Zerrari GTO Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Still waiting for the snow fall in NY to drop to less than 4 ft before building again. I am ready to start looking for seats for my VR. I know its a matter of what the builder wants to put in them, but curious what some of you's guys did. I still have the OEM 280Z seats and could dye black, but am looking at maybe something like Recaro seats or similar clone with 5 point harness. The original GTO seats did not have much safety designed in them. Possibly a question to keep the board moving. dj I've tried some nice OEM seats in my car (had some Alfa Romeo Spider seats that were very comfortable and supportive) but in the end those seats just did not look right in the car. I really want this car to have an origional vintage look/feel; the more modern seats just made it look like a kit car to me. These seats got good feed back from A/C Cobra builders: http://www.subesports.com/products/cat/Seats/brand/Cobra/prodID/1896. They were said to be supportive while keeping a vintage look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boy from Oz Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 ...They were said to be supportive while keeping a vintage look. Supportive of your torso maybe but they do not appear to be supportive of your head and neck. I worked in road safety research in the 70s and analysed many medical and autopsy reports related to neck injuries. People may tend to forget what a significant factor headrests have been in reducing neck injuries. Without headrests a fairly light rearend impact can cause severe neck and spinal injuries. If it is a show car by all means fit vintage seat but if you intend to drive it regularly I would recommend you seriously consider seats with headrests. Perhaps those styles with a removable headrest that can be fitted for driving. Ayrton Senna, and many others, died from the mass of their head and helmet ripping their head from the top of their spinal column. These are extreme cases but any spinal injury is serious. Sorry to be so grim about this but those low-back seats really give me the creeps. espeery - That is the Nardi steering wheel I have and I managed to track down a Ferrari horn button for it in Belgium. If you send me a PM I'll give you the details. Love your dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Supportive of your torso maybe but they do not appear to be supportive of your head and neck. I worked in road safety research in the 70s and analysed many medical and autopsy reports related to neck injuries. People may tend to forget what a significant factor headrests have been in reducing neck injuries. Without headrests a fairly light rearend impact can cause severe neck and spinal injuries. If it is a show car by all means fit vintage seat but if you intend to drive it regularly I would recommend you seriously consider seats with headrests. Perhaps those styles with a removable headrest that can be fitted for driving. Ayrton Senna, and many others, died from the mass of their head and helmet ripping their head from the top of their spinal column. These are extreme cases but any spinal injury is serious. Sorry to be so grim about this but those low-back seats really give me the creeps. espeery - That is the Nardi steering wheel I have and I managed to track down a Ferrari horn button for it in Belgium. If you send me a PM I'll give you the details. Love your dash. ...Gulp...I'll look for seats with a headrest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudjr12 Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Once again, great feedback!! Even though it is a kit car, I don't necessarily want to scream it out. The thought of a similar vintage seat is a good idea with removable headrests. This would provide the safety factor when driving and then remove for showing. The biggest reason for shying away from the 280z OEM seats is the snug fit, after I put in the roll cage. I definitely don't want to modify the structural integrity of the roll bar and support, so I will need seats that will accommodate the new width 20 1/4". Thanks, DJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Here is a link to a compilation of aftermarket seat that fit Miatas (Miata seats are said to be good fits for early Z cars) http://www.flyinmiata.com/tech/seats.asp Most of these are too modern for me but it's a good list. Here is a link to an AC Cobra seat that can be used with a head rest: http://www.cobraspares.com/seats.htm I remember a thread on this site that had an aftermarket Z seat from Japan that resembled a Ferrari Dino seat (it has a headrest!). I'll see if I can find it. The best case senario for me would be to find an OEM seat with a 60's style. The quality is much better than aftermarket seats and I could have it recovered to match the rest of the interior. I've looked at MG, Triumph, Alpha...please let me know of anything else you guys come up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudjr12 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Danka ZGTO, the Classic Cobra replica seat has struck my interest, and only 19 inches wide. I may have to do a little salvage yard hunting as well. dj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Danka ZGTO, the Classic Cobra replica seat has struck my interest, and only 19 inches wide. I may have to do a little salvage yard hunting as well. dj After reinforcing the inside of the rocker panels and adding the support braces from the rocker to the rear shock towers, space does start to get tight in the seat area. The 19" width may be the selling point for me on the Cobra replica seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidWell Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 This is my project car. I am currently upgrading the ignition as well as the intake and exhaust systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staledale Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 ZGTO Be careful of the