(bottom) seat mounting for sparco race shells, pics again...

[owen_the_soyboy]

NEWLY back from the dead... (I got some emails and IM's about pics for this setup, here goes) Anyhow, I mounted my Sparco Ultra seats to my OEM Honda 1992 Civic floor mounts and slide- rails in this manner, it works just great, only took a halfhour the ride height is about stock if not a bit lower. I had unbolted the stock seat cushion and seatback from the slide-rails, leaving everything possible... seatbealt buckle in tact on the rail and slider in good shape... cool. I did have to grind off a bolt or two, that was easy with a Dremel and Grinding wheel bit. Well I can't think of an easy way to get the seat any lower because it wont fit in between the mounts if I want to keep the sliders there. I like sliders because it is my daily driver and on occasion a friend in need or instructor will autocross my car as well. Dont mess with my blueprint techniques, I got da' skills but the software is at work, not here at home. Once you get measuring in there you will figure it all out, I think I had the brackets 10.67" from each other front to back for my seats... that is from a metric Sparco dimension from their website, http://www.sparcousa.com where they list sizes for each seat, mount holes and if it has Bottom Fixing holes in the seat. The best part is that a piece of aluminum like this, 4 pieces cut each to about 18" or a little less, will be super cheap, maybe $15 or less. NICE! Add in metric bolts, a few metric nuts, a Dremel, a powerdrill and some good drillbits then you are good to go. Modified by owen_the_soyboy at 5:36 PM 5/1/2004

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[ImprtTuner88]

very impressive, great pics

[.Beaver]

I can't see the pics, but sounds good, thanks!

[civicrtype]

Thanks for the help and this is one of the best DIY in my opinion, great way to save $250+ dollars

[civicrtype]

BTW what size bolts are those that go into the Seat? I got a Sprint seat but don't have the bolts. Thanks.

[owen_the_soyboy]

crap, bolt size?
I dont remember, I grabbed some metric bolts from work, but I can find out for ya, I'll post a reply here when I find out.
thanks too

[Doctor CorteZ]

how do you like the Ultras Owen , are they made for a small person ?

all the seats I find are too wide for me.

TIA - Jamie

[owen_the_soyboy]

I really love the seats, they were pretty inexpensive ($600 shipped for the pair) and are lightweight at 12 pounds each, they mounted in really easily and they are durable enough to last in a daily driver. Most of all they are very sturdy and supportive, the comfy padding on the sides is great too, that makes the seat comfortable on long drives.

I am 5'7" and about 180 pounds, 36" waist.
these are a perfect fit for me, kinda snug but not tight at all.
My friend who is 5'8" and 160 pounds, 34" waist also liked the fit.

BOLT SIZE is M8x1.25 for the Sparco seats!





[Modified by owen_the_soyboy, 3:35 PM 12/18/2002]

[Rob Dizzle]

seems like lots of work

thanks for putting that together

[Doctor CorteZ]

cool , thanks alot man.

[misledyouth]

how does the seat sit compared to stock. aka how much lower would you estimate it to be?

thanks alot
jesse

[civicrtype]

Yo thanks for the BOLT SZ

[CHRIS 1.8]

Those are some big pictures there.

[owen_the_soyboy]

Those are some big pictures there.

so right click, save, then reduce them yourself They show up as the perfect size on my monitor at home and at work.

I love the seats! I am maybe sitting an inch lower than stock in these Sparcos this way, but maybe only a half inch. After the Sparco seat install in the above method, my mirrors only had to be slightly adjusted.. so I cant be that much lower now. But at least its not higher!

[tnbigdawg]

Thanks for the help and this is one of the best DIY in my opinion, great way to save $250+ dollars

I agree!

I wonder if this works with reclinable seats??????????????????????

[owen_the_soyboy]

Hmmm, of course it will as long as those recliners are bottom mountable.
I have seen people use angle stock (90 degree or L shaped) bolted to each slider to attach to the sidemounts of other seats.
That setup also has "crossmembers" like what I used to keep the sliders parallel and true.
That setup also couldnt get the seats any lower than the thickness of the barstock I used.... the oem sliders hardware is in the way.... the only way to get these any lower is to chop / mod the brackets where they bolt to the floor.

DIY =

[ITR1071]

That's a really good thread you have there. Thanks man, I am going to try this out next week. If it works you just saved me a whole lot of money.

[95hbMatt]

in this pic here where the bolts go throught the seat, is it just fiberglass or is there some type of reinforcement? I don't know, just doesn't seem safe...looks like it would rip right off the bolt if you ever wreck or slam on the brakes hard enough?!




[Modified by 95hbMatt, 9:21 PM 12/21/2002]

[ImportHatch]

wow man, I gotta give you props on this post. Very cool info.


Yager-

[B Speed]

sorry for the thread resurrection, but I wanted to thank you for the install idea. It made the installation of my R1 seats into my 94 coupe much easier. I had to modify some of the dimensions, but it was otherwise all the same. I also substituted steel for aluminum.

[EK MONEY]

very good install instructions!!! does that sit the seat abnormally low or high?
thanks

[B Speed]

very good install instructions!!! does that sit the seat abnormally low or high?
thanks

my seat sits a lil bit higher... but not by much. I actually like it higher.

[owen_the_soyboy]

in this pic here where the bolts go throught the seat, is it just fiberglass or is there some type of reinforcement?

There are threaded inserts molded into the seat, direct from sparco. These are the same inserts that are also on the sides of those same seats, so you can mount Ultras on the sides or on the bottom.

-And I'm glad to help with pics. I wished I had something like this when I was considering what seats to buy, it would have made the decision even faster since this is so easy to fab.

[Audipwr1]

owen what are your feelings on the safety of using this method especially considering I plan on making these for a side mount seat (sparco america) for driver
and then just the same as your for the sparco sprint in the passenger?

Bring it back alive!

PS I have 91 chassis so Im hoping the sliders are approximatley the same!

[owen_the_soyboy]

safety depends on a few things...

-Bolt strength (do not use cheapo crap here, use a grade fastener comparable or above OEM seatbelt hardware).
-Using washers and correctly sized holes in the aluminum.
-Material strength (thickness is important here), aluminum side mounts from bigtime manufactureres are like 5mm thick at least, and steel sidemounts are 3mmm thick at least. I would choose to go oversize on material and make sure you use a good strength material (there are several alloys of aluminum and steel, make sure you ask someone with knowledge of materials, their limitations and their benefits).

As you look into fabbing up a sidemount setup, there may be better options thru using a capable welder, someone who knows their shit and can fab up a sidemount with minimal time, effort and material cost. The bottom mounts above were just so easy it was silly to order any other setups over the net... at 10 times my cost! I think this method is topnotch for safety, but with any race part, make sure you check the setup from time to time for breaks, cracks and loose fasteners too!

good luck boss,