Photos of seat tracks? Trying to get more legroom.

[rickjames8]

Hello!

So it seems I am in a very small minority of people who find their legs are just a tad too long for the Delorean. I have searched for "delorean more legroom" and all I've come up with are a lot of articles about how much legroom it has. :)

For me, my right leg is bent enough that my thigh touches the steering wheel when driving. When I heel-toe to the brake, my thigh goes in to the wheel pretty firmly. The angle of my leg forces my ankle in to a weird position that gets a bit tiring after 30 minutes of driving or so. And at 6'0", I'm not a particularly tall guy.

I noticed that I can wedge a flat hand behind my seat when it's all the way back. Yet, I hear a metal-on-metal 'thunk!" as I slide it back. I have gotten under the seat with a flash light and cant see where a stopper is located. Does anyone have a photo of the seat tracks that might show this? I'd like to see if it could be safely removed and still have the seat lock in place an inch further back.

Or if anyone else has done anything to get a bit more legroom, I'd be curious to hear about it.

Thanks,
-Rick
5470

[Rich_NYS]

Have you seen the Hightower mod?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAPk9KZbdAE

[rickjames8]

Have you seen the Hightower mod?



Wow! I haven't seen that scene since the movie came out.

However, the only issue is that my car did not come with with option:
47630

[Jonathan]

Hello!

So it seems I am in a very small minority of people who find their legs are just a tad too long for the Delorean. I have searched for "delorean more legroom" and all I've come up with are a lot of articles about how much legroom it has. :)

For me, my right leg is bent enough that my thigh touches the steering wheel when driving. When I heel-toe to the brake, my thigh goes in to the wheel pretty firmly. The angle of my leg forces my ankle in to a weird position that gets a bit tiring after 30 minutes of driving or so. And at 6'0", I'm not a particularly tall guy.

I noticed that I can wedge a flat hand behind my seat when it's all the way back. Yet, I hear a metal-on-metal 'thunk!" as I slide it back. I have gotten under the seat with a flash light and cant see where a stopper is located. Does anyone have a photo of the seat tracks that might show this? I'd like to see if it could be safely removed and still have the seat lock in place an inch further back.

Or if anyone else has done anything to get a bit more legroom, I'd be curious to hear about it.

Thanks,
-Rick
5470

Stock seats won't let you lay your hand flat when it is all the way back. It's more like you can't put a single finger flat when it's all the way back. So yours is a few clicks from being all the way back. That's good news in the sense that your legs will fit, you just need to figure out what's going on underneath.

Your seats have the slide release bars though at least, right? I ask because mine weren't in attendance the first day I got my car and I too wondered how I might have just bought a car I don't fit in since the seat was a few clicks from being all the way back.

My suggestion would be to take the seat out and inspect it yourself once removed from the car. Photos of how it should be won't be of that much help while it's still installed because you can't see what's going on in that low space underneath.

Removing the seat is fairly simple. Reaching under the car (and you don't typically need the car raised to do this if you have a clean enough spot to lie down on beside the car) you loosen the nut on the four threaded studs that are attached to the seat and protrude through the fiberglass floor and below the car.

Once those four are loose, carefully lift it out, being cautious of how you might need to wiggle it to clear the seatbelt receptacle and wire and the parking brake assembly (remove the carpet cover on the parking brake first).

If you're new to the car, being comfortable removing the seats isn't a bad thing as it can be necessary if/when you need to get doing some work under the dash.

It could be as simple as the carpeting has gotten bunched up and is in the way. This is known to happen at times and guys have put washers (or quarters) as spacers under there to raise it up slightly to get the rails off the carpet. Could be one of those washers is blocking things too.

Like I said, take the seat out and get a good look at it and I'm sure you'll know pretty quick what the problem was.

[Jonathan]

Wow! I haven't seen that scene since the movie came out.

