Mounting race seats as low as possible? Options

[Fubawu]

I was wondering if anyone has fabbed up some sort of bracket for race seats.
I currently have Recaro side brackets on slides mounted to the stock locations.

I would like to mount the side brackets to the stock location minus the sliders for the extra headroom. I need it to stay safely below the cage. My thought was two flat pieces of steel 1/4 inch in place of the rails then mount the side mounts to that? Should lower me a a couple inches.

Any other ideas out there already in use??

[whitetwinturbo]

How tall are you?

Some guys have lowered the floor............ (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

[Fubawu]

How tall are you?

Some guys have lowered the floor............ (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

not that tall, 6,2 just want to get as low as possible as simple as possible

[carr914]

In this car I mounted the MOMO side brackets to the Floor, with steel plates under the car. It was fixed in the position for me!

I'm 6' and you can see I have a lot of head room

[Fubawu]

In this car I mounted the MOMO side brackets to the Floor, with steel plates under the car. It was fixed in the position for me!

I'm 6' and you can see I have a lot of head room

That looks ideal, can you take a picture of your set up. Did you need
To cut the cross brace and factory mounts out?

[GregAmy]

I just went through this.

I'm 6'1" and have a Tangerine cage that's built right up to the installed targa top. However, I want to run it open-top (it's now historic/vintage, so less concerned about aero as I am about being able to wave to my adoring fans) and SCCA requires the helmet to be 2" below the top of the main hoop.

I've got a nice RaceTech containment seat, but short of serious floor modifications (removing lateral mount and installing a lowered floor insert) there's just no way that'll work. Hell, I'm even touching the targa top with it on.

So...my only viable solution was to take one of those aluminum-shelled seats (Butler, in my case) and mount it directly to the floor, and I rotated the bottom slightly forward to get my torso lower. Just two through-bolts with washers straight to the pan with another two securing the back to the cage. With its thin bottom padding I'm *right* at the 2"-below-hoop height, and that's if I scrunch down ever-so-slightly. Unfortunately, with the seat rotated down the slots for the belts and the headrest were too low, so I cut off the headrest, trimmed down the back of the seat, and mounted the headrest directly to the main roll hoop.

I may get motivated to do a drop-pan over the winter so I can use the RaceTech seat. But this works for now.

- GA

[stownsen914]

I spent a ton of time lowering the seat in my 911 racecar so the seat sits essentially on the floor while still using double-locking sliders. It was a total pain, frankly. I am not using stock seat mounting location (or even a stock floorpan), so I had some freedom. I used Recaro side mounts and drilled the holes as low as possible to lower the seat, and then used spacers and shims between the seat and side mounts to keep the sliders parallel. The sliders mount directly to the floor in my case.

It wasn't a hard job really, but took a lot of time, and I probably took the seat, rails, etc. in and out of the car at least a dozen times while measuring and test fitting everything while I was fabricating so it would fit just right and keep the sliders parallel.

Scott

[Fubawu]

I'm leaning towards side mounts directly to the floor. Will have to measure
and see if there is enough room from the cross brace to the rear fire wall.
Basically have the seat sit 1 inch off the floor.

[Cracker]

This was just covered recently...quite a few folks chimed in - search for it.

T

[carr914]

In this car I mounted the MOMO side brackets to the Floor, with steel plates under the car. It was fixed in the position for me!

I'm 6' and you can see I have a lot of head room

That looks ideal, can you take a picture of your set up. Did you need
To cut the cross brace and factory mounts out?

That car is now in Wales! I know I took the original mount out, but I think I left the crossbrace. The one thing that I remember that I did was used the Recaro side brackets on what would be the opposite sides which allowed the rear of the seat to be about a 1/4 inch off the floor

[EdwardBlume]

I bolted mine to the floor, and then installed a stock rail late so my wife could adjust it. Do whatever puts you in the right spot safely.

[Alphaogre]

I fabbed up a cross brace that bolted to the stock seat mount location but sat flat on the floor, that in turn bolted to the seat.

For the front, I had an L bracket that went from the seat which is sitting on the front cross brace and mounted to the front of the floor's cross brace which I drilled and welded bungs in.

I tilted it back which helped. I have also seen versions where they cut down that front cross brace bracket and plate it, then you can mount the seat flat to the floor. I was a little trigger shy on doing all that.

This was to mount a Corbeau fixed back clubman seat, I'm 6'6" BTW

[brant]

For a race car..

I use the Ultra shield seat
no fight with mounting
it has the perfect angle to mount in the stock floor
no need to cut the seat
no need to cut the floor cross brace

I too use a home fabricated seat back brace
not required in vintage, but required in PCA club racing

I highly recommend this seat and have run it for 11 years now
it fits and it fits tall people too

[stugray]

I have the same seats as Brant.
I bolted 4"X4" Aluminum Angle to the floor pan (rear) and the crossmember) front with carriage bolts.
Then I bolted the seat to the angle from the sides.
I drilled extra holes in the angle and in the seat to move it forward/back, so I have some adjustment.

[Cracker]

There is no way I could safely drive a 914 with the roof on and have adequate clearance with my helmet. It is physically impossible. Heck with the cross brace - I had to lower the seat through the floor. It wasn't happening otherwise.

I am 6'5-6", as mentioned elsewhere but even that doesn't tell the whole story. My legs are looonng. It doesn't matter if my head fits but my legs & feet don't - right? At your height, I believe your floorboard is safe from the sawzall... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

T

Below is a pic of the dropped floor along with the welded in seat mount...this is a race car pretty much, so I didn't grind the rocker reinforcement plates down flat. I have a line of sight that is about 1.5" above the top of the steering wheel - it feels like you are positioned properly in a race car.

[stugray]

There is no way I could safely drive a 914 with the roof on and have adequate clearance with my helmet. It is physically impossible. Heck with the cross brace - I had to lower the seat through the floor. It wasn't happening otherwise.

I am 6'5-6", as mentioned elsewhere but even that doesn't tell the whole story. My legs are looonng. It doesn't matter if my head fits but my legs/feet don't - right? At your height, I believe your floorboard is safe from the sawzall... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

T

One of the guys in my vintage race group had to cut a hole in the roof for the rollcage loop to protrude through.

[Fubawu]

This is great info here, on the diagram
I'm unsure how the rear bracket mounts?
Mounted to the seat then drill a hole in the bracket and mount to the floor?