Help with some sports seat and slider questions needed.

[Alan B]

I searched the site and I couldn't find much information on the difference between the seat bases on early and later sports seats or about the sliders. A post on this would help me a lot. I would think others would be interested. Did I miss a good post? Call for the seat police?

I do have specific questions. I'm looking at a sports seat in well used condition. The tracks are attached to the bottom. Nothing other part of the mounting is available. Can I adapt sliders from a comfort seat to the sports seat? Is there another relatively inexpensive way to mount these in my 67? I know it won't be correct, but I'm OK with that. I may be able to get the seat portion from a later sports seat. Does that suggest any possibilities?

I would like to be able to tilt the seat up. Was there an alternative to the Recaro tilt base in the day wthat would be less expensive today? I'm trying to stay with parts available in 68 and not use reproduced parts.

Finally, I have a tilt base from a LWB car. Can this be used in a 67 with an early sports seat?

[orange911]

Alan,

If I read your post correctly, you have the seat and the tilt base mechanism, but not the sliders? If so, this was the same case for me in my 72. The comfort seats use the brackets on the body to lock into and the sliders do not have the grooves for the locks. I had a local machine shop take a pair of sliders and cut grooves to accept the lockers from the tilt base. Mine works.

One thing to note if you go this route, there is a plastic guide between the rails that will be cut in this process. It has to be cut to let the locker seat securely. The problem is that this guide is not fixed to the rail and can slide. If the seat gets adjusted frequently, this guide can move out of adjustment and not have an open slot for the locker to slide into all the way. I try to leave mine alone.

[Alan B]

Thanks Olin,

From your post I should be able to take a set of sliders from a comfort seat and have them modified to work with the tilt base. I'm also looking for a way to install the seat without the tilt base. I'd like to leave things open right now on using this tilt base. I bought it for another car and it can't go in both!

I'll keep trying to learn more. Maybe I can come up with a way to keep the guide in place. I don't move my seat much either, so it's probably not an issue.

Take good care,
Alan

[66S]

On SWB sport seats the sliders and adjusters are between the seat and the base. The SWB lower sliders have vertical "legs" that bolt to the base. On LWB they are between the base and the car. I have an original right side 68 sport seat base if you are interested.

[Alan B]

That makes sense. Does anyone have pictures to show me the structure between the seat and the car for early and late sports seat.

66S, please PM me about the seat base.

[MarkS]

Alan. I'm not sure what you mean by "structure" Can I assume you are referring to the seat bracket mounting holes in unibody? If so advise I will take measurements, I'm working on SWB with 67 sport seats now.
Attached pics of brackets.

[Fritter]

I have the same dilemma now. I have a '68 sport seat with only the top sliders that are screwed into the bottom of the seat, and I have two Recaro "comfort seat" bottom rails. I'm going to build my own fixed base for now, not too complicated to make.

Here is a good pic of the SWB sport seat mechanism.

[Alan B]

Thanks for the replies. Now at least I think I understand the differences in seat bases on the sports seat. I'm still not sure how hard or easy it is to attach the sliders from a comfort seat to the bottom of an early sports seat if the original part of the slider that is screwed to the seat is removed. It's time to stop asking questions and take a look at a comfort seat.

I have found a lot of threads that have information on sports seats. Here is what I have learned. Maybe this will help someone else. As always, corrections are welcome.

Early sports seats:

The 67 seats had no head rests and the tilt brackets did not lock. All seats were configured as driver's seats.

In 68 the seats got head rests and the tilt brackets got locks. Because the tilt bracket lock had to be on the door side of the seat, driver's and passenger's seats were made.

The 67 and 68 seats have the sliders directly attached to the bottom of the seat. The adjusting handle for the sliders comes out of the front of the upholstered part of the seat bottom. The tilt bracket is below the sliders.

From 69 to 72 the sliders are part of the seat bracket that attaches to the floor, not the seat bottom.The adjusting handle for the sliders is part of the seat bracket, not the seat bottom. Instead of coming through the upholstery, the handle comes out below the seat. The 69 and later seats sit higher because of the change in the seat bracket.

The last version of the seat is the double locker bracket. I haven't looked into these much, but I've read that they were a 73 only part that can be fitted to 69-71 seats.

Alan

[Fritter]

Alan you are doing good research here.

Last weekend I cut a "comfort" seat bottom rail to fit my sport seat. We cut 14 notches in it. They slide right into the stock sport seat top rails. If you are missing the stock sport seat top rails, they are probably the same basic dimensions as the "comfort" seat top rails. The length and mounting holes may vary slightly though. For the bottom rails I am using for my '68 sport seat, I have to cut an inch or two off the length.

I'll post pics later of my homemade fixed '68 sport seat base I am making. Bottom sliders are done per what I said above, I've got two pieces of round stock that have had the ends drilled and threaded on a lathe, and I have all the seat support bases cut out. I just need to weld it all together, paint it, and bolt it in the car.

Once it's all done, it should look very similar to a factory base, but the cost was much much less.

If anyone is interested in one of these fixed bases, I may be able to make more.