seats zook.
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:23 pm
dose anyone know how hard it is to fit a set of bucket seats into a 89 vitara?
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Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:34 pm
it's hard, have a look at the seat rails... the outer one is on the floor & the inner one is on the trans tunnel & the frame is part of the rails.
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:38 pm
yeah do you know of anything that can be made up or buy anything or just a matter or making somthing up suitable enough for it to line up to the other side.
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:13 am
i don't think you can buy anything, you will need to fab something up. i stole a pre fabbed one off polar_bear, it's a work of art!97BLZ wrote:yeah do you know of anything that can be made up or buy anything or just a matter or making somthing up suitable enough for it to line up to the other side.
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:57 am
Just a word of warning here guys, solid seat mounting is very important, the forces placed on your seat and its mounts in the event of an accident are massive, make sure you don't make an ejector seat.
Peter.
Peter.
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:00 am
Also Art, sorry to rain on your parade a bit, but (going by the pic) your seat belt is going to be fairly ineffectual with the high sides of that seat.
Peter.
Peter.
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:30 pm
that's cool peter, they were made for a set of recaro recliners, the seats have been removed. a 4 point CAMS spec cage has gone in & the seats will return with harnesses.droopypete wrote:Also Art, sorry to rain on your parade a bit, but (going by the pic) your seat belt is going to be fairly ineffectual with the high sides of that seat.
Peter.
the frame that was made up is quite substantial & it replaces the whole vitara seat frame.
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:23 pm
do you have a pic of the rails and how yours are in mate
Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 10:06 pm
Good to hear, it makes me cringe when people fit harness belts with no cross bar at shoulder height, but a cams spec cage will most certainly have one.atari4x4 wrote:that's cool peter, they were made for a set of recaro recliners, the seats have been removed. a 4 point CAMS spec cage has gone in & the seats will return with harnesses.droopypete wrote:Also Art, sorry to rain on your parade a bit, but (going by the pic) your seat belt is going to be fairly ineffectual with the high sides of that seat.
Peter.
the frame that was made up is quite substantial & it replaces the whole vitara seat frame.
Peter.
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:16 pm
Lots of sensible Outers advice.. and tech from Droopypete! 
last time I looked, 89 vitaras have "bucket" seats. I assume you mean "racing" or "shoulder support" seats.
These comments aren't specifically directed at you 97blz, but seat threads come up quite often.
Mounting seats requires planning, thought, and advanced fabrication skills. Not everybody possesses these skills. That's fine, however, it's important to recognise when a critical fabrication task is beyond you. This is especially true when you are talking about fabricating a seat mount.
Stick welding, unrated hardware, gal shelf brackets, pop rivets, tek screws (yes, really) have no place in a car. In my opinion, neither do the majority of "racing" seats sold in franchise auto stores.
Racing seats are approved for racing, like the MOMO in atari's car. See down near the (terribly placed, sorry Atari) seatbelt catch. Thats an FIA approval. That means the seat is for racing, and is approved for far larger forces than a regular car seat. Race seats aren't always a good choice in a road car. Mostly, they need to be very well suited to your size. A loose race seat is often quite uncomfortable and defeats the purpose of the seat in the first place. A too tight race seat is just terrible. If you really want a race seat, make sure you get a quality seat in the right size. Many seats designed for "performance" use are a terrible choice in a 4WD. Hard side supports, limited visibility past the shoulder supports and a lack of padding on the side bolsters can lead to bruised ribs. I know. I've had them.
Buying aftermarket seats made to the same standards as the seats already in your car is quite expensive. Most Chinese seats sold in chain stores have poor quality reclining mechanisms and awkward ergonomics.
If you don't think you're up to fabricating pretty much the most critical thing in your car, contact the distributor (Recaro's distributor, Idealseat, will fit a recaro to anything) or a race preparation workshop. Race workshops mount seats all the time and are all over it. You'll be surprised how much they charge to do it - that's a measure of what's involved.
PS Vitaras aren't that easy to mount a seat in.
last time I looked, 89 vitaras have "bucket" seats. I assume you mean "racing" or "shoulder support" seats.
These comments aren't specifically directed at you 97blz, but seat threads come up quite often.
