Elise/Exige seats brackets

[chance91]

Anyone else want a set... I'm banging out a few sets already, as somehow I let the word out I was making them.  No idea how that happened?

Hah.  But, its not too tough.  It does take me about 3-4 hours of work it looks like to make a set this way, but its pretty easy a pattern and the right tools.  Not  OEM mazda quality but they work ok.  here is a few picutres I snapped with my phone in the garage. 

I was just curious if anyone else would be interested eventually, so I can make a few extra sets now and have them around. 

[VanMSM]

I'm interested.  Sent you a PM.

[chance91]

I'm going to try and make a few sets first, I'll figure everything out after that.  I need to get more steel, and keep track of what I'm spending, cause I didn't really keep receipts on anything.  It shouldn't be too much, but I dunno how shipping these will be when  they are done.   

These also bolt on to factory sliders, but are not welded to them.  it will be a carrier that bolts onto the sliders basically.

[VanMSM]

Sounds good.  I have two elise seats sitting in my storage room...so definitely let me know when you have something. 

[chance91]

I shall I shall...

I think I'll head in over sping break and design a Jig so that I don't have to keep using an OE slider assembly and a spare seat.  I kind of designed about half of it in my head already, but could not find drafting paper and a pencil at the same time today.  Such is life.

[chance91]

Here are a few of my thoughts on paper... pretty rudimentary but yea...
JAG inspired me to do a quick 10minute jot down of my thoughts, just in-case I loose them.  I guess the consensus is to go with Moar Lowar!  So, I'm going to try and modify my original design to drop it about 1/4 to 1/2 in if possible.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/Chance901/scan0001.jpg

[Verwah]

I like that it is made of 1/4" steel. Any thinner and I would worry shear forces in a head on collision are too much for such a compact design. Yours looks okay. Adam's design was very beefy.

[jag]

   I may have inspired you but you're the one with the vision to make it lower than Adam's (Revlimiter's), beefier and still able to use the stock sliders.     Not only that, your design is a break through (one unit piece), it allows us to tack/weld it to the stock sliders when we receive it. This allows us to easily fine tune exactly where we want the seat positioned.  That's huge!  With the original design (Adam's) it takes painstaking time for a fabricator to fit everything exactly to your tastes (because you're having to adjust so many parts) which is why so many folks end up paying $300-$400 for an install.  Some pay much more by having the hump on the floor pan cut out too.   I think you're really onto something here Chance!  

[chance91]

I like that it is made of 1/4" steel. Any thinner and I would worry shear forces in a head on collision are too much for such a compact design. Yours looks okay. Adam's design was very beefy.

This set is actually in 3/16ths in steel, but the idea is to step it down to 1/4.  Or, I could keep it at 3/16ths.  I don't need to bend mine, so it isn't a big deal either way.  Adam's design is fine, yes.  And I actually used his templates as well, made it easier on me, though I had started to create my own that followed the contour of the seat more closely. 

I'm going to pick up work on this either later tomorrow or Tuesday.  Tomorrow I'm going skiing, probably last trip of the year.

Either way, I'm going to bet this will be a bit more rigid than the Revlimiter design, but in all honesty it shouldn't matter, his should be plenty strong if the welder was set up properly.  I'm going to be boxing mine in pretty tightly up front, I had an Epiphany early today and know exactly how I want to do all the front pieces now because it will be the strongest and most versatile design.  Yay metal working.  The only thing we are riding on is that I can handle myself with the miller for this whole thing without effing up.  My hand is not that steady as far as welding goes, although I know how to set it up fairly well.   I may just tack the pieces together and bring them  to my instructor some time to have them finished.

[kujitsu]

Now ... how much are elise seats typically

[jag]

You'll find them in the $500-$650 range (for a pair).  They really are the seat the MSM should have had.  They come in cloth, leather (probax or not) and some have the inflatable lumbar support.  They are super light weight and sit waaaay lower than our stock!  

[MiataMan]

You'll find them in the $500-$650 range (for a pair).  They really are the seat the MSM should have had.  They come in cloth, leather (probax or not) and some have the inflatable lumbar support.  They are super light weight and sit waaaay lower than our stock!  

Any  ?  I really don't want to add something more to the upgrade wishlist

[Verwah]

As requested.

[Verwah]

Nick, does your bracket design incorperate a stock NB slider mechanism? Or it it a floor mount that would require drilling new mounting holes in the floor pan?

[chance91]

Nick, does your bracket design incorperate a stock NB slider mechanism? Or it it a floor mount that would require drilling new mounting holes in the floor pan?

Its up to you, really.  But my plan is for the stock sliders.  I'm basically making a carrier for the elise seats, so that you could bolt it to something.  Anything, honestly, it doesn't have to be miata specific.  If the dimensions work, you can weld it to stock sliders from whatever.  Or bolt it on.  I'll show you later, I'm going to go finishing tacking the first new one together.  If I can figure out how to make these cuts even...