Seat rail extensions

[juror]

I'm on the taller side, but not ridiculously so. My major problem is that I'm long in the legs and short in the torso. I knew when I test drove my new to me SX4 that I'd have to move the seat back to make it comfortable. That job is now done. Here's a quick write up.

Background reading:
http://clubsx4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5105

I was considering doing the job with 1.5"x.5" rectangular box section steel, but I made the mistake of mentioning this project to a very enthusiastic friend who went out and bought some 1"x3" C channel of an absurdly heavy gauge. So that's what we used, with some modification.

The proper socket to remove the seats is an E-10 external Torx. Note also that there are two electrical connectors between the car and the seat that you'll need to disconnect.

Showing the C-channel to the seat rails revealed that one leg of the C was going to foul stuff under the seat. My very enthusiastic friend cut one leg off of each piece with a plasma cutter.

The bulk of the remaining work is accurately transferring hole locations onto your rail extensions. We used flathead machine screws for the bolts that go into the towers on the car and countersunk them into the rail extensions (did I mention the're really heavy gauge?). This ensures that the rear bolt doesn't interfere with the seat rail itself.

The holes for mounting the seat rails to the extensions are just plain through holes.

Once again, show the extensions to the seat rails and note that there's a bracket on the outside side of the seat that you need to notch the extension around. Mark it, drill it, and cut the notch.

The inside extension needed to be relieved to bolt up nicely to the rear tower. A little quality time with a grinder got that job done.

Round off any sharp edges, maybe rattle-can the extensions, and bolt it all up.

Note that 75mm is about the smallest amount you can offset the holes for the seat rails if you're running a bolt down through and putting a nut on the underside. The inside front tower is elongated rearward such that you won't have much luck getting a bolt on if you play it tighter.

Pictures:

Rails in the car (pre-notching for the bracket). The aforementioned inside front tower is at the lower left of the image.



Underside of the outside rail showing the notching for the bracket:

[Die trying]

Impressive work!

[juror]

Impressive work!

Thanks! It helps to have a friend with a plasma cutter! I also have access to a drill press and a vertical metal cutting bandsaw. Big tools made the job pretty easy.

[Die trying]

Thanks! It helps to have a friend with a plasma cutter! I also have access to a drill press and a vertical metal cutting bandsaw. Big tools made the job pretty easy.

Any interest in making a run of light bars?

[juror]

Any interest in making a run of light bars?

Honestly, I'm a woodworker by trade, not a fabricator, but if you have a drawing, I can take a look. If it's outside my expertise, I can see if there's somebody else who'd be interested at the makerspace I work out of.