Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

[M W.]

Hi all,

I recently removed my two seats out of my 64 roadster to media blast and repaint the seat bottoms and noticed how loose the four bottom rails are. Not sure if this is normal or if there is a way to stiffen or tighten. Any help is appreciated if there is a way to improve the movement from left to right.

Thanks,
Craig W.

[Randy S.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Craig,

Yes the tracks can be repaired. As you can see the tracks are actually a tube within a tube design and there are 1/4" diameter springs within the tubes that act as bearings. They can be replaced. See archives under seat track repair. The springs can be purchased locally at a good hardware store or from LIC

Randy

[M W.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Randy, is there a easy way to remove the lower seat rails without having to remove anything important? It seems the seat lock is in the way and to remove the seat rail you need to remove that as well. It is welded in place the best I can see. As usual nothing is easy in the restoration process.

Thanks,
Craig

[Stuart F.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Craig;

When you say loose; what if any symptoms or concerns arise as a result? i.e., do you get rattles, or are the seats unable to be locked securely in position?

Stu Fox

[M W.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Stu, it locks in place just fine. The rails are simply loose and wobble back and forth when out of the car. I just figured they should be a bit tighter.

Thanks,
Craig

[Randy S.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Craig,

My seats are back in the car but as I recall...
The inner tube can be removed. Remove the spring from the seat latch assy allowing the tube to slide freely. On my 66 the tube was held in place by a corner bracket screwed on the ends. You will have to roll back the upholstery slightly to remove these but once removed the inner tube will slide right out the end.

I had a great deal of difficulty ( see archives) getting the proper size springs back in the tube but it can be done

Randy

[M W.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Thanks Randy.

[Jim P.]

Re: Loose seat rails..How to tighten?

Craig,

I'm in the process of restoring my 64 and have just finished the seats. The seat tracks are very loose when they are out of the car. This is normal. If the seats don't rock when they are in the car then you probably don't need to rebuild them. If they wobble a little when they are bolted in place then they probably need the internal "springs" replaced.

The springs are not used in the traditional sense but are laid sideways in the tube to act like bearings. The springs act like a roller as the seat track slides back and forth in the tube. It doesn't take a huge effort to replace them if you've already got the seats out. Remove the end brackets on the tracks. To answer your question, yes, the seat lock is in the way. There are a couple ways to deal with this. The pivot point on the lock is a rivet. You can drill out the rivet and remove the lock and then replace it during reassembly. I did it a different way. I used a small pry bar and separated the track just enough to clear the interference of the stop. I was a little hesitant at first but I got all four tracks out this way.

When you pull the tracks out make sure you "cup" the end of the tube with your hand because the springs are loaded into the tube under pressure and they will come flying out. Each spring is enclosed in a housing that guides the track in the tube. Remove a C clip on either side of the track to remove the housings on each end.

I know it is difficult to make sense of all this but it will all come together as you see it disassembled. Five of my eight springs were broken and one had become partially jammed in the tube. I was unable to find the correct diameter springs at the hardware store. This diameter is critical since it centers the rollers in the tube; too loose and it will wobble; too tight and the seat won't slide easily. I ordered the correct size (at least I hope) from LICS.

Grease the rails and install new springs. Reassembly is the reverse. As a previous poster pointed out, it is extremely difficult to "stuff" the original springs back in the tube. They are very stiff. The springs from LICS are much more flexible and easier to work with.

Let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck.
Jim