Loose seatback

[Grubb240Z]

One problem I'm about to attack on our new '72 240Z is that the driver's seatback is "loose". When you sit in the seat, the seatback will flex back another 10-15 degrees when you lean on it. The result is that the seating position is too far reclined, even in the most upright position. The seat adjuster lever and "ratchet" mechanism seem to work fine. The flex is coming from the structure of the seat somehow. the seat is somehow pivoting in the hinge area and the I'll have to pull the seat out and maybe remove the seat cover to see what's going on.

We are brand new to the Z. Is this a common issue and does anybody have advice as to what to look for first?  

Thanks!

[S30Driver]

Your thread made me think back to Hardway's excellent seat restoration thread.  He discovered one of the seat backs had actually cracked the metal and had to weld it to restore its rigidity.    Might be the same issue.

[Grubb240Z]

That could be the case. Hope it's not. It doesn't seem to twist one way or the other when it bends back. But now I'll have that option in mind when I look into it more, and it might help me find the problem/solution faster.  I guess I'll have to figure out how to take the seat out and remove the cover/foam enough to see what's going on.

Thanks!

[Phil Z]

Obvious thing to check is the screws that hold the bottom half of seat to the top half. Mine were just loose and tightening them fixed it.


Phil Smith

[Grubb240Z]

I took the seat out and found a couple of things. The seat frame is cracked on the right side of the seat bottom. Also, the mounting area on the car for the left rear mounting bolt is broken through, allowing the left rear of the seat to sag back. There maybe other issues I’ll find once I remove the upholstery completely. My mechanic is going to weld the seat frame and add some 1/8” plates on all four mounting brackets on the frame to make sure it’s all solid.


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[S30Driver]

Wow.   Should be back to normal & solid when you get the welding completed.    

I wonder what caused that floor mount to crack.

[Grubb240Z]

Wow.   Should be back to normal & solid when you get the welding completed.    
I wonder what caused that floor mount to crack.

I don’t know. The left front mounting area is also cracked. Not as bad as the rear but still…


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[Patcon]

The front is likely cracked from the rear being broken. The flexing broke the front right around the washer. The back looks broken from heavy people dropping into the seat repeatedly.

[Grubb240Z]

7 hours ago, Patcon said:

The front is likely cracked from the rear being broken. The flexing broke the front right around the washer. The back looks broken from heavy people dropping into the seat repeatedly.

Yeah, I probably qualify as "heavy people" and I probably haven't helped it the past couple of weeks. Will report back once we try reinforcing things. Looking forward to driving it with proper back support.

[heyitsrama]

Grubbs can you take some photos of the repair? My Z has the same issue, I just wanna see how the repair is approached.

Regards