[baloo]

We have some over-6 footers in the family, as well as a 5'4" wifey.
The wife needs the seat moved up close to the wheel, and the 6ers need seat extenders installed to move the seat back 2".
I'm worried that after I install the seat extenders, the wife won't be able to get the seat close enough up to the controls/wheel.
I think what I need is LONGER seat rails as well as the seat extenders, so that the seat can track both close to the wheel (like stock), as well as back further than stock - like the 2" extenders allow..

Any ideas or comments on finding and installing LONGER seat tracks from some other car so that I can retain the close seat-to-wheel distance, but also be able to move the seat back further another 2 " (like with seat extenders)?

Thanks.

 

[myfirstcar66]

I wonder if you could (gulp) cut and combine a pair...

 

[wicked93gs]

I was considering this myself...as myfirstcar66 said, you would need to weld a couple sets together....but its also not that easy. The seats slide back an forth on little metal rollers...these rollers sit(front and back on each rail) on little raised roller pads....so to get more travel successfully you would actually need to weld(front and back on each rail) in a section that INCLUDES A RAISED PAD PORTION. This means that if you wanted say...an additional 2 inches of rearward travel that you would have to weld in two 2" raised pad portions per rail for a total of 4 welds per pail...in addition to that, you would also have to grind down the weld INSIDE the rail so the roller could smoothly roll over the new section. As if that wasnt enough...you need to add a total of 4" more to the inner rail to match the outer rail...and finally, you would also have to relocate the seat studs since adding 4 inches into each rail would move the studs significantly. You COULD do all these modifications and get some functional rails with greater range...but in reality, it would be a project that would take probably 15 hours of work to do it right...it would probably be easier to find a set of universal rails with the travel you want and adapt them to fit mustang seats.

 

[Tallguy]

I am lucky my wife is 5'9, daughter 5'10 and son 6'4. But I did have my wife sit in the car with the seat all the way forward on the new seat tracks (3" back from stock). She looked about perfect but on the long side meaning anyone shorter would have a struggle. I did not think of it until after I put the new tracks in.

As for longer tracks, I think it could be done but the springs would be an issue but maybe not too bad. I think I would join two tracks but you would have to get them pretty dead on straight and consider the welds would need to be ground flush as there is the roller moving inside the tracks. I would consider it a "challenge accepted" project if I needed it.

 

[baloo]

I wonder if you could (gulp) cut and combine a pair...

Yah, something like that!

 

[baloo]

you would need to weld a couple sets together....but its also not that easy. ...
You COULD do all these modifications and get some functional rails with greater range...but in reality, it would be a project that would take probably 15 hours of work to do it right...it would probably be easier to find a set of universal rails with the travel you want and adapt them to fit mustang seats.

OK, you've convinced me. Not looking to do so much work just to have the the wife be able to drive it once ot twice a year.

...
I did have my wife sit in the car with the seat all the way forward on the new seat tracks (3" back from stock). She looked about perfect but on the long side meaning anyone shorter would have a struggle. I did not think of it until after I put the new tracks in.
..

Great info, thanks.
I think I might look for tracks from a large full-size car with non-power seats, or maybe EBay might advertise some long universal tracks.

 

[wicked93gs]

OK, you've convinced me. Not looking to do so much work just to have the the wife be able to drive it once ot twice a year.



Great info, thanks.
I think I might look for tracks from a large full-size car with non-power seats, or maybe EBay might advertise some long universal tracks.

Chances are a 4 door car is going to have less track travel than a 2 door car(kneeroom for passengers in the rear seat). I am 6'3" so in most every car I have ever driven I slide the seats back all the way(and I have driven a LOT of different cars...used to work at an auto auction) but there were a few cars that I remember simply because I DIDNT have to put the seats all the way back...unfortunately I can't tell you what those models were...but I do remember they were all 2 door cars...maybe a Corvette, or an RX7(which by the way is a 2 seater with a lot of room behind them and no rear passengers to complain about leg room, so a likely place to start) etc. My suggestion...take a trip to your local pull-a-part and start sitting in seats and sliding them all the way back.

 

[Tallguy]

but there were a few cars that I remember simply because I DIDNT have to put the seats all the way back...unfortunately I can't tell you what those models were...but I do remember they were all 2 door cars...

1987 Honda CRX! I am 6'6" and that is the ONLY car I have ever driven with the seat not all the way back. Not saying it would be workable as I have no idea, but yes 2 seaters for sure. And putting Honda parts in your classic? Well I guess I am down with that. Someone (me) I know has Prius steering motor in theirs. That is SO MUCH worse....

 

[[email protected]]

We have some over-6 footers in the family, as well as a 5'4" wifey.
The wife needs the seat moved up close to the wheel, and the 6ers need seat extenders installed to move the seat back 2".
I'm worried that after I install the seat extenders, the wife won't be able to get the seat close enough up to the controls/wheel.
I think what I need is LONGER seat rails as well as the seat extenders, so that the seat can track both close to the wheel (like stock), as well as back further than stock - like the 2" extenders allow..

Any ideas or comments on finding and installing LONGER seat tracks from some other car so that I can retain the close seat-to-wheel distance, but also be able to move the seat back further another 2 " (like with seat extenders)?

Thanks.

Has a girlfriend, little short girl, had a 280Z. I'm 6'4", it was the only car I didn't put the seat back all the way. Used to have a 68 fastback, cut an additional notch in the track to slide the seat back. I was the only driver.

