[tr8bofin]

I'm trying to install 1969 GTV seats in my 1971. I always thought it would be a straight bolt in job but was a bit surprised to find that it isn't. I knew the runners would be different because the later GTVs have the fold-forward seats but certainly expected the floor bolts to line up, i.e. the floor pan mounting rails to be identical. No dice.

Has anyone tackled this conversion? There are a couple of different ways to go at it but for the sake of safety and NOT reinventing the wheel, thought I'd ask.

Thanks in advance.....Albert

71 GTV
69 Euro 1750 Spider

 

[ShadeTree]

It can, and has, been done. You might want to read this thread for a little insight.

 

[ALFAB4U]

I own a 1970 (mfg date) 1750 GTV which I found on the BB a little over a year ago. Then I found a nice pair of flying buttress seats on the BB a few months ago. The expected bolt in did not happen! The rails were too long. So what to do? My Recaro track day seat was made to use the existing seat mounts so I didn't want to mess with them. After a lot of try this, try that, simulations I found that bolting the fronts of the flying buttress seat railings to the existing seat mounts and then floor mounting the rears with the appropriate back-up washer plates was the best solution for me. The rear floor mount (lower than the front by a good amount) gives the seat more rake and is actually a more comfortable driving position than the stock seat position was. The same can be said for the passenger side. The rake allows a bit more head room as well. No problems with fit relative to doors and roll bar. The forward-backward slide adjustment is uninhibited.

 

[tr8bofin]

Thanks AlfaB4U. This is a big help and your seats look great. I agree that a bit more rake to the seat would be a good thing. Besides, you can use the number of washers to adjust as needed. I'm still not quite following what you're doing as far as the bolt-in goes. If you use the existing floor rail mounts to secure the foward-most position of the seat rails, you would then have to drill holes in the floorpan and "build up" to the desired height using the washers. Do I have this right?

 

[PSk]

You would also have to reinforce the floor for the rear seat mounts otherwise they will likely pull out of the floor in an accident. But then some deforming might be a good idea, thus I'd study what was originally done by Alfa Romeo and reproduce, I would not just bolt through the floor.

Pete

 

[ALFAB4U]

Pete of PSk is correct re: reinforcing the floor if you drill it out as I did to mount the rear ends of the seat rails. My solution was to use rather large mounting plates under the car. These were in the 3-4 inch range (about the same size as mounting plates used on roll bars) and about 1/8" thick. The seats were bolted using high grade bolts and high grade nylock nuts running through the seat rails, floor and mounting plates. Under the car I used a washer between the nut and the mounting plate. When I install the Recaro for track day events I use the original stock mounts but keep the plates for the flying buttress bolted in...to keep out CO and to maintain a strong floor surface near those rear mounts.
As for washers between the floor and the rails to raise the rake, I didn't do that as I liked the angle as it was. I did however use a few washers here and there because the floor pan has variable depths to it and I wanted the rail ends to be on the same level. I hope this helps.

 

[tr8bofin]

Thanks Andy and all. The procedure is very clear now.