Yeller wrote: ↑Fri Aug 18, 2023 6:05 pm
not, I will probably come up with something on my own.... I've got a TIG welder and a CNC Plasma Table in my home shop and am not afraid to use it!!!
I knew there was something I liked about you
HA! Well, once it was apart and it the damage was surveyed, it turns out the repair didn't even need any welding...
Here's the issue... both rails were kinked right at the spot where the material tapers to it's thinnest point.
Comparing the passenger mount (foreground) to the driver's side bent mechanism (background) the issue is clear to see.
I couple sections of 1x1" .125" wall square tubing was fit up under the mounting pads to add a ton more strength and ultimately these acted like a girdle to force the rails back into alignment and remove the bent rails.
The end results is perfect and really sturdy...
The only possible downside is that it DOES raise the seat 1" higher than factory, but with all of the adjustments built into the seat, this would not be an issue except for the very tallest of drivers.... (which is certainly not an issue for me)
Will drive around for a little while to confirm this fix is legit, then will pull it back apart on final time, maybe TIG weld some small caps on open ends of the tubes to improve the aesthetics... then paint the entire seat base and mechanism in a nice satin black so that the area looks nicer than when I started. Will whip up a quick set for the passenger side as well.
A nice side-effect of the taller seat is that the seatfoam doesn't "bottom out" on the rails anymore. This kept the seat from being as soft as it otherwise could be and gave it a hard-spot that you could feel when driving. That seems to have been improved now.
-G