Mounting seats requires planning, thought, and advanced fabrication skills. Not everybody possesses these skills. That's fine, however, it's important to recognise when a critical fabrication task is beyond you. This is especially true when you are talking about fabricating a seat mount.
Stick welding, unrated hardware, gal shelf brackets, pop rivets, tek screws (yes, really) have no place in a car. In my opinion, neither do the majority of "racing" seats sold in franchise auto stores.
Racing seats are approved for racing, like the MOMO in atari's car. See down near the (terribly placed, sorry Atari) seatbelt catch. Thats an FIA approval. That means the seat is for racing, and is approved for far larger forces than a regular car seat. Race seats aren't always a good choice in a road car. Mostly, they need to be very well suited to your size. A loose race seat is often quite uncomfortable and defeats the purpose of the seat in the first place. A too tight race seat is just terrible. If you really want a race seat, make sure you get a quality seat in the right size. Many seats designed for "performance" use are a terrible choice in a 4WD. Hard side supports, limited visibility past the shoulder supports and a lack of padding on the side bolsters can lead to bruised ribs. I know. I've had them.
Buying aftermarket seats made to the same standards as the seats already in your car is quite expensive. Most Chinese seats sold in chain stores have poor quality reclining mechanisms and awkward ergonomics.
If you don't think you're up to fabricating pretty much the most critical thing in your car, contact the distributor (Recaro's distributor, Idealseat, will fit a recaro to anything) or a race preparation workshop. Race workshops mount seats all the time and are all over it. You'll be surprised how much they charge to do it - that's a measure of what's involved.
PS Vitaras aren't that easy to mount a seat in.
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:39 pm
And some advice on harness belts in the bush,
THEY SUCK!!
I would prefer a lap belt to a harness (I have had both) harness's are made so you don't move, usually in a vehicle that is going very fast, when we are doing technical driving we go very slow (most of the time) and not being able to stick your head out the window to check obstacles/wheel placement etc is a big disadvantage.
I originally bought mine as I am sure most people did (if they were honest) for the cool factor, and I continued to justify them so as not to admit I really needed the extra cool
now I have a Suzuki, it is obvious that I am WAY cool, I no longer need them 
Peter.
THEY SUCK!!
I would prefer a lap belt to a harness (I have had both) harness's are made so you don't move, usually in a vehicle that is going very fast, when we are doing technical driving we go very slow (most of the time) and not being able to stick your head out the window to check obstacles/wheel placement etc is a big disadvantage.
I originally bought mine as I am sure most people did (if they were honest) for the cool factor, and I continued to justify them so as not to admit I really needed the extra cool
now I have a Suzuki, it is obvious that I am WAY cool, I no longer need them Peter.
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:30 pm
A bit more info on Ataris seat,
Due to the high sides on it, he had to slide the seat all the way back to get into it, then slide it alot forewards to reach the pedals and wheel (something about his ass being too big to fit between the steering wheel and seat, hence the poor seatbelt catch and lap/sash position.
I made those seat base frames to suit a pair or recaros ive got, but the mounting position of that momo seat looks a fair bit further back than a stock seat. Feel free to post up a pic of the seat base...i hear you've painted it now, i cant remember what it looks like
Due to the high sides on it, he had to slide the seat all the way back to get into it, then slide it alot forewards to reach the pedals and wheel (something about his ass being too big to fit between the steering wheel and seat, hence the poor seatbelt catch and lap/sash position.
I made those seat base frames to suit a pair or recaros ive got, but the mounting position of that momo seat looks a fair bit further back than a stock seat. Feel free to post up a pic of the seat base...i hear you've painted it now, i cant remember what it looks like
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:17 pm
Yeah, it's been a while since your junk ran, I'll return the seat frame when you start bolting parts back on your vitara!Polar_Bear wrote:A bit more info on Ataris seat,
Due to the high sides on it, he had to slide the seat all the way back to get into it, then slide it alot forewards to reach the pedals and wheel (something about his ass being too big to fit between the steering wheel and seat, hence the poor seatbelt catch and lap/sash position.
I made those seat base frames to suit a pair or recaros ive got, but the mounting position of that momo seat looks a fair bit further back than a stock seat. Feel free to post up a pic of the seat base...i hear you've painted it now, i cant remember what it looks like
The frame is still bolted to my seat, I'll try & get some happy snaps of it in the next couple of days.