Clive Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 My spitfire has the original 1500 type recliner seats. However, they are fundamentally flawed in that the catch at the rear that holds them down acts on one side/corner. This means the seats can wobble about as one corner is not held down. This has been noted a couple of times by scrutineers when doing events, and can be a tad disconcerting when the car is driven hard. Which is typically on autotests or trackdays. I could get some clunky "bucket" seats or suchlike, but not keen on them. My "simple" solution is to weld the tipping frame to the runners so the seats no longer tilt, which is unlikely to be an issue. But before I wheel the welder out, has anybody tried other solutions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Clive a vision of you as jelly on a plate has improved the day but not the weather Think the cheap latch and fractured frames is a speciality of the spitfire Your idea of a solid fix is ok but would that block removal of the mounting bolts ??? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Can't you just adapt a thick radiator hose clip to hold the other side of the frame to the runner? It would be less permanent than welding, and if you brake so sharply that you snap that you'll have other things to worry about than just a wobbly seat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 I had trouble when I switched my seats after refurbing them last year. There are two types of locking catch... a short or long handled one. The long handled does not engage properly without dropping the seat with force. You might also try tightening up the front hinges (if you haven't already) as I found that mine were badly sprained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted June 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 A jubilee clip is not going to fit around the "side" bars/runners, but I will whip a seat out and see if a bolted solution may work-possibly having to weld some extra brackets on first. The existing catch is working correctly, and front pivots are good. As is the frame (I checked a few frames before building the seats with the best ones) The issue is teh design is fundamentally flawed, the MK3 spit was better with the central rear catch. But harder to access by a smidge. Anyway, off on hols on Saturday for a couple of weeks. Something to occupy my mind while I decide what beer to accompany dinner each night.... Thanks for the thoughts (and I will probably a bit more jelly-like after a couple of weeks of holiday) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Clive - You could, I suppose, fit two catches, one on each side with a cross bar 'remote' welded across, so that open one, open both. May give more stability. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted June 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 That would be a bit of a complicated fix. I think the bolted together approach is more simple. I like simple, especially as I no longer have the spare frames etc which could have donated their catches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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