I have a set of Sparco Sprints that I'm going to use in my NB. I have questions regarding both sides.
Driver side - I need maximum adjustability, as my daughter/co-driver is ~7" shorter than me. And I'm only 5'8", so I don't need the seat slammed to the floor. Suggestions on mounting brackets? I found the Garage Star set up and it seems nice (http://garagestar.com/blog/?product=garage-star-miata-seat-rails). Any other suggestions?
Passenger side - Can I use the stock sliding rails? If so, how do I mount those to the Sparco?
Seat looks like this:
If they use side brackets you can unbolt the sliders from the stock seats and bolt the brackets on the sliders. It will sit up higher but may work for the passenger side. I tried it with a fiberglass seat and it was too high for me to fit with a helmet and hardtop (also 5'8").
I think we've used Planted brackets and Sparco sliders on these.
dyintorace wrote:
I have a set of Sparco Sprints that I'm going to use in my NB. I have questions regarding both sides.
Driver side - I need maximum adjustability, as my daughter/co-driver is ~7" shorter than me. And I'm only 5'8", so I don't need the seat slammed to the floor. Suggestions on mounting brackets? I found the Garage Star set up and it seems nice (http://garagestar.com/blog/?product=garage-star-miata-seat-rails). Any other suggestions?
Passenger side - Can I use the stock sliding rails? If so, how do I mount those to the Sparco?
Seat looks like this:
I did this same setup by using 3/8" steel plate. Took it to a machine shop, had it bent to match angle of the floorpan. Then it was a matter of drilling 4 holes per plate, 2 for the stock floor mounts, two for the stock sliders.
calteg wrote:
I did this same setup by using 3/8" steel plate. Took it to a machine shop, had it bent to match angle of the floorpan. Then it was a matter of drilling 4 holes per plate, 2 for the stock floor mounts, two for the stock sliders.
I just pulled the passenger seat to compare the mounting points for stock sliders on a stock seat to the mounting holes in the bottom of my Sparco seat. No match. 
So, I guess I would need something like a planted bracket (pic below) plus a Sparco slider for the driver side and then a planted bracket for the passenger side, with the Sparco seat bolted directly to that. Does that sound right?
Calteg - Did you use the stock Miata sliders? From a quick measurement, it seems like the bolt holes on my Sparco seat are much closer together (fore to aft) than on the Miata seat. And I guess you used the sheet metal in lieu of something like the Planted bracket?
http://www.plantedtechnology.com/products/seat-brackets/mazda/planted-seat-bracket-mazda-mx-5-miata-nb-chassis-1998-2005-driver-left.html
Standby. I may have photos from a long time ago when I did this...
update:
Flatstock steel, drilled to fit the Sprint mounting points. Bolts are countersunk so they sit flush, allowing the stock slider to...well, slide
and with the sliders mounted
this isn't my seat, but it gives you an idea of how the finished product looks:
Keith Tanner wrote:
I think we've used Planted brackets and Sparco sliders on these.
Are you talking about the flat Planted bottom brackets or the side mount brackets? Or both?
Both, I think. It's been a while. Mounting race seats on sliders is expensive in either parts or time.
calteg wrote:
In this picture, is the bolt going through the slider also going "into" the seat? Or is there a washer and nut on the other side? The factory slider bolts into the bottom of the factory seat. In this instance, I'm trying to figure out where that factory bolt lands, once it passes through the flatstock steel piece.
Woody wrote:
Are you talking about the flat Planted bottom brackets or the side mount brackets? Or both?
My thought was to order the flat Planted bracket, one for each side. The passenger seat would bolt directly to that, while the driver side would have Sparco sliders bolted to the Planted bracket. My concern would be seat height at that point.
EDIT: The Sparco seats I have do not seem to have side mounting holes, so I don't think that is an option for me.
It's an option, just bolt the Sparco sliders to the Sparco seats, and to the Planted base.
Keith Tanner wrote:
It's an option, just bolt the Sparco sliders to the Sparco seats, and to the Planted base.
Definitely seems like the easy button.
dyintorace wrote:
The passenger seat would bolt directly to that, while the driver side would have Sparco sliders bolted to the Planted bracket. My concern would be seat height at that point.
You almost need to have sliders to put the rear bolts in that bottom bracket. It's a Catch 22: Without a slider, you have to bolt the seat to the bracket first, but then the seat itself blocks your access to the rear bolts.
This is why I don't have a Miata anymore...
dyintorace wrote:
calteg wrote:
In this picture, is the bolt going through the slider also going "into" the seat? Or is there a washer and nut on the other side? The factory slider bolts into the bottom of the factory seat. In this instance, I'm trying to figure out where that factory bolt lands, once it passes through the flatstock steel piece.
Washer and nut on the other side. This setup ends up being a bit lower than a stock seat, without putting you on the floor. Plus you still have adjust-ability.
Woody wrote:
dyintorace wrote:
The passenger seat would bolt directly to that, while the driver side would have Sparco sliders bolted to the Planted bracket. My concern would be seat height at that point.
You almost need to have sliders to put the rear bolts in that bottom bracket. It's a Catch 22: Without a slider, you have to bolt the seat to the bracket first, but then the seat itself blocks your access to the rear bolts.
This is why I don't have a Miata anymore...
Wobble socket all the things
Thanks calteg! That looks like a brilliant solution. Saves buying brackets and sliders at that point.
You got it. I'm a cheap bastard, and this worked out pretty well. As I recall, you have to elongate the stock slider holes, but otherwise it's pretty straightforward.
Once you have the flat stock and sliders all bolted up, make sure that the sliders are all the way forward (putting the seat as close to the dash as possible), and that the left and right slider tracks are even. As Woody said, it's nearly impossible to get to the rear mounting bolts once the seat is in the car, so you'll want to do those first. You can then push the seat backwards to access the front mounting points
