I know I've heard of lowering the seat but has anyone ever raised the seat of the GT. How difficult is it to take the seats out. Anybody have any ideas on what to use for spacers.
raised seat
- Thread starter rick430
- Start date
B O N Y
MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
PL510*Jeff
Well-known member
Rick - be careful as the seat back will soon hit the roof. Not much to gain about an inch. Jeff
GTNJ
GT Owner
Rick, why would you want to raise the seat?
I have given this a lot of thought. PM me if you want!
Regards GTNJ
cobrar1339
GT Owner
To raise the seat rail I would use flat alum strip slightly wider than the track itself. You will need to mark the locations and drill the holes. You will also need to get longer bolts ( stock bolt head is a T50 torx, Normal allen heads in a long length will work fine, add a drop of blue loctitie as the factory did).
I think I would rather do it at the floor than between the seat and the track. But either should work for minor adjustment. Same applies if rasing the seat on the track itself.
You can see in the pic's the mounting location of the riser used by Sparco. You could just add to it. You also see how the seat track is sunk into the seat. You could use a spacer here as well.
One other note, when removing the wipers it feels like you raised the seat a couple inches as visibility is vastly improved, A 1" vinyl chair leg cover at home depot makes a decent cover for the wiper shaft. After removing them I ended up adjusting my seat position and steering colum slightly. It was a big diff in visibility.
I think I would rather do it at the floor than between the seat and the track. But either should work for minor adjustment. Same applies if rasing the seat on the track itself.
You can see in the pic's the mounting location of the riser used by Sparco. You could just add to it. You also see how the seat track is sunk into the seat. You could use a spacer here as well.
One other note, when removing the wipers it feels like you raised the seat a couple inches as visibility is vastly improved, A 1" vinyl chair leg cover at home depot makes a decent cover for the wiper shaft. After removing them I ended up adjusting my seat position and steering colum slightly. It was a big diff in visibility.
Attachments
I just feel like you"re too low in the car. I don"t think it has to come up much. It is amazing to me how just a little "tweak" to a seat can make all the differance.
Black nylon seat cover with blue oval Ford logo from Wallymart. My wife uses one so she can see over steering wheel. $15.:biggrin
usmcfred
GT Owner
Seat Adjustment
On the subject of seat adjustment ... is it just me or are others bothered by how difficult it is to reach the fore/aft travel adjustment release bar to move the seat location once you're belted in? I feel the "grab bar" fabbed from round tubing should have extended a few inches further FORWARD and/or UP for ease of reach compared to the stock bar position which is tucked in down low. I've thought of making an extension out of black painted or anodized aluminum tubing that can be attached to the stock mechanism, or attaching a black leather strap or loop.
Perhaps one of the FGT parts vendors would consider fabricating and selling such a properly engineered kit made to look OEM if enough of us find reaching the current mechanism an ass pain. What say you all about this?
usmcfred
On the subject of seat adjustment ... is it just me or are others bothered by how difficult it is to reach the fore/aft travel adjustment release bar to move the seat location once you're belted in? I feel the "grab bar" fabbed from round tubing should have extended a few inches further FORWARD and/or UP for ease of reach compared to the stock bar position which is tucked in down low. I've thought of making an extension out of black painted or anodized aluminum tubing that can be attached to the stock mechanism, or attaching a black leather strap or loop.
Perhaps one of the FGT parts vendors would consider fabricating and selling such a properly engineered kit made to look OEM if enough of us find reaching the current mechanism an ass pain. What say you all about this?
usmcfred
GTNJ
GT Owner
Forgive me Fred.................BUT ...Why do you need to adjust your seat?
Nobody should be driving your gal ! Sorry just my rule and humble unsolicited opinion.:rofl
Oh, can I still borrow your cat?
--
Great info I really appreciate the photos.Getting back to removing the seats. Do they unfasten from underneath the car? I haven"t looked yet.
usmcfred
GT Owner
You are correct GTNJ ... nobody drives that car but me! I do like to move the seat all the way back when I exit (and enter) as I find it's easier that way and I'm not marking up the kick panel, door panel and those polished sill plates with my shoes which is easy to do if the seat is forward, especially when getting out. In fact, one of the comforts you find on most high end cars with "memory seats" is they automatically move rearward when the ignition is turned off and the door opened. This is obviously for ease of entry/egress.
