Evo8 F/R seats almost finished. NEED HELP!

Hi GVR4.org

I finally got around to installing the Evo8 seats I picked up.
The fronts needed some fab to get installed of course, so that was not too bad.
The Rears are a different story.

I got the upper part of the back seat to fit ok but, the lower half is a not as easy.
There is some kind of brace or I guess you can call it a mount, attached to the floor.

The OEM Galant seats have space cut into the foam to allow the mount to go into the bottom seat.
The Evo8 rear seat is thiner, and cannot have the foam shaped for the mount.
If the mount was removed the lower rear Evo8 seat would fit.

My Question is, Can I remove (cut out) the mount?
Will removing the mount cause a problem with the rigidity / structural integrity?

pics...







and for anyone wondering about the 18in Volk GTCs

drivers side front rubs when sus bottoms out. I think its the fender liner.

Front seat slider modification.

 

Dave,

I would try an upholstery shop to swap the evo bottom seat skin onto GVR4 foam. It might work.

Ron

 

Hi Ron,

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worthy.gif Thats a great idea! (dave puts away grinder)

I guess I'll look into that on Monday.

 

How did you do the bottom bracket for the fronts? I've been wanting to do this forever! Thanks.

 

that is pretty much how I modified my brackets. I grinded away most of the stock rail and welded two square tubes across and drilled the holes for the seat to mount to. doesn't look the greatest but it gets the job done plus black spray paint helps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

Faustus asked: "How did you do the bottom bracket for the fronts? I've been wanting to do this forever! Thanks."

I made some new brackets...
I used some 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch angled steel.
I bought it at the local Home Depot, $15 for a 6 foot piece. (you might need 3 of them to do both seats)

I also removed all the factory "junk" from the Galant OEM sliders. This was also a PITA, even with a good grinding wheel.

If you decide to go through with this, I must warn you... do not center the seat on the brackets.
If you do, the seats will be almost 3 inches to the left (drivers side), away from center of the steering wheel. I was not happy with my 1st attempt
If you look at my pictures, you will notice the brackets that the seat mounts to, extends almost all the way to the center console.
This was done to make the seat center on the steering wheel.

I still need to redo the passenger bracket, and paint everything.
so in actuality I made 3 seat brackets. (2 F'd up ones, and 1 good one)

I am planing on taking some sheet metal and binding up some nice covers for the outer (seen) part of the seat mounts. maybe upholster it too.

here are some more pics,

 

Quote:
that is pretty much how I modified my brackets. I grinded away most of the stock rail and welded two square tubes across and drilled the holes for the seat to mount to. doesn't look the greatest but it gets the job done plus black spray paint helps /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif



you just gave me an Idea and, its freg'n simpler and easier than the way I just did it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

I guess I'll post pics Monday.

 

[Yiuwa]

Great post! I vote it to go to 'how to and info archieve' after SGTDave finished it

 

[curtis]

Quote:
Dave,

I would try an upholstery shop to swap the evo bottom seat skin onto GVR4 foam. It might work.

Ron



+1

But do it yourself. The junkyards are full of rear seat cloth donars don't screw up the factory leather one to many of us has small rips and wear to trash a good cover....Its justfoam..... electric turkey knifves and spray silicone works wonders
Also you can hit Wal-mart and buy sheets of foam to add when you need it spray glue in place and call it done. Great job by the way.

 

Looks great man.
Too add to what curtis said. DONOT, please do not destroy the Vr4 leather. Dont even attempt to remove it. AMG( Yes, if some dont know by now AMG.. as in Mercedes, made the leather for the US bound VR4's) does not & will not make more leather for this car. It cannot be had anywhere & nothing comes close to it.

 

ok, I had some time today so I worked on redoing the passenger seat mount using my new idea.

It turned out better than the drivers side
Also it uses less material and is just as solid (I wish i did the driver mount the same way)

1312VR4 and curtis, not to worry I don't have VR4 leather seats. My car is a GGSX

Here are some new pics.



I made a outer cover from paper to see how my sheet metal one would look (i'm thinking covering it in black swade)


I will finish it up tomarrow.

Also I had to ditch the sholder belt guide. There was just no room for it. Sholder belt still works fine.
I mounted the lap belt lock to the Evo seat

 

Quote:
How did you do the bottom bracket for the fronts? I've been wanting to do this forever! Thanks.



I took pics this time.

remove these


will make OEM sliders look like this

 

I think I'm going to redo mine now. I just realized that mine isn't centered with the steering wheel. I never paid attention to it until I read this thread. did you just reuse the same holes where the rivets were? what size metal did you use does it flex at all?
ed

 

Quote:
I think I'm going to redo mine now. I just realized that mine isn't centered with the steering wheel. I never paid attention to it until I read this thread. did you just reuse the same holes where the rivets were? what size metal did you use does it flex at all?
ed



yes, I used the same holes where the rivets were.

The metal I used was almost 1/4 inch thick angled steel (1 1/2in x 1 1/2in x 6ft) $15 from Home Depot racing /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif, and it will not flex at all.

There was different size angled steel but, 1 1/2in is perfect because it barley clears the slider lever assembly. You want this because it will put the seat as low as possible (as low as the driver seat on its lowest setting)

the cool part is that i didn't have to weld anything.

next week I'm going to fab up the covers.

 

I just hope I can get mine apart after I reinforced it with welds /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif
I suppose it is nothing a grinder can't fix. did you have to drill a hole for your seatbelt or was it allready there on the evo seat? be sure to take some pics when you get done making your covers, I would like to see how it turns out.
thanks, ed

 

it was already there.

you have to remove the little plastic cover and enlarge the existing opening on the cover.

check my pic higher up in this thread.

 

[ken inn]

i have pictures of the recaro bracket, if anyone wants them.

 

got done redoing my drivers seat yesterday. Man I wish I would have done it this way orginaly, it was a pain in the a** getting it apart after welding it the first time around. It is centerd now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. I think I might weld it up when I go to paint it just to really secure it. thanks for your post and giving me the idea to do it this way.
ed

 

I finished fab on the covers.

now I just need to get them done over in black swade.



And I'm happy to say that my car is now in the body/paint shop !!!11

 

[gvr4737]

did making this bracket make the seat sit higher than the stock seat???

im afraid that i wont be able to fit in the car with my helmet if its too high