tr8er Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 Those seats look GREAT! Good choice. Quote Link to comment
Oscarmaier Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 This is exactly what I have to do to get my seats in properly. I always wondered if I could remove the the front seat support or if it was somehow structural. Thanks for doing it so now I have something to go off of. Love the car by the way. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 I always wondered if I could remove the the front seat support or if it was somehow structural. I've always been told it was? Could always replace it with a piece of 1" box welded to the floor? 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted March 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 I've always been told it was? Could always replace it with a piece of 1" box welded to the floor? It is attached to the tunnel, and the inside of the rocker panel. Neither of them seem terribly thick, and there are the other two channel pieces behind it (I did notch one of them) that are also attached to the very same place. It sure seemed to us that it was just there for the seats. IMHO, if it was structural, I would assume it be a solid piece, and it wouldn't have the large holes in it. Also, the frame rails run right underneath the floor here. By comparison, the rear cargo floor has none of this. I know a lot of folks have modified or raised their rear floors with no problems that I know of. I'm not telling anyone to do this, but I'm not anticipating any problems at all. If my front door gaps suddenly start getting goofy, I'll let you all know :) 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted March 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 Thanks for the props. If I was using different seats (and needed to mount them lower) I would explore using a piece of 1" or 2" square tubing welded in for a front mount. It's a LOT more rigid than the cross member, and you get a lower front seat mount that is flat. That was my original plan, but the BMW seats sit up very high, and they really needed to go on the floor. Not the easiest thing to do, but I have always wanted these seats in my wagon. This is exactly what I have to do to get my seats in properly. I always wondered if I could remove the the front seat support or if it was somehow structural. Thanks for doing it so now I have something to go off of. Love the car by the way. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 IMHO, if it was structural, I would assume it be a solid piece, and it wouldn't have the large holes in it. Also, the frame rails run right underneath the floor here. By comparison, the rear cargo floor has none of this. I know a lot of folks have modified or raised their rear floors with no problems that I know of. I think it's one of those "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts". As in, by itself it does very little, but in concert with everything else it provides enough stiffness. But like you said, the only way to know if taking it out will be a detriment, is to do it. ^_^ 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted March 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 If I couldn't fly by the seat of my pants, I'd never get off the ground :thumbup: Reminds me of an old hot rod guy they were interviewing on some show. He cut the top off a '50 Merc (or similar) and he said that every time he crossed the railroad tracks, the doors would fly open because the body flexed so much. But like you said, the only way to know if taking it out will be a detriment, is to do it. ^_^ 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted March 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Well, piss on a stick.. Color sanded this and the paint got too thin in one spot, so back for rework. Plenty of paint on it now.. 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 Got my drivers seat mounting hardware all made and bolted in. I will take photos as I go, and detail that entire process at one time. Since I didn't have the passenger seat with me, I started something I have been dreading. Final sanding in prep for paint. Was hoping to get about 1/4 of the roof done, but actually ended up getting half of it done. 5 Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Digging the seat install FUCKER!!! And for some reason I thought the wagon was all painted. 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 I was close to getting to it, then I ran into the fuel door install, and (as usual) getting the seats in was more time than I thought. I plan on getting the passenger seat in this weekend. I grabbed a set of BMW 3 Series seat belts that look like they might work real nice with the wagon, but you never know until you start these little projects how much of a chore it will be. How's the Little Red Wagon doing? Digging the seat install FUCKER!!! And for some reason I thought the wagon was all painted. 1 Quote Link to comment
datrod Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Mark. I haven't even looked at the wagon in a month or so. I have a big Henry putting my KA together. Don't know how long that's going to take. So I have Tanker going tonight to look at an L18 in LA for me. I might pick that up just so I can enjoy her for a while. 3 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Mark. I haven't even looked at the wagon in a month or so. I have a big Henry putting my KA together. Don't know how long that's going to take. So I have Tanker going tonight to look at an L18 in LA for me. I might pick that up just so I can enjoy her for a while. Got with him and i will be seeing him tonight. 2 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Okay, the seat hardware mounts are all built and installed. Here's a quick rundown of what I did. Note, the seats are here at my house because I still have to paint the car and do some more fab work in the wagon, so I didn't want to get the seats messed up while welding or painting.. Since the wagon floor is uneven, I made spacers which were tacked onto the seat mounting points. The front seat mount on the outside (rocker panel side) is substantially lower than the front inside, so it required a pretty thick spacer. Here's the fat boy.. The other three mounts are about the same height, so I used a much thinner spacer on the rest of them. The fat boy is at the front, the thinner is at the rear. The BMW seats have the "posts" for mounts that I assume go into some sort of hole in the floor on the BMW. In addition to leveling the seats, the spacers also give the seat a larger, flat area to sit on instead of the post. Here's the smaller spacer and you can see the "post" inside of it. I made these 3/8" thick plates that measure 2" x 2". These are the seat mounts under the floor. These are threaded internally for a 10mm bolt. To attach these plates under the car, I drilled 1/4" holes through the floor. I also continued drilling into the plates at about an 1/8" depth. I used the 10mm threads to hold the plate to the floor, then I plug welded all of these from the top of the floor. The mounting bolt is what holds the plate, the plug welds are just to make them captive so I can take the seats in and out easily. Here's the mounting plate under the car. Because of the mounting "posts" on the BMW seats, and the uneven floor of the wagon, this turned out to be a bit more work than I thought, but I think they came out well. My next detour is to adapt the BMW retractable lap/shoulder belts for the wagon. I really hope it is as straightforward as it appears to be.. 5 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Paint it already Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Dude, you crack me up. Gotta get the other crap done first. I hate having to go back and fix things because I rushed. Besides that, I'm old, have a bad heart, vertigo, and a host of other problems. Shit, I think I'm doing okay considering all of the above.. :) Paint it already 3 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 It looks great. Just can't wait to see paint or the whole thing painted Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 You and me both, bro.. It looks great. Just can't wait to see paint or the whole thing painted 1 Quote Link to comment
Eagle_Adam Posted April 11, 2016 Report Share Posted April 11, 2016 Love the seats and install so far ;) Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Thanks Adam. Got the headlight bezels back from the chrome platers. I took them to 3 different shops and got three different estimates. I ended up going with OC Plating. They had the best price, and some hot rod guys I know recommended them. Best price with a good recommendation and I'm there.. Hard to photograph chrome, but these look very good in person, IMHO. 4 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted April 13, 2016 Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Thanks Adam. Got the headlight bezels back from the chrome platers. I took them to 3 different shops and got three different estimates. I ended going with OC Plating. They had the best price, and some hot rod guys I know recommended them. Best price and a good recommendation and I'm there.. Hard to photograph chrome, but these look very good in person, IMHO. love it, chrome is awesome Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Just remember: Chrome don't get you home.. :) love it, chrome is awesome 2 Quote Link to comment
mrbigtanker Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Just remember: Chrome don't get you home.. :) All show and no go is ok by me. Looks real good, you mind telling me private or what ever how much and what shop. Is it the 1 off the 55 and ettinger. Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted April 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 info sent! Check your inbox.. All show and no go is ok by me. Looks real good, you mind telling me private or what ever how much and what shop. Is it the 1 off the 55 and ettinger. 1 Quote Link to comment
goes2fast Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Just remember: Chrome don't get you home.. :) I always heard "If it don't go, chrome it!" :rofl: 1 Quote Link to comment
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