However, the only issue is that my car did not come with with option:
47630

Whoa, is that a picture of your actual seats? If that's the case, then pretty much skip what I said 'cause that's a long way from stock.

[Rich_NYS]

I have my seats out, I'll try to get a few pics....might be a day or two.

[DMC-81]

Hi there,

Here are a few before and after seat track refurbishment pictures if they help. You can see the stops stamped into the metal as round bumps..

47633

47632

47634

Edit: that's assuming you're non stock seats use the OEM seat track.

[DMC5180]

Being about the same height, I have to slouch with the seat all the way back and laid back as far as it will go. My right leg lays against the console.

I'm curious if your steering wheel is adjusted to the bottom of the slot position?

I keep mine all the way up and don't have any issues per se.


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[rickjames8]

Whoa, is that a picture of your actual seats? If that's the case, then pretty much skip what I said 'cause that's a long way from stock.

Nope. Not my car. That was a random photo I found while browsing for Deloreans.

[rickjames8]

Stock seats won't let you lay your hand flat when it is all the way back. It's more like you can't put a single finger flat when it's all the way back. So yours is a few clicks from being all the way back. That's good news in the sense that your legs will fit, you just need to figure out what's going on underneath.

Your seats have the slide release bars though at least, right?

They do. I can slide them forward using that bar.


My suggestion would be to take the seat out and inspect it yourself once removed from the car.... Reaching under the car (and you don't typically need the car raised to do this if you have a clean enough spot to lie down on beside the car) you loosen the nut on the four threaded studs that are attached to the seat and protrude through the fiberglass floor and below the car.

Thanks for that! I am going in for state inspection tomorrow, so I needed to leave the car alone for the time being (I have a habit of getting in deeper in to a project than I'm supposed to - for instance "I'll just recover the seats as long as they're out" kind of thing), so I was hoping the pics would give an idea. But if it's that easy (I had a kit car where they were bolted in the same way) I'll do that this week.

Thanks!!

[rickjames8]

Here are a few before and after seat track refurbishment pictures if they help.

Exactly the photos I was hoping for - thanks. Although, it's hard to see if there would be additional holes for the catch to slide in to if those bumps were gone. Like Jonathon mentioned, it'd probably just be easiest if I take them out and have a close look from all angles. But thanks for digging up the photos. I do appreciate it.

-Rick

[rickjames8]

I'm curious if your steering wheel is adjusted to the bottom of the slot position?


There are slot positions? :) Learn something new everyday. My steering column has some play in it - I can push it up a half an inch or so. From what I read, I thought this was due to a bushing in the firewall. It's on my 'winter fix list'. I'll check in to the slots. All the same, I need to be able to straighten my leg just a tad more and I think the posts above have a few good ideas on how to get there. Thanks!

[DMC5180]

The adjuster knob is behind the RH knee pad. Up/Down and IN/OUT.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161205/fd594741bc4face46d397e06791e4103.jpg


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[Bob635]

A four seat Delorean? I have heard of this but haven't seen a picture. What seats are these?


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[rickjames8]

A four seat Delorean? I have heard of this but haven't seen a picture. What seats are these?
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I'm not sure what they're out of. My best guess was 92-96 Prelude, but the headrests are not quite right for that. Something makes me think they're JDM.

I think I found that photo here on dmctalk, but with no real text. In separate post here, I think someone mentioned the person had to rebuild the rear suspension without trailing arms to make that all fit. That's all I know about the build.

Part of me would love to make a place in the back to mount a baby seat for my 3 month old. I think a reply to a similar idea posed was "By the time you get that project finished, the kid will likely be out of the seat." Very likely true. :)

I did fashion a custom LATCH mount for my 300ZX which was portable and is now in the D. I can post pics if anyone is interested. I have taken my kid to daycare with it. But for the rest of the day, I am unable to take passengers as the seat doesn't fit elsewhere.

