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My seating dilemma...a hijack prevention spinoff

Zandoz

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
This thread is a spinoff of this thread

https://tbucketeers.com/threads/help-me-decide-next-step.17004/

Build your own to fit you specifications. Follow these simple instructions. It is easy and a whole lot better than trying to adapt something to fit your needs.

https://tbucketeers.com/threads/ex-junks-seat-construction.13349/

Jim

Excellent job. I wish I had the skill to reproduce those results. I'll be trying to do some kind of a DIY bench fold-&-tumble arrangement with very simple upholstery. I'll need easy access to the areas behind/under the seat for access to the air suspension compressor and tank. I already have the hinge arrangement between the seat back and base...a heavy duty setup from a power wheelchair.

Potvin's setup interests me because his configuration has key similarities to my needs...
  • The seat setting very near the floor, especially at the rear
  • A fixed angle between the back and bottom of the seat...in my case 102 degrees
  • The need for thigh support
  • If not a bench base cushion, the separate cushions need to be flat and close together
Then there is a bit of a hitch...or more accurately a hump. Near the rear of the seat base, the top of a drive shaft loop will protrude through the seat base to some degree. How much depends on how low the seat is.
 
Bill , IIRC you have a "standard" body , potvin guy &ex junk both have lengthened bodies. The reason I tell you this is , I have a standard body , I'm 6'1" , with my back about 1 1/2" [seat back] from the inside of the shell & the seat approx. 3" off the floor , my left knee rides right at the top of the body side w/my foot flat on the floor...if I sat any further forward I would not be able to use the clutch pedal & my right knee would be very much bent to reach the throttle & brake , there really is not enough room to recline any further...I tried!!
dave
 
Mock up your seat and back base in plywood and any upholstery shop can take it from there. The foam and skin is very easy for them. I have a lockable/removable seat arrangement which is really pretty clever and allows access under and behind the seat as well as being secure against snooping and theft. The seat base is a simple box, 5" in front, 2 1/2" at the rear, with a built-in drawer (7" x 9 1/2" x 2")that's accessible while driving. The back is supported by hooks so it lifts to remove, but held in place by screen-door latches so that when the cushion is locked, the back can not be lifted. The drawer also has a pin so it can be locked when the cushion is locked. The latches are chrome hasps with locking turnbuttons and are a very cool detail (with the drawer) that adds some interest to your interior.

The area under the cushion holds about as much as a regular suitcase, plus tools, fuses, etc. The seat back area holds (2) 700W x2 amps, crossovers, 800W powered sub, hidden antenna, spare fuse box, seat belt hardware, and room for jumper cables or other stuff.

The drawer is very handy for CDs, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. and it has another, "secret" drawer underneath which can be accessed when the main drawer is removed. There is also a thin area with a removable top above the drawer which can hold title, insurance card, or important papers.

Storage space is sorely lacking on most Ts, so roomy, lockable, easily accessible space is a great thing to have! If you cut your seat and back perfectly, the upholstery is a piece of cake!
 
Bill , IIRC you have a "standard" body , potvin guy &ex junk both have lengthened bodies. The reason I tell you this is , I have a standard body , I'm 6'1" , with my back about 1 1/2" [seat back] from the inside of the shell & the seat approx. 3" off the floor , my left knee rides right at the top of the body side w/my foot flat on the floor...if I sat any further forward I would not be able to use the clutch pedal & my right knee would be very much bent to reach the throttle & brake , there really is not enough room to recline any further...I tried!!
dave

No, my body is stretched also...8"±. Also, I am only 5'7" and blessed/cursed with proportionally short legs.

Today I've been playing with the CAD system again, using PotvinGuy's drawing as a starting point, and reworking it to use the seat back angle of 102° dictated by my hinges and the 2° rake of the floor dictated by the frame. The results look promising...the bottom of the seat board would be about 4-3/4" off the floor at the front, and about 3/4" at the rear. But the problem remains the same as with all of the configurations I've tried...the drive shaft loop and tunnel protruding above the seat board. I need that space for this "Wide Load" butt...LOL.
 
Mock up your seat and back base in plywood and any upholstery shop can take it from there. The foam and skin is very easy for them. I have a lockable/removable seat arrangement which is really pretty clever and allows access under and behind the seat as well as being secure against snooping and theft. The seat base is a simple box, 5" in front, 2 1/2" at the rear, with a built-in drawer (7" x 9 1/2" x 2")that's accessible while driving. The back is supported by hooks so it lifts to remove, but held in place by screen-door latches so that when the cushion is locked, the back can not be lifted. The drawer also has a pin so it can be locked when the cushion is locked. The latches are chrome hasps with locking turnbuttons and are a very cool detail (with the drawer) that adds some interest to your interior.

The area under the cushion holds about as much as a regular suitcase, plus tools, fuses, etc. The seat back area holds (2) 700W x2 amps, crossovers, 800W powered sub, hidden antenna, spare fuse box, seat belt hardware, and room for jumper cables or other stuff.

The drawer is very handy for CDs, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. and it has another, "secret" drawer underneath which can be accessed when the main drawer is removed. There is also a thin area with a removable top above the drawer which can hold title, insurance card, or important papers.

Storage space is sorely lacking on most Ts, so roomy, lockable, easily accessible space is a great thing to have! If you cut your seat and back perfectly, the upholstery is a piece of cake!

