SC2 seat problem

Here's a problem I need creative suggestions for:

I am -er- not tall, 5'4" and the leather driver's seat on my '02 SC2 is
starting to kill me. First of all, my right leg is getting poked by the
raised front edge of the seat, secondly the angle of the seat bottom and
back is such that no matter how I adjust things, my butt gets pushed back
into the space where top and bottom of seat meet and the lumbar pushes my
back out of place. in other words, I drive 45 min to work with my knees
pointed up my rear wedged into the seat and my lower back pushed out. I'm
talking sore/numb right leg and sore lower back, no fun!

I thought about making some kind of wedge to fill the gap where the bottom
of the seat meets the lower lumbar or even replacing the seats altogether. I
hate to get rid of OEM seats though, the car is in near mint condition even
at 61K, but I am getting worn out!

Any creative suggestions are welcome. TIA.

 

Um, I shoulda proofed that one, "I drive 45 min to work with my knees
pointed up my rear " meant "and my rear", LOL.

 

Try a couple of washers or a shim under the rear seat mounting bolts, you
may also need longer bolts. This will also raise your eye point and may
give you better visibility.

Good luck, YMMV

 

Thanks, that sound slike a great idea. This won't compromise the grip on the
mounting bolts though will it?

marx404

 

I am not sure what you mean by "grip on the mounting bolts". If you are
referring to the depth of thread engagement in the floor nut, then this is
something you should be concerned about and is why I cautioned that you may
need longer bolts (they are probably? metric threads?). I do not have a
rule of thumb for thread engagement but twice the dia of the bolt should be
about right. Ideally the bolt should have 2-3 threads exposed under the
nut. I have not looked but suspect that the seat bolts go through the floor
with a captured (or welded) nut under the floor. If the bolt is too long
then it will rust and be difficult to remove without damaging the threads of
the nut. I would use some kind of undercoating to protect the exposed
threads from rust, I find that oil based foundation coating works well but I
use what ever is handy. I have not looked but suspect that the seat bolts
are not under heavy loading as I suspect that the seat belt is independently
secured but again I have not looked, YMMV.

You may be able to use the Y shaped shims used for aligning suspension and
body panels. These will allow you to try differing heights without
completely removing the bolts. I would also use 'NevrSeize' or similar
anti-seize compound on the bolt threads, but then I use it on almost all
bolts as it will result in increased clamping force and facilitate removal
years later.

Good luck, YMMV

 

PS. This might be a good time to switch the seats right to left to equalize
wear.