Stock bench seat

57imposter · 2020-04-06 12:50

Quote from: Tom S on 2020-04-05 08:51
Motorcycle stuff? Are you on the Adventure Rider, (ADV), site?
https://advrider.com/f/
My favorite two out of my six+ bikes.

Road rider and I have a 79 Yahama XS650 project bike that I got after it became apparent I did not have another car build left in me. I have been picking away on the Yamaha for about three years so its fairly obvious that is just here for me to mess with when I feel like it. I don't really care if it ever gets finished.

Tom S · 2020-04-08 08:12

Quote from: fdlrc on 2020-04-05 13:54
Looks like a Maltese fire department emblem on red frame bike.

That's for a good friend that died of cancer. He was a heavy machinery mech in the fire department.

Tom S · 2020-04-08 08:31

Quote from: 57imposter on 2020-04-06 12:50
Road rider and I have a 79 Yahama XS650 project bike that I got after it became apparent I did not have another car build left in me. ...

I've always liked Yamahas & still have some. For a while I was looking for an older model XS650, the ones with wire spoke wheels. It's just as well that I didn't find one.
After being in pretty heavy into cars & hotrods for decades I got mostly back into bikes for the past 20 plus years. I've got way too many vehicles!

Ecode70D · 2020-04-08 12:11

Quote from: Tom S on 2020-04-08 08:31

After being in pretty heavy into cars & hotrods for decades I got mostly back into bikes for the past 20 plus years. I've got way too many vehicles!

Tom
I know what you are talking about. We need days with more hours.
Jay

Tom S · 2020-04-10 16:25

Quote from: Ecode70D on 2020-04-08 12:11Tom
I know what you are talking about. We need days with more hours.
Jay

Jay, instead of more hours in the day what I really need is the energy & the ambition that I used to have to get on to the dozens of unfinished car & motorcycle projects & repairs. I've collected a lot more vehicles & junk than any 75 year old & now long single man can handle.

Ecode70D · 2020-04-10 20:25

Tom
:hurricane:I have 4 more years on you and I know what you are saying, But we should always have a project to keep our
minds active.
Jay

57imposter · 2020-04-10 21:37

Quote from: Tom S on 2020-04-03 13:23
I posted these pix almost 8 years ago for someone else on here.

I found your post, just now. Thanks! Thats very close to where my buckets sit. For some reason, they have never felt right and have never been happy with them. I am dropping them 1 1/2 inches. I hope that will correct my issues but win, lose or draw this is it. there is no way to go lower without replacing the seats and that isn't going to happen.

57imposter · 2020-04-17 22:03

I managed to finish my seat lowering project this afternoon. It was a real PITA gutting out the seats and carpet, shielding upholstery panels so I could cut grind and weld on the floor without destroying and other upholstery. Turns out I was able to get 1 1/2" of height by cutting out the old and making new seat mounts. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to tell the difference but the change is dramatic. I was running my tilt column in the top position and was able to drop it two notches. Kinda irritating that I didn't take the time to correct the seats when I was building the car. I went from 11 inches at the front of the seat to 9 1/2.

RICH MUISE · 2020-04-18 08:40

Did you get to drive it with the new height?
I've been meaning to ask....I know you just changed from Rack and pinion to a Borgenson box......talk about the difference in handling and turning radius please! Are you glad you made the change? BTW, checking the rack bolts is something I do occasionally now.

lalessi1 · 2020-04-18 08:55

I just finished repairing my seat tracks. My car since I have it had has had a seat that would not adjust. It was in a good driving position for me where it happened to be so this project was put on hold. I fixed a couple of other issues with the seat and it works now like "buttah",but I have a question... my seat had spacers on the front of the seat between the tracks and the seat frame. Looked factory but now I am wondering. Are they supposed to be there?

57imposter · 2020-04-18 10:14

Quote from: RICH MUISE on 2020-04-18 08:40

Did you get to drive it with the new height?
I've been meaning to ask....I know you just changed from Rack and pinion to a Borgenson box......talk about the difference in handling and turning radius please! Are you glad you made the change? BTW, checking the rack bolts is something I do occasionally now.

Yes I did drive it. Really happy with the way the seats sit now and life is good. As far as the rack goes, it was a little quicker than I liked. If I drove the car regularly, it was not noticeable. I had a rack kit from Wurth-It Design's. That kit rotates the rack so the tie rod adapter bolts are pointed straight down. The bolts were torqued, locktighted and safety wired. One of those bolts broke and the only thing that kept it from falling out, going 60 MPH down the highway, was the safety wire. The steering still went wonky and scared the hell out of me. I got it off the road and called a Roll Back to get it home. When I got it up on the hoist, I could hardly believe what I was seeing and thought, I will never be able to trust this setup so that began the process of converting to the box.
As for the Borgeson box. It was a bit of a job putting it in since you need a stock manual Pitman arm and I had to adapt a GM power steering pump into my Ford serpentine belt setup. The plus side is that it eliminated the double jointed steering driveline as the column mounts directly to the box with a single U-Joint right at the firewall audit drives exactly like a modern car.

mustang6984 · 2020-04-18 10:22

I may have to stop in Kennewick some time in the future on one of my trips back and forth to Branson...and eyeball that, if you don't mind. I have my Courier all torn down to frame off right now, so would be the time to think about making any changes.

I have never heard of any bolts breaking before in a steering set-up. That is weird. Wonder if it was a bad bolt? Or do you think it is a bad design that out too much stress on the bolts?

57imposter · 2020-04-18 11:22

Quote from: mustang6984 on 2020-04-18 10:22
I may have to stop in Kennewick some time in the future on one of my trips back and forth to Branson...and eyeball that, if you don't mind. I have my Courier all torn down to frame off right now, so would be the time to think about making any changes.

I have never heard of any bolts breaking before in a steering set-up. That is weird. Wonder if it was a bad bolt? Or do you think it is a bad design that out too much stress on the bolts?

I would almost have to think it was a bad bolt. I have been around mechanical stuff my whole life and have never encountered anything like it. I just tend to be very critical about brakes and steering so making the swap to the box eliminated any issues for me.
You would be welcome to stop by, any time as I am almost always around. Just give me a shout when you are headed this way.
best contact would be dougm58@yahoo.com

mustang6984 · 2020-04-18 11:26

I agree. I once broke a headbolt on a 235 I/L 6 when I was a high school senior. The shop teacher was amazed and impressed! LOL!!! Now that nearly 50 years have passed since then...I am also impressed. Had to be a bad bolt.

I will let you know. My buddy Bob lives over in Richland. Thanks!

Ford Blue blood · 2020-04-19 07:25

I installed the same rack setup in a 50 Chevy for a friend. Used the kit supplied adapter, tie rod ends and bolts. Used lock tight and lock washers on the bolts and tie rod ends per the instructions. The adapter refused to stay tightened up. It only took 1500 to 2000 miles for the steering to feel funny. Never did figure it out, he did not trust the car and sold it. Been a huge fan of Borgeson ever since!

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Stock bench seat