Seat tracks

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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spider2081
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Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:45 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Wallingford,CT

Seat tracks

Post by spider2081 »

Does anyone know if there is "correct" way to install the seat tracks. It seems to me some seats move forward more than others. This makes removing the rear track bolts much harder. I know the seat adjuster is the inboard track and the handle points away from the center tunnel. I'm wondering if the other track has a front and back and the distance it travels is different.
fiat218
Posts: 5745
Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 5:06 pm
Your car is a: 1969 124 AS spider

Re: Seat tracks

Post by fiat218 »

If there reversed then I'm not sure how they can work, you have the handle to unlock them and they slide forward
Jim
East Grand Forks MN
1970 Fiat Spider BS1 ( FOR SALE
1969 124 AS Spider
2017 Abrath
2018 Alfa Romeo 4c Spider
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perthling
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:04 pm
Your car is a: 1974 124 Spider
Location: Western Australia

Re: Seat tracks

Post by perthling »

These often bind up over time, with dust, dirt, carpet fluff and small animals getting in there. I found a good spray with CRC followed by some vigorous back and forth action (I'm referring to the seat base here - not whatever you were thinking :) ) was enough to free the seats up enough to get access to the screws to remove the seats. With the seats out I gave the tracks a good clean with more CRC then applied a bit of bearing grease to the slides and rollers before reinstallation.

I didn't take any pics of mine but I'm assuming from your question you think you may have swapped the idle track (the one without the handle) from one seat to the other? From memory the inner section of the slide has the longest travel towards the front of the car if that helps.
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Perthling
1974 Fiat 124 Spider (blade bumper 1756cc)
1974 Fiat 124 CC (same family since new)
1975 Fiat 124 CC (project)
1969 Fiat 124AC (project)
1997 Coupe Fiat 20VT (daily driver)
http://www.fiatlancia.org.au
spider2081
Patron 2024
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Posts: 3015
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2006 11:45 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Wallingford,CT

Re: Seat tracks

Post by spider2081 »

Thanks

Yes I was inquiring about the track with out the adjustment handle. I have cleaned and lubed couple sets now and am not pleased with the force it takes to slide them and more so the distance the inner piece slides.

I guess a better way to ask my question is does anyone have the measurements of how far a track slides in each direction. If the center and outer pieces are set even how far out should the inner track move from that point. Also is that distance the same for both directions.
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perthling
Posts: 349
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:04 pm
Your car is a: 1974 124 Spider
Location: Western Australia

Re: Seat tracks

Post by perthling »

spider2081 wrote: I have cleaned and lubed couple sets now and am not pleased with the force it takes to slide them .
After I cleaned up mine i found they slid with minimal effort - i could slide them with my fingers even before bolting them back onto the seat. I have had a couple of rails from cars I've pulled apart where the rollers have been out of round or the rail has become a little bent and that has bound them up very quickly.
_______________________
Perthling
1974 Fiat 124 Spider (blade bumper 1756cc)
1974 Fiat 124 CC (same family since new)
1975 Fiat 124 CC (project)
1969 Fiat 124AC (project)
1997 Coupe Fiat 20VT (daily driver)
http://www.fiatlancia.org.au
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