[Bob635]

I'm not sure what they're out of. My best guess was 92-96 Prelude, but the headrests are not quite right for that. Something makes me think they're JDM.

I think I found that photo here on dmctalk, but with no real text. In separate post here, I think someone mentioned the person had to rebuild the rear suspension without trailing arms to make that all fit. That's all I know about the build.

Part of me would love to make a place in the back to mount a baby seat for my 3 month old. I think a reply to a similar idea posed was "By the time you get that project finished, the kid will likely be out of the seat." Very likely true. :)

I did fashion a custom LATCH mount for my 300ZX which was portable and is now in the D. I can post pics if anyone is interested. I have taken my kid to daycare with it. But for the rest of the day, I am unable to take passengers as the seat doesn't fit elsewhere.





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[Bob635]

We looked at making a child seat in the back also. The easiest choice was behind the driver seat.

Moved the FI computers to the passenger side above the deck. Then removed the wood divider on the driver side add the noise padding on the fiberglass chassis.

The challenge is where to attach the seat belts. The only solution we found was running steel cables to the frame. Fortunately kids don't weigh much so this was probably ok


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[PJ Grady Inc.]

One very common problem with Delorean seat tracks is that the Allen bolts which hold the tracks to the seat frame are not loctited from the factory and commonly loosen which can interfere with track adjustments. Grab the seat bottom at each corner and gently pull up and down and see if there is excess play which would indicate a loose track bolt. To fix a loose bolt you will need to remove the seat and individually back off each track bolt, apply red loctite, and retorque the bolts.
Rob

[David T]

One very common problem with Delorean seat tracks is that the Allen bolts which hold the tracks to the seat frame are not loctited from the factory and commonly loosen which can interfere with track adjustments. Grab the seat bottom at each corner and gently pull up and down and see if there is excess play which would indicate a loose track bolt. To fix a loose bolt you will need to remove the seat and individually back off each track bolt, apply red loctite, and retorque the bolts.
Rob

It's also very common for those seat tracks to rust badly if the car got wet inside. The carpet holds the water against the tracks like a sponge. Since it is not usual for the seats to be all the way back for most of us, it is possible it is so rusty all the way back that the tracks just won't go all the way anymore. It is pretty easy to take the seats out anyway, just 4 nuts. Pull the seats and see what is going on. A good chance to clean the interior up too.

[blueshark66]

One very common problem with Delorean seat tracks is that the Allen bolts which hold the tracks to the seat frame are not loctited from the factory and commonly loosen which can interfere with track adjustments. Grab the seat bottom at each corner and gently pull up and down and see if there is excess play which would indicate a loose track bolt. To fix a loose bolt you will need to remove the seat and individually back off each track bolt, apply red loctite, and retorque the bolts.
Rob

This is exactly what happened to my driver's seat. It made a horrible screeching sound when sliding the seat back or forward, didn't move easily, and the seat didn't seem to travel as far as it should. Took the whole seat out and discovered one of those allen bolts was 90% out and causing all those problems. (All the other bolts were nice and tight.) I tightened up that bolt and problems solved.

This was the first thing I thought of when I read the original post in this thread. I gained about three inches of legroom - not that I needed it. ;-)

[rickjames8]

This is exactly what happened to my driver's seat. It made a horrible screeching sound when sliding the seat back or forward, didn't move easily, and the seat didn't seem to travel as far as it should. Took the whole seat out and discovered one of those allen bolts was 90% out and causing all those problems. (All the other bolts were nice and tight.) I tightened up that bolt and problems solved.

This was the first thing I thought of when I read the original post in this thread. I gained about three inches of legroom - not that I needed it. ;-)

Yes, the loose bolt theory makes the most sense to me. I'll be pulling the seat this weekend and checking it. Thanks to those who mentioned it!!

[louielouie2000]

A four seat Delorean? I have heard of this but haven't seen a picture. What seats are these?

That is DMCJohn's car. The seats are from an Alpine GTA, I believe.