I wish I had the budget to make use of an upholstery shop. My upholsterers will be my wife and I.

I like the idea of a drawer, but for what I have planned for a riser, it will not be possible. The front of the riser will be a 2"x4" extruded aluminum beam secured to the frame.

That's quite a sound system you have there. I was not planning on having one at all. I figured that with the exhaust sound in an open car it was pointless. I put an expensive Blaupunkt system in my first MG, and it turned out to be pointless.
 
When I redid my interior, I was determined to make it as ergonomic and comfortable as possible. I did a 1/2 scale side view of the body and then made this 1/2 scale of ME:
P1030152.JPG

...cardboard with movable joints. Used it to see where to put the steering wheel, angle the seat, etc.

My drive shaft needed a little relief at the front of the seat box, but it didn't interfere with the seats:
2013%2Bredo4.jpg

P1010316.JPG
 
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I wish I had the budget to make use of an upholstery shop. My upholsterers will be my wife and I.

I like the idea of a drawer, but for what I have planned for a riser, it will not be possible. The front of the riser will be a 2"x4" extruded aluminum beam secured to the frame.

That's quite a sound system you have there. I was not planning on having one at all. I figured that with the exhaust sound in an open car it was pointless. I put an expensive Blaupunkt system in my first MG, and it turned out to be pointless.
It takes a lot of power to overcome the exhaust noise, especially since the speakers are only inches from the pipes. But it's totally worth it when your car can go fast and rock hard at the same time.
 
Building any scale image of me would be just to depressing...LOL. I'll settle for just optimizing what space I have. Unfortunately the drive shaft loop will protrude about 2-3" above the seat base board, at about the hip. How much thedrive shaft tunnel will protrude will depend on if it runs inside or outside the loop.
 
It takes a lot of power to overcome the exhaust noise, especially since the speakers are only inches from the pipes. But it's totally worth it when your car can go fast and rock hard at the same time.

There was a time that was important to me. Anymore, about the only time I use the car sound systems is to listen to the Reds games.
 
Building any scale image of me would be just to depressing...LOL. I'll settle for just optimizing what space I have. Unfortunately the drive shaft loop will protrude about 2-3" above the seat base board, at about the hip. How much thedrive shaft tunnel will protrude will depend on if it runs inside or outside the loop.
Why the loop over the top of the driveshaft?
 
Why the loop over the top of the driveshaft?

This is probably what he's referring to as you can see in the photo below. It is a safety device in the event you should lose a u-joint. With the upper loop the drive shaft is prevented from crashing through the floor or drive shaft tunnel. In the case of our cars, if you sit "in" you car rather than "on" your car, you can be in danger of the drive shaft crashing through the floor and/or drive shaft tunnel and injuring the driver or passenger or both.



Jim
 
I have 2 , 1 at the front joint , 1 at the rear , plywood & fiberglass won't stop much I also have a scattershield bellhousing , I've grown attached to my feet:D
dave
 
Oh, no, I've been loop-less all these years! In 50 years of hot rods I've never had a U-joint failure. I can understand racers wanting a loop, but just us cruisers? Anyone have a horror story to relate?
 
Why the loop over the top of the driveshaft?

In my case, the loop will be part of a mid crossmember, and is considerably more substantial than the one in Ex Junk's pic...an 8x14 OD loop of 1x2 tube that is the mid section of the 3 piece crossmember. A few reasons for the heft...first it will tie the 2 frame rails together near the lower control arm mounts to minimize flexing. It will act as rear floor support, and seat belt mounting points.

I've seen 2 driveshafts go rogue. in both cases the driveshaft ripped through the rear seat floor areas. One was just casually driving down a side street.
 
Oh, no, I've been loop-less all these years! In 50 years of hot rods I've never had a U-joint failure. I can understand racers wanting a loop, but just us cruisers? Anyone have a horror story to relate?

Having done all types of driving including many types of racing, even competing on the Salt Flats at Bonneville, I find having things on my performance type car great to have in case something happens. With my car being entirely constructed of fiberglass, (yes, even my floor is glass not plywood) and the drive shaft within inches of my hip and my wife's I prefer to err on the side of caution. This is especially true for adding something like this that costs virtually nothing in the overall cost of building a car properly. IMHO

Jim
 
Having done all types of driving including many types of racing, even competing on the Salt Flats at Bonneville, I find having things on my performance type car great to have in case something happens. With my car being entirely constructed of fiberglass, (yes, even my floor is glass not plywood) and the drive shaft within inches of my hip and my wife's I prefer to err on the side of caution. This is especially true for adding something like this that costs virtually nothing in the overall cost of building a car properly. IMHO

Jim
I believe a cage would be in order. Im use to vw railbuggies with some protection. Incorporate the seat mounts into the cage. Corbeau seats
 
Has anyone looked at the 36" wide fiberglass bench ceat snd cover from larrys off road center. Rear sest like we ran in our sand rails.
 
Has anyone looked at the 36" wide fiberglass bench ceat snd cover from larrys off road center. Rear sest like we ran in our sand rails.

I do not know about the seats from that specific supplier, but I did look into several suppliers. Except for the very nice but pricey Corbeau Baja seats, all the others had a common problem...virtually no thigh support. The lower part of the seat...the part you sit on...were all around 12-15" front to back. For comparison, I measured the seats in our Buick, Jeep, and Cougar...all were around 21". I do not think they were intended for adult use for long periods.
 

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