Getting a few extra inches of leg room

[hotsho111]

Hey, I just picked up a 1973 240z and as a 6'3 person with long legs I was hoping there was a way to get the seat slid back a bit further. It looks like there are two things in the way though:

With the seat slid as far back as it can the back is up against the lower seat belt retractor. The other is looking at the seat rails there are two additional notches the seat could lock into further back but it looks like it's hitting a stop in the rail.

I've attached a picture the setup with the seat adjusted as far back as I can get it. 

There appears to be another 2-3 inches of legroom I could get which would be perfect if I could relocate the seat belt retractor back a few inches and let the seat slide back a bit further on the rails

I tried searching and couldn't find one, but does anyone know if there's an offset bracket available to move the retractor a bit further back?

I'm hopeful I might be able to just reposition the seat on the rails and resolve that half

I drove a 71 that had a 3 point setup and had plenty of leg room so I'm hopeful I can make something work. The retractor might not have been mounted on the floor in that one though. I can't remember

[SteveJ]

That is not a stock retractor. The stock retractors fit in a pocket in the floor. Post a photo of the top mount.

[SteveJ]

Also, when I changed out the old seatbelts in my 260Z, I bought the roadster style seatbelts from Wesco Performance Products. https://www.wescoperformance.com/nsearch.html?query=roadster

I put the retractor at the top mount.

[hotsho111]

Thanks, I've added a picture of the top mount. 

I might just need to take the seat out and see what kind of options I've got

The previous owner said the floors were replaced and I noticed the right of the seat part of the frame is rubbing against the transmission tunnel so I kind of want to inspect the seat setup anyway

ETA: I might try and remove the seat this weekend and if I do I'll post some more pictures of the area

Edited April 30, 2022 by hotsho111

[SteveJ]

Yeah, that's not stock for a 73. As I mentioned before, the roadster belts could be installed in such a way that you won't have the belt retractor in the way.

[Patcon]

If the floors were replaced ,  they may have deleted the factory retractor pockets

[hotsho111]

Thanks for the responses. I'm probably gonna take out the seat sometime this weekend and can get pictures of the floor setup and see what's there. If I can't make it work I'll look into some alternative belt options

[hotsho111]

On a related note, would it work to see if the floor mount will attach to the top mount (assuming the belt length isn't too long)? I'm not sure if it's designed to handle that load though

Steve, would the roadster seatbelt install the retractor directly to the top mount or is it just a less bulky unit?

ETA: I saw an old thread where you mentioned you installed them directly to the top mount. I'll see if I can do that with the current setup I've got

Edited April 30, 2022 by hotsho111

[dutchzcarguy]

4 hours ago, hotsho111 said:

I'll look into some alternative belt options

I'm 6 foot 4 and also long legged.. I installed a special "scheel" seat..   Scheel makes very special seats for cars and stuff.. i bought one from the internet long ago.. and installed some 4 way seatbelts/ race harness.  I took away the studs on the floor and directly bolted the seat to the floor, also a bit further to the rear, i had to make a dent in the left rear wheelwell haha.. otherwise the big seat could not go back enough.. 😮

[w3wilkes]

I'm with Steve, those seatbelts aren't stock, on a stock 73 car the shoulder belt would be a separate piece that clips into the lap belt if you want to use it. And I also went with the Roadster seatbelts with the retractor connected at the roof location.

[hotsho111]

Thanks. I'm hoping I can get the seat out soon and I'll look into what options I have there and if I can relocate the belts to the roof. 

[Dave WM]

I wonder if the 280z has more leg room, I am 6'3 and have plenty of leg room with the seat in the rear most position.