Seats for CAV GT40

[Jesse]

This weekend was the first that i really was able to put a few miles on the new ride. Not only did no new issues show up, but seems after the last fill up my fuel gauges misteriously appear to have started working!

The day was a blast - and it did not fail that every time we came back to the car someone was there taking pictures. This was much more fun than my Porsche.

We did find however that the seats do not offer the level of grip and support that we would like.

That is going to be one of my next projects - looking for something that will provide some excellent grip and make it much easier to stay in place.

What have you all found that you like?

I am also thinking of having more of the interior completed - i liked how the doors on this original look - http://www.colinsclassicautomobiles.com/zoom.php?car=191&pic=17

Any sources or suggestions?

Thanks,

Jesse

 

[Seymour Snerd]

I can't lay my hands on it right now and am not sure how to find it, but somebody here relatively recently posted (along with drawing) a racing seat that has a back angle conforming nicely to the floor-bulkhead angle of our cars. I was strongly tempted and might still.... If I find it I'll post a link.

 

[Pat]

Jesse,
The fuel gauges are easy to reach and are under the sill carpet on each side. Just unbolt the access panel and you will see a panel in the fuel cell. Unbolt that and lift out the guage. I suspect what happened was your cell foam was fouling the float on the guage and the fuel slosh moved the foam and settled everything out. But if they stick again it's an easy fix. It's also great that you're driving it. These cars are not meant to be trailer queens. When I go to events, I purposly don't clean the bug splats off the front of the car so it's apparent I drove there. It's nice patina
Let me know when you settle on a seat. That's the next project for my CAV. Also, I've got one of the very early cars, had it for years and there isn't much I have taken apart, adjusted or tinkered with so if I can help in any way, I'm as near as a PM.

 

[Bill Musarra]

Jesse.
I didn't like the original seats myself. I felt like I was sliding all around and needed something to hang on to in the curves when I was a passenger. So I went with the racing version. There are only a few that recline back. Mine were originally make to fit the Saker cars. I will probably buy some original looking ones for show.
The alternatives are to buy a true racing seat with side supports that hug your hips and sides. They aren't made for the wide girth of some of us. I am 5-9 and160 and they are snug as a bug with me. I don't have any uploaded, but I will get them up as soon as I get home tonight.
Your second option if you want to retain the original look, is to modify the bottom of the seats to have a side panels added to hold you into the seat. I haven't seen any, but a good interior guy could whip them up in no time.
A third possibility is to go the baggy and expandable foam option where you spray the expandable foam into a large trash bag(20-30 gal.), put it into the seat and sit on it til it gets the shape of your body. OBTW, it is a warm experience I am told. Then trim to your liking and have it covered. You can then make it a seat insert like the Can-Am guys do when they change drivers. It makes it removable so that the car retains its original look. I may go that route later on.

Bill

Bill

 

[Jesse]

Guys,

Thanks for the input so far.

jesse

 

[Ian Anderson]

I've just done over 800 miles to Le Mans Classic and back with RCR seats

Comfortable and supportave for me - but may not be to everyone's likes.

Ian

 

[chuck smith]

I think you may find it much less frustrating to simply take your seats to a good upholsterer and have him bolster them better and re cover with suede or the fake stuff SPF uses. Also, I think CAV now sells a more supportive seat that will fit. i personally like mine in the CAV better than the ones in the SPF I had. While you are at it have the upholster guy look at the doors.

 

[Bill Musarra]

Jesse,
Here are the seats I have for my 40. Made by Racetech.

They are set up for a full 5-6 point restraint system. Here are the vital stats on the seats. All the measurements on the seats will tell you if you will have any trouble fitting.
Racetech Race Products

One of the reasons I got these seats was the narrow amount of room I had to work with. Most of the other seats were not only vertical, but were too wide. BTW if youspot a vertical seat you like you can add mounting hardware(read fabricate) to tilt them back. Just remember that your legs will be at right angles on the seat and will have to make the transition to the pedals, where mine are reclined and very comfortable.They fit the slope of the rear firewall perfectly.They sit with less than one inch clearance to the floor, and they are lower than my cage. Head room/clearance is good for me and I have a headliner in my car.

Here are my door panels.

In looking through some of my MANY pics I found the seats that Pete uses in his DRB/GT40 Australia car. The sides are built up for some good support. You could check with them to see if they are available.

 

[Dalton Veitch]

Bill (and Jesse), I was at DRB last week, and they certainly can supply these seats such as Pete and others use. Just give Peter Ransom a call. They can use quite thin foam, if you are tall, or can rotate the seat to lower your head (for a helmet) while raising the lip under your legs. Very comfortable, and include inflatable lumbar support. A combination of leather sides and Alcantara central surfaces looks good and works well. These bolt to the floor (with floor bracing) I believe, on DRB's. The only downsides are that they are not cheap, and that you are not local to get the foam adjusted all round to comfortably support you, prior to covering them.

 

[Ian Clark]

The seats in the early (Series 100) CAV GTs have been an issue from day one. They look fabulous and feature minimum thickness for maximum headroom. The lateral support, while nothing like the fashion of contemporary seats, is very similar to the original Ford GT40.

What the seat lacks is proper support under the thighs. The seat bottom is completely flat save a final flip up at the forward edge. The flat bottom and lack of thigh support make you feel like your sliding down the seat all the time. That unsettles your posture, creating an uneasy feeling which could also lead to lower back pain.

In turn the uneasy feeling makes you hyper sensitive to what would otherwise not be noticed such as modest levels of lateral support. Now your signals are getting messed up, so you are cognizant of the seats' inadequacy instead of enjoying the ride. "Signals" being the feedback you get from the controls and seat of your pants. Hey, what are we here for!

Fortunately, like a stone in your shoe, the fix is simple, get the stone out of the shoe, don't throw away a good pair of shoes.

We're just finishing up an upholstered aluminium wedge to solve this problem. It goes under the stock CAV seat insert, requires no cutting, welding or other dicking around. The centre section of the seat uplostery is velcro fastened to the main frame, just pull out the center cushion, drop wedge in lower seat pan, and reinstall seat center cushion via velco and it's done.

Will post pictures on the weekend. It's the best solution to costly new seats plus you avoid the hassle of drilling new mounting holes, loss of headroom and loss of authentic looking beautifully made seats.

This is just a heads up and subjective analysis, not a formal product offering btw, stay tuned...

Cheers

Ian

 

[Seymour Snerd]

Yes, the Racetech RTSaker Bill shows is the one I was thinking of. $850 each out of Sparks Nev. or Racetech RTSAKER 28 degree Layback Race Seat

So, that and a box of silver tarp grommets and no one but the true cognoscenti will know it's not original...

 

[Jesse]

Thanks all of you - these are some great ideas.

Ian - lets see - i already ordered the gas caps, my car has the back uprights already from you, i just ordered the front uprights - looking at the steering - and lets add to the list and look at your seat upgrade.

I really appreciate how you have sorted through and are supporting these kind of upgrades.

I may be ready for a track day in no time.

Regards,

Jesse