... and do you want to borrow my car or my cat? I have a lot of cars and also a very kool and big Maine Coon Cat. HA! Fred
PL510*Jeff
Well-known member
Fred pretty obvious you didn't find the Memory Seat Button. It's there keep looking.
usmcfred
GT Owner
Thanks Jeff ... just found it right next to the cruise control. Appreciate the tip.
usmcfred
cobrar1339
GT Owner
The seats bolt in from the top.
Removal:
3/8 drive and long extension for the fronts. The ext will rub against the seat leather but most extensions are smooth chrome, it does not do any damage.
The back is the 3/8 drive ratchet only with the same t50 torx.
The seats weight 38lbs with track
You will need to disconnect the wire going the the seat belt on the tunnel side. Otherwise the seat cannot come out of the car. The connector is stuffed behind the lower part of the rear console, just pull and a foot of wire will come out with a white connector.
Place a towel over the lower door sill area( insurance), the nice part about our doors is that when open fully you can lift the seat straight up and out.
Install is reverse.
Note: I have done this few times now. The tracks seam to have some tension and want to spring about 1/32 - 1/16 of an inch outward when removed. You will want to install the tunnel side bolts first for front and rear, when re-installing. This allows you a better position to push the rail in slight ly to re-install the outboard bolts.
I had one that was just a real PITA, I go tired of messing with it, and used a dremel to take off a little extra material from the mounting hole in the seat. It did not take much. Sure beat fighting it. I would almost advise this as with the 3 cars I have worked on, all were more difficult than they should be.
You really only need to do two holes. The outboard ones and take off about 1/32 or so on the inside edge. You could test if you need to do it, by trying to re-thread the bolts before you actually remove the seat. If you can't re-thread them easy by hand at this point. It won't get easier later.
Removal:
3/8 drive and long extension for the fronts. The ext will rub against the seat leather but most extensions are smooth chrome, it does not do any damage.
The back is the 3/8 drive ratchet only with the same t50 torx.
The seats weight 38lbs with track
You will need to disconnect the wire going the the seat belt on the tunnel side. Otherwise the seat cannot come out of the car. The connector is stuffed behind the lower part of the rear console, just pull and a foot of wire will come out with a white connector.
Place a towel over the lower door sill area( insurance), the nice part about our doors is that when open fully you can lift the seat straight up and out.
Install is reverse.
Note: I have done this few times now. The tracks seam to have some tension and want to spring about 1/32 - 1/16 of an inch outward when removed. You will want to install the tunnel side bolts first for front and rear, when re-installing. This allows you a better position to push the rail in slight ly to re-install the outboard bolts.
I had one that was just a real PITA, I go tired of messing with it, and used a dremel to take off a little extra material from the mounting hole in the seat. It did not take much. Sure beat fighting it. I would almost advise this as with the 3 cars I have worked on, all were more difficult than they should be.
You really only need to do two holes. The outboard ones and take off about 1/32 or so on the inside edge. You could test if you need to do it, by trying to re-thread the bolts before you actually remove the seat. If you can't re-thread them easy by hand at this point. It won't get easier later.
sr71
GT Owner
being short (5' 6") i tried a couple of solutions to raise my eye level into the upper half of the windshield. the seatcover, cushion, pillow idea confirmed that i preferred to be a little higher in the car, but did not like being lifted out of the butt-pocket of the seat. my solution was to loosen the front bolts of the seat, then remove the rear bolts, insert about 1 1/4" stack of fender washers between the floor and the seat track (big washer, small hole, available in assorted sizes, most hardwares), adjust height to comfort by varying the number of washers, buy new bolts as much longer than the originals as the height of the stack. the angle of attack of the seat will be slightly changed, i personally found it more comfortable. if it bothers you, repeat for the front of the seat. before you tighten everything down check the door closure, gently, and the adjust of the seatback angle. my seat will not go all the way back any more, but as i said, i'm short, don't need the leg room, and it lets me put one of those neat little airport roll-alongs behind the seat. not the most elegant solution, but i wanted to get on with driving. painted black they would be invisible, mostly hidden by the seat anyway. if you wish to have some pretty aluminum machining done, this is an easily adjustable method to establish your comfort points and what will work for you, and give you the dimensions needed.
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