I picked up this Sparco of Marketplace a few days ago because it was cheap, nearly new, and only a few miles from home. However, after sitting in it a while I've realized it's way too wide for me - the side "wings" stick out & hit the back of my arms when making vroom-vroom noises & attempting to "steer".
It feels like internally the seat is built on a steel frame, so I was thinking about putting it in my 10-ton press sideways & squeezing the wings inward about an inch on each side. Has anyone done that successfully, or is it a stupid idea?
I'd try it! How cheap was cheap? Can you trade for a skinnier one?
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
$120. There just isn't a selection of cheap race seats, or many race seats at all around here. Beat up & well used Kirkeys without a cover sell for $120-$150 when they do happen to pop up for sale, and any cheaper ones I've seen are 100-miles or more away.
I have bent a Recaro seat and a Miata seat in the past. When you strip any seat down to the frame you'll notice that the frames don't seem terribly robust, so don't be surprised if you hear a cracking sound in the press. You might want to strip it and see what it takes to bend it or cut the wings off and weld them back at a different angle. I have welded VW Recaro wing supports to a Miata cushion frame successfully. The Sparco may be made of some very thin tubing and sheet.
Edit: So far I can't find any pictures of a stripped Sparco frame.
Make a seat insert. We have two we use for the Lemons car because the team varies from 5' nothing to 6'2 and skinny as a rail to 300 pounds.
This stuff and a trash bag works like a charm. Dump the foam in the trash bag. Place the trash bag behind you in the seat. Sit in the seat wherever is most comfortable. Let the foam expand and setup. Clean up, smooth and cover with something. I used a towel.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
That's exactly what I was afraid might happen.
I looked it over & the back cover appears to be held in place with zippers, but it seems like they cut off the ends & the actual zipper part.
In reply to Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) :
I worked in the seating industry for 25 years. Sometimes the zipper had a pull tab, sometimes it was zipped with a hook. See if you can get some sort of pick in the zipper closer.
Edit: The zipper can sometimes have a normal closer, but it'll be an inch or more too long and is tucked away under the cover, too.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
That's great info, thanks! I probably won't get a chance to dig into them soon(since I'm still buried in the DSM engine bay) but I'll check the zipper status before I give up on these completely. Unless I get a trade offer for something more fitting(literally).
I have a butlerbuilt aluminum seat i'd give plus cash for the sparco but I don't think either of us needs to be shipping seats before October and we're 50/50 on the challenge this year.
knowing your size it's probably perfect after adding a cover because it's like squeezing into a shmedium shirt for me
Do what I did, drink more beer and eat more junk food. Pretty soon you won't have to narrow the seat.
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:
I was thinking about putting it in my 10-ton press sideways & squeezing the wings inward about an inch on each side.
So, what you're saying is you want to pre-weaken it before you go out and race in it.
I don't need to wonder what the folks at Sparco would think of that.
Ah, Sparco R100's. I have these in my Datsun. Its a fairly narrow, but tall, seat. Its also quite cheap even new. If you happen to disassemble it, I'd love to see photos. I'm considering a foamectomy on mine. As it is, you sit "on" not "in" these.
In reply to L5wolvesf :
Meh, it's a non-caged Challenge DSM. The seat seems like the least likely thing to kill me. I'm not sure I'll actually tag & inside it, but even if I do it still won't see 500-miles annually.
I figure it's a common to do with aluminum race seats, so maybe a steel one would tolerate a bit of "adjustment".
In reply to mikeatrpi :
That's very true about the bottom cushion & something else that bothers me a little bit about it, but probably wouldn't be an issue on the autox course.
Well my problem may be solved tomorrow evening.