 

[wicked93gs]

Has a girlfriend, little short girl, had a 280Z. I'm 6'4", it was the only car I didn't put the seat back all the way. Used to have a 68 fastback, cut an additional notch in the track to slide the seat back. I was the only driver.

You wouldn't get any more travel that way per se...but it would hold the seat at the furthest possible extension.



Just a picture to illustrate how the vintage mustang seat rails work....this roller sits on the raised roller pad(which you can see here). this roller pad and the stops to either side dictate the total amount of travel possible(Also, contrary to popular belief, its these stops that hold the rails together, not the tabs on the end of the rails...at least while the rails are actually bolted to the seats since the outer stop is actually the bolt that threads into the seat frame, the aforementioned tabs only hold it together once you remove the rail from the seat...more a convenience so pieces dont go flying than a necessity.)

Anyway, the picture helps in showing what would need to happen to get more travel.

 

[wicked93gs]

1987 Honda CRX! I am 6'6" and that is the ONLY car I have ever driven with the seat not all the way back. Not saying it would be workable as I have no idea, but yes 2 seaters for sure. And putting Honda parts in your classic? Well I guess I am down with that. Someone (me) I know has Prius steering motor in theirs. That is SO MUCH worse....

Not me(though I wouldn't hesitate for a second if it provided me some advantage) the OP though. Nice thing about seat rails is that with a little welding you can adapt just about any rail to add studs...just have to be careful as far as how a given rail will affect seat height...and there are a few oddball seats that don't have flat bottoms(Mazda Miata as an example, the seat bottom actually drops down as a factory effort to maximize headroom). In the end though, its likely a trial and error process to adapt existing ones:

Summit Racing SUM-G1153 Summit Racing® Universal Sliding Seat Brackets | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Summit Racing® Universal Sliding Seat Brackets with qualifying orders of $99. Shop Seat Brackets at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

These rails Summit claims have 7" of travel....which seems more than a classic mustang...but my seats aren't installed at the moment so I can't verify...but it would be a nice solution since they look very similar to classic mustang rails and would be very easy to adapt.

 

[baloo]

Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like a few hours at the Pull-A-Part yard.
The idea would be to get a long set of sliders and bolt them into a set of seat extenders (will fab my own extenders). Would need the seat to be able to move forward the same amount as stock, but also be able to slide back (and down) the additional 2" beyond furthest backward movement of the original.

Problem I can alredy forsee is that it is the darnest thing trying to remove seats from many junkyard cars due to clearance under the cars at the yard.

 

[Woodchuck]

You might try disassembling the seat tracks, drilling out the existing "stops" and making some new ones closer to the ends.

 

[elcam84]

Not sure hat donor cars you are looking at for seats but Ford was pretty much the only one to do the dumb way of putting the seat mounting hardware through holes in the floor pan. There were some others in the way past but they were few and far between. Most everything since the mid 60s other than fords have studs in a seat support or bolts into it. Easy to remove unless it's a power seat cause you can't move the seat to get to the hardware. Good reason to bring a 12v tool battery and wires that plug into it.

 

[wicked93gs]

You might try disassembling the seat tracks, drilling out the existing "stops" and making some new ones closer to the ends.

That still wont work because the raised pad the rollers sit on is only so long...it wont slide once the roller comes off that pad...it will grind instead(on a guess)...besides...the outer "stop" is the bolt that threads into the seat frame, and unless you re-drill/thread the seat frame that outer stop cant be moved and moving the inner stops without moving at least one outer stop wont gain any travel...at least to my eyes, I could be wrong. I had a friend once who liked to say "I was wrong once"

 

[Woodchuck]

That still wont work because the raised pad the rollers sit on is only so long...it wont slide once the roller comes off that pad...it will grind instead(on a guess)...besides...the outer "stop" is the bolt that threads into the seat frame, and unless you re-drill/thread the seat frame that outer stop cant be moved and moving the inner stops without moving at least one outer stop wont gain any travel...at least to my eyes, I could be wrong. I had a friend once who liked to say "I was wrong once"

I hear ya...

Universal slider kit?

 

[ILuv65FB]

Yes I have and love them as I am 6". I made my own after looking and finding a great article on the net. You can always change it back with out and notice or change. Good luck and I would do it to the next mustang I own also!

 

[craigsa]

Yes I have and love them as I am 6". I made my own after looking and finding a great article on the net. You can always change it back with out and notice or change. Good luck and I would do it to the next mustang I own also!

Any chance of getting a link to this article?

 

[baloo]

You wouldn't get any more travel that way per se...but it would hold the seat at the furthest possible extension.



Just a picture to illustrate how the vintage mustang seat rails work....this roller sits on the raised roller pad(which you can see here). this roller pad and the stops to either side dictate the total amount of travel possible(Also, contrary to popular belief, its these stops that hold the rails together, not the tabs on the end of the rails...at least while the rails are actually bolted to the seats since the outer stop is actually the bolt that threads into the seat frame, the aforementioned tabs only hold it together once you remove the rail from the seat...more a convenience so pieces dont go flying than a necessity.)

Anyway, the picture helps in showing what would need to happen to get more travel.

Wicked - thanks for that pic and the info.

 

[baloo]

Not sure hat donor cars you are looking at for seats but Ford was pretty much the only one to do the dumb way of putting the seat mounting hardware through holes in the floor pan. .......unless it's a power seat cause you can't move the seat to get to the hardware. Good reason to bring a 12v tool battery and wires that plug into it.

You're absolutely right!!! Impossible to get those power seats off at a junk yard. Never thought of carrying in a 12V with cables. But, I prob should just be looking for manual seats -- nowadays would have to be out of some lower end car.