Project Legroom - Part 1

Modifying a '65/'66 Seat Track to Bolt to the Seat Pan

This is a stock seat track.

I cut off the stud and smoothed it flat with a grinder.

I then drilled a 5/16" hole thru the remaining part of the stud.  BAD IDEA!!  If you leave the stud remnants intact, there's interference between the hex bolt and the seat attache bolt.  Remove the stud remnants with a BFH! SKIP THIS STEP!!  Learn from my mistakes!!

Here's an earlier picture of the hex bolt test fitted into the hole.  Please note that the close fit NAS washer needs to be notched on both sides to fit inside the channel.  The washer helps spread seat loads - a good idea to have one. Use a hex head bolt, 5/16" x 1.5" length (coarse thread) to attach the seat assembly to the floor; it'll have screw threads the whole bolt length.  Use a pan head 5/16" x 1" coarse thread bolt to attached the seat track to the seat.

Here are the stud pieces from the second seat track I modified.  The square items are the stud remnants, blasted out of the seat track channel holes with the BFH.  Much faster - about 15 minutes per side. Don't forget to clean the seat tracks.

After all this effort, I test fit the seat tracks to the seat - no problemo!  However, the seat track range of travel doesn't allow for bolting the track into the seat pan (there's a seat in the way)!! In other words, this solution does not work! I gave up on this approach and just decided to relocate the access holes in the floor pan aft.  Talk about disappointment!!

In Project Legroom - Part 2, I'll show you how I moved the seat pan aft and down 3" and 1" respectively.

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