Seat "warpage"

[Danno]

I don't know how well these pics show it, but how do I fix the fact that the seats (really the driver's is the real problem, passenger's isn't so bad) are warped. You can kinda see how the driver's leans back more on the inside than it does on the outside. probably just years of having a driver leaning that direction to shift, etc...

Is there something structural that I can bend and support in there to make it straight?

[So Cal Mark]

very common problem with the later style seats. The backs weren't very strong and many are cracked. Try unhooking the upholstery and inspecting, if it's cracked you'll need to get it welded, or swap in some Honda seats

[Danno]

very common problem with the later style seats. The backs weren't very strong and many are cracked. Try unhooking the upholstery and inspecting, if it's cracked you'll need to get it welded, or swap in some Honda seats

that's kinda what i figured. thanks mark. I guess when I have the seats out to replace the carpet I'll mess with it then.

[So Cal Mark]

you can straighten them by bracing against the bottom and pulling on the upper corner, but if the frame is cracked it will tweak again pretty quickly.

[Danno]

you can straighten them by bracing against the bottom and pulling on the upper corner, but if the frame is cracked it will tweak again pretty quickly.

i wonder if (since i don't have a welder myself) I could just get an appropriate lengthed rod and 2 hose clamps on each side of the brake/weak spot...


know what I mean? heck, it's in the seat, it don't have to look good, just work!

[So Cal Mark]

a plate with pop rivets is probably more appropriate, once you see how they crack I'm sure you can figure out how to strengthen it

[Danno]

a plate with pop rivets is probably more appropriate, once you see how they crack I'm sure you can figure out how to strengthen it

ok, that makes sense. i wasn't sure what I will be working with here....

[tgulden]

I realize that this thread is 3+ years old, but I just fixed this drivers seat warping problem in my 81 Fiat Spider and this seems like the best place to post the fix.

The symptom is that the right side of the drivers seat warps toward the back seat, giving the seat back a 15 or 20 degree right twist. It can be straitened out by folding the seat forward and pressing down hard on the right corner of it, but this only lasts until you lean some weight back onto it again. It feels like something is bending -- and something is.

The problem was actually on the left side rail -- it is getting most of its strength from being shallowly u-shaped. Once it gets creased, it is really weak. Each bend back and forward was bringing it closer to failure. Fortunately, I stopped doing that and took it apart before it broke.

Here is a photo of the repair:


the key (after getting the upholstery off, which is not too bad -- just takes some attention) was to drill a hole and bolt the weak spot to the stronger member that is right next to it. The photo is not the greatest, but you can see the crease in the outer rail just above the square nut I used. Be sure to bend it back into shape before you remove it from the car -- it is much harder to get right once it is loose.

I am not planning to torture test this, as its next failure may be its last, but so far I have driven it every day for a week and it feels solid.

I'll post again if it doesn't hold up well. Meanwhile, I am quite happy with it.

Tim

[alexGS]

Thanks for that, Tim - my driver's seat is warped too. I believe the cause is the raising of the soft-top from the driver's seat...!

As for why my passenger's seat is also warped - well, that WAS the driver's seat from 1978 to 1990 - the car was converted to RHD in 1990. Maybe I am one of few unfortunate enough to have two warped seats to fix.

[PittsburghKevin]

Thanks guys who posted on this thread. I was wondering whether there was anything I could do to fix mine and searched the forum. Great info!