RebekahsZ Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Upholstery arrived today. Looks nice. Feels GREAT. Put my helmet on = very close to headliner (can't squeeze a finger between helmet and ceiling), but it clears. Angle is comfy, good support everywhere, good reach to pedals, wheel, shifter, etc. Might smack it on some big bumps, but for now, it's a win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snailed Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Does your helmet height comply with the rules you need to meet? Many rules state that the driver must be entirely within the cage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 That's a great point, and I understand. In fact it has been bugging me all day. I decided not to do a full cage to protect my head, and now, I run the risk of smacking it on every dip or bump, much more so a roll-over! I think that even if I cut my seat mounts out of the floor, my head might still be above the bar. I really wanted to get my seat mounted in order to figure out my width limitations for my door bars. I may come back to the seat mounting before I'm satisfied-I really think my adapters need to be stronger. Although, I may not be satisfied with my Z until all the Z has been hacked out of it. I may delegate reworking the seat mounting to my fabricator, but I've got to give him an angle that works for me. Maybe he could put an angle finder on it somewhere and duplicate what I have now. It is super comfy, much more comfy than the well-driven, but stock seatbelt-equipped C7 'vette I rode in today at Barber. I was sitting on my hands to keep myself from helping the driver, and it was a bitc_ to stay in my seat even with the seat motored all the way forward and both seats firm on the floor. I'm gonna put some motorcycle pegs in my car for the driver and the passenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol doc gully Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 i met a guy local to me who runs kirkeys in his race car and his street car, i'm going to check em out friday, i'll let you know how his are and maybe take some pictures. you planning on mounting the back of the seat to the cage (FIA)? and I'll definitely let you know next time i come through town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 Yes, with an AutoPower adjustable brace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavy85 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Z as many cars are limited in helmet clearance. Priority #1 get the seat low which means if you are tall to cut out the factory seat mounts. Using 1" square tube welded to the floor I actually had to raise the seat up about an inch to see over the dash with lots of helmet clearance (6'2"). Kirkey mounting brackets work you just bend then around the shape of the seat once you get it in the right position. Whatever is limiting moving seat to the right should be relocated if at all possible so you can move the seat over. Better for weight distribution and then the seat you want actually fits. 17" Kirkey Intermediate Road Race seat fit just fine without bending the wings at all if you heed the advice above. Good luck mounting seats are a real PITA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 24, 2014 Author Share Posted August 24, 2014 Version 2 of the Kirkey install. My helmet hit the ceiling with version 1. So, I got my fabricator to channel the seat mounts with some sections of square tubing, effectively lowering the place where the seat sliders bolt in somewhere between .5 and .75 inches. Then, I got a local fab shop to bend up and plasma cut some brackets for me (the Kirkey brackets sold for these seats are goofy and don't fit). These let me put the seats all the way down on the sliders. So, I effectively dropped the seat about 2". Now there is plenty of helmet room and the seat slides back under the main hoop without scraping it. All bolted up, I think I can move on to some other project. I am going to put a little high-density foam in the lumbar area. Call this done. Having seen some cars where the seat was mounted to floor extensions of the roll bar, I do wish I had done that to improve safety, but that will have to wait for the next Z-car. After installing the 4th set of seats in my 25 years with the car, I think I've done it for the last time. One problem with these seats: very narrow in the hips. Any girl who wants to ride along that is over 175 pounds is gonna be insulted and slap me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquick260 Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Let's here how the ride is to work and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ol doc gully Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 im actually using a Kirkey Intermediate Road Race seat right now although the shoulder wings have been cut off. im borrowing it from the guy i mentioned as his street car is currently engineless. the side bolsters are a freakin pain though - they stick up too far and very much are in the way of elbows. im wondering if its a problem at all for you with the pro drag? luckily i picked up some corbeaus for cheeeap so im just going to recover them with something vintage-y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 tooquick-funny you should say that: I went by my mom's house a few miles away to deliver dog food (she's keeping my dog while the 30X30 garage is being built-with a pool attached). I thought about running by Taco Bell on the way home, but said to myself: "too damn hard to get my wallet out of my back pocket in these skin-tight seats." I guess it's a race car now. Especially because it came home on a trailer tonight. A few blocks past Taco Bell, I got on it a little (truly, it was only a little and from a roll). Terrible noises from the back and I thought that I had hit the big tires on the inner fenders since I had lowered it last night. Limped it up to Walmart parking lot in case I needed a trailer and I could see that I had blown the driver's side outer CV and almost torn the boot all the way (but the boot held it together so I didn't lose any brake lines-whew!). Called the wife and used her minivan to get the trailer and carry my sorry butt home (since the truck is in the shop). Had to use the winch I mounted in the floor of the garage to hoist it up the cliff of a driveway I have, but that went pretty well and the car is inside ready for a new axle tomorrow night after work (new garage will be on level ground, but close to a meddling neighbor, so the all-night car thrashing is probably about over, but I shouldn't have to winch it up the driveway anymore). ol doc-I have an Intermediate Road Race seat with hammered wings, too. Sounds like I'm not the only one to have trouble making the seat fit. I will be trying to get rid of it at Z Nationals (I just need the room). No troubles with the side bolsters so far-seems great. Now, the door bar on the 6-pt roll bar is another matter. I'm trying to teach myself to tuck my elbow in to steer left, but I'm gonna cream my funny bone some time really bad. Issue is, padding will likely make things even more crowded, so for now, I'm not padding it. Hmmm, what about an elbow pad on my arm?.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 A friend of mine used Kirkey Intermediates in his 510. He's a bigger guy, so when I drove the car I was pretty loose in the seat. Had BIG issues with hitting elbows on the bolsters. Ended up with the Ultra Shield RS 15" and I think I tweaked the outside wing in .5" or so to clear. I made a bracket really quickly to try that seat in my Miata. Drove 2 hours to an autox, raced, and on the way back I figured out I was about 2" off from straight behind the steering wheel. At least IME having everything lined up perfectly doesn't seem to matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 I think the shoulders on the Ultrashield are more narrow, but I don't have measurements to confirm that. I have driven some mid-engined cars and Cobra replicas that had the pedals offset and it drives me nuts. Thats why getting centered was important to me. No way my big arse would fit in a 15". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooquick260 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Bummer on the trip to mom's. Cv axles bummer. Funny about the wallet access. How the scope of things change. Need large hedges to insulate noises from the neighbor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebekahsZ Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 My shop will be right outside his window. Pool is going in today and that is the big obstacle to getting to the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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