what am I missing? (seat rails)

Maintenance advice to keep your Spider in shape.
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rug
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:53 am
Your car is a: 1971 sport coupe

what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by rug »

So when I bought my car it had some cheap "racing" seats in it. The stock seats where also included but I seem to be missing some pieces. This is my seat:
Image
and this is the mounts in the car:
Image
I am making a wild guess that the mounts are the same as the spider (I have a coupe). To mount my stock seats, what do I need? Is it just the left and right seat adjuster rails and 2x sliding rail? Or are there some other pieces between the seat pan and the car mount that I need?

/C
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

It's been a few decades since I've owned a 124 sport coupe, but for the spider, here's how it should be set up. Each seat has two seat rails, one of which has the lever (closest to the transmission tunnel) and one that is just a simple sliding rail (closest to the door). Each rail consists of two "sub-rails", with roller bearings in between so the "sub-rails" can slide relative to each other. One subrail bolts to the seat pan (2 bolts), and the other to the seat supports on the floor pan (also 2 bolts). The subrails are stamped together so you really can't take them apart.

On some Fiat spiders that I've had, there was a roughly 3/8" thick spacer (washer) between the seat pan and the subrail in the front, on both sides of each seat. Some cars of mine have had them, and some not, so I'm not sure if it was a manufacturing variation or the spacers were simply lost over time when previous owners tinkered with the seats.

I can't quite tell from your pictures, but the seat rails look different somehow. Perhaps not original, and perhaps meant to mount the "racing" seats specifically? Google "Fiat 124 seat rails" for various images of how the original rails should look. Or just look at images for seat rails as shown in online Fiat parts stores.

Hope this is of some help.
-Bryan
rug
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:53 am
Your car is a: 1971 sport coupe

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by rug »

Yes, the rails in the picture are for the seats that are installed right now. They will not fit the original seats...

There are black pieces in between the floorpan and the rails that look and feel like they are original pieces. I guess the stock rails mount to these the same way the stock rails do. I found rails to buy. Just want to make sure they fit and that I am not missing more pieces before I get them shipped all the way over from the US ;)

/C
18Fiatsandcounting
Posts: 3798
Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:23 pm
Your car is a: 1969 and 1971 124 spiders
Location: San Francisco Bay Area

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by 18Fiatsandcounting »

Rug, if the welded-on nuts inside your seat pan (4 per seat) and the nuts in the floorpan seat supports (again 4 per seat) are good, I'm guessing you'll be fine. I've never come across a 124 that had anything between the floorpan seat supports and the seat rails. And just the occasional spacers in the front between the seat pan and seat rails as I noted.

-Bryan
rug
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:53 am
Your car is a: 1971 sport coupe

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by rug »

Thanks guys,

I think I am only missing the sliding rails. I have ordered a set and hopefully by next weekend I will know if I am missing more parts ;)

/C
DieselSpider
Posts: 2130
Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 10:21 pm
Your car is a: 1978 124 Spider with Isuzu Turbo Diesel

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by DieselSpider »

rug wrote:Thanks guys,

I think I am only missing the sliding rails. I have ordered a set and hopefully by next weekend I will know if I am missing more parts ;)

/C
On mine they welded in steel plates to support the narrower bolt pattern of the racing seats which can present a problem if they welded similar on top of the factory mounts on yours. I have the ridiculously large Garage Pro Racing Seats in mine which sit so high that you can't see traffic lights once you get close to the stop line so getting rid of them is on my to-do list.
redcars
Patron 2020
Patron 2020
Posts: 487
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:36 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Spider 2000
Location: Collinsville, IL

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by redcars »

I have both Spiders a couple. The rail without the adjustment lock are the same in both. There's a difference in the release lever. One is bent up and one is bent down. I think I put Spider rails in my couple. If you need it I can go out and look, but I think it will work.
1987 Lotus Super 7 clone
1981 Fiat Spider 2000 AT
1982 Fiat Spider 2000 5sd
1970 Fiat Coupe
rug
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:53 am
Your car is a: 1971 sport coupe

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by rug »

redcars wrote:I have both Spiders a couple. The rail without the adjustment lock are the same in both. There's a difference in the release lever. One is bent up and one is bent down. I think I put Spider rails in my couple. If you need it I can go out and look, but I think it will work.
The sliding rails are on their way. Fedex will have them at my house on tuesday so I will post back here if I can't get it to work with the pieces I get. Thanks!

/C
rug
Posts: 43
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2018 1:53 am
Your car is a: 1971 sport coupe

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by rug »

So I got the rails from the spider. They do fit fine although I need to find some small/shallow head M8 screws that fits to mount them.

/C
samakijoe
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:56 pm
Your car is a: 1975 Fiat 124
Location: Original Washington (1776) NC

Re: what am I missing? (seat rails)

Post by samakijoe »

I went with these. You will have to shorten some to fit. The heads are short enough to fit.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07 ... =UTF8&th=1
SAMAKIJOE
AKA GRANDPA GRUMPYPANTS
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