Cobra seats, and what they are made of. I had them in the FFR Cobra I built and they were made of fiberglass. With a mild 5.0 Ford gt engine they flexed badly under hard acceleration. I don't think they will last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 ZGTO Be careful of the Cobra seats, and what they are made of. I had them in the FFR Cobra I built and they were made of fiberglass. With a mild 5.0 Ford gt engine they flexed badly under hard acceleration. I don't think they will last. Thanks for the warning staledale. The ones I mentioned earlier say they have a steel tube frame: http://www.subesports.com/products/cat/Seats/brand/Cobra/prodID/1896 If I go with a Cobra replica type seat it will be reupholstered to match the interior so while I've got it apart I could weld/bolt-in a mechanism for a head rest...nothing is simple! By the way, looks like a nice GTO Sidwell. Welcome to this thread...where we obsess about things like...seats, LOL. How about some more pics and more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidWell Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Thanks Zerrari. Here is a web site with more pics of the car: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y230/SidEllegard/Ferrarz/ I just got the engine running on a Ford EDIS ignition system and I will be running the fuel injection system and EMS with a megasquirt. The interior will be getting updated after the engine is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con Brio Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Hey SidWell...Nice car. Looks like you've got a lot of work into it. Welcome to the thread. Did you buy the car already complete? Are you the original owner? Do you know who the kit maker is? I ask because I bought mine used (3rd owner). Have heard some horror stories about bad builders. But who ever built my car was GOOD. The second owner however should never be allowed to pick up a wrench (or any tool) again. On the seat topic. I squeezed a set of Recaros into mine. They are very comfortable, offer tremendous support and look great. Downside...weight (very heavy), expense and size (almost too big). Recaro does make lighter and smaller seats although the cost remains high. Depends on your requirements. If you're building a weekend cruiser less support and lower comfort will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudjr12 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Con Brio, did you have to modify the seat brackets? You use the term "squeezed", assuming similar space issues with re-enforcement brackets. Nice ride Sid, curious about the headlight and front end trim, i.e. did you fabricate or locate. dj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidWell Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Somebody asked for pics of my hood hinges. Here they are. I ended up using two sets of 280Z hinges to make it all work. The body is an Alfa kit. The guy I got it from had a Datsun repair shop in Huntington beach near the original Alfa factory. They traded some work for the kit and installation. The front trim and headlight rings came with the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Somebody asked for pics of my hood hinges. Here they are. I ended up using two sets of 280Z hinges to make it all work. The body is an Alfa kit. The guy I got it from had a Datsun repair shop in Huntington beach near the original Alfa factory. They traded some work for the kit and installation. The front trim and headlight rings came with the car. Thanks for the pics Sid. Your car looks great... but your avatar looks U G L Y! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con Brio Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 mudjr12, The seats came with my car but were literally welded in. Once I had them ripped out I decided to save them. Looking back I should have gone with a whole new seat. But I am really happy with the way they turned out. And it's nice knowing that they are semi-unique. I had to cut out all of the factory seat brackets and then custom fabricate a set of set rails. Making them track properly and getting the two seat heights identical was the trick. All trial and error. Must have had those things in and out over 20 times. I get frustrated just thinking about it. The rear of the drivers side had to be widened, I used an air hammer, to get it to slide all the way back. Passenger side had no problems. They are an older Recaro so in keeping with the vintage of the car. I wanted comfort, support and safety of a modern seat without compromising to much styling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudjr12 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Con Brio, After seeing other pictures of your cars interior, you definitely did the right thing. Looks Great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerrari GTO Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Con Brio,After seeing other pictures of your cars interior, you definitely did the right thing. Looks Great. Con Brio, Where are the pics of your interior? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smash Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 A bit of inspiration for you guys hard at it A former 250 GTO owner put together this wonderful short film on his experiences: www.carandgarage.com/watch.php?v_id=1066 along with the following article: www.ferrarilife.com/library/view_article.php?id=3 He is also discussing his experiences: www.ferrarilife.com/forums/showthread.php?p=62350#... It's all evocative stuff - some nice comparisons of the varying details of the cars showing that there is no 'standard' layout! Seems once the GTO's in your blood it never washes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudjr12 Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Z-GTO, post #196 of this group. Very professionally done. mudjr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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