the ones im replacing).

944 man · Dec 2, 2008

Dont be confused... I would suggest replacing the OEM fixings with some decent quality 10mm stainless steel cap headed M6 fasters though.

peanut · Dec 2, 2008

well you are really confusing me 944 man.

Electric seats were indeed introduced in 86 but they were on both driver and passenger seats.

I can't see your question about series 2 seats in your post so apologies if I misunderstood you but it is not clear

944 man · Dec 2, 2008

I see what has caused the confusion. The drivers seat was standard: the passengers was an option (with the option for part or full, if I recall correctly).

Simon

Scorpio.72 · Dec 3, 2008

Ok, found the problem!.. [

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It appears that the front bolt holding down the right runner under the drivers seat isn't a standard fitting, so the runner is hitting the top of the bolt each time the seat slides forward.

Leads me to my next question... any ideas where you can get replacement bolts to hold down the runners, is it simply just a trip to halfords?

944 man · Dec 3, 2008

Im guessing that you dont know what a cap headed bolt is, so I will explain. Theyre M6, which means that its a metric bolt with a 6mm shank. Instead of having a 10mm hexagonal head, a cap head is smaller, round and takes an allen drive. You can buy them from a fasterner suppliers, but theyll probably have a minimum, so eBay will probably be easier.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Stainless-Steel-Allen-Head-Bolts-M6-x-20-10Pk-FREEPOST_W0QQitemZ330142125786QQihZ014QQcategoryZ41500QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

It isnt uncommon to find that a bodger has tried to use an unsuitable bolt. Id make sure that one of the correct bolts will fit in the captive nut; when the head is the wrong size then the bolt is frequently imperial, or the wrong pitch at least, so it may be damaged. If its still fit to use then the cap headed bolts will fit and be a damned sight easier to use. If not then you will need to drill the captives out to 7mm (6.9mm ideally) and re-tap the holes for an 8mm bolt.

Simon