Passenger Seat is Stuck!!!

[alampaz]

We have no doubt our passion is shared by all at this forum, which is why we are looking this way for some advice..... Our passenger seat needs to be removed (to be re-covered) (1980 Pininfarina)but unlike the driver's side which slides forward and back making the four bolts accessible, the passenger side does not share that range of movement...is it supposed to be less manageable?.. How do we get to those back two bolts to remove the seat? ..Please help!

Thanks

[ventura ace]

Both the driver and passenger seat should have the same range of motion, but it sounds like yours is stuck. I had the same problem. To fix, I just repeatedly moved the seat forward and backward, again and again, with as much momentum as I could while sitting in it, to make it 'slam' into whatever it was that was sticking it. Little by little, I got more movement until I could finally get the screws out. Even then I could see that there was more movement available, so I continued to slam the slides back and forth until they finally had free movement all the way to the real stops.

Try to lube as best as you can, to prevent it from locking up again in the future. It is difficult to get lube on the rolling/sliding surfaces, but that is what you need to do. Don't spray something light in there, like WD40, since it will tend to wash away the lube, rather than replenish.

alvon

[jprisbe]

I had this same problem with my drivers seat and it turned out that one of the ball bearings in the track was gone, so the inner track would not remain straight in relation to the outer track.

I tapped on the end of the track with a 5 lb hammer to move it enough to remove the seat.

[alampaz]

Thanks Ace and jprisbe..... We will try both suggestions.....an odd happiness that we weren't the only ones with this situation...
thanks and all the best.

[mbouse]

Use a thin lubricant, as your seat tracks have accumulated years of grime. That buildup has caused the restrictions.

Be careful how you apply the grease cutting solvent, or you may ruin your carpeting.

It will move - eventually to the point the bolts are accessible. You just gotta wanna more than the seat don't.

[spider2081]

I had a similar problem. In my case the back screws holding the track to the floor had backed out. The track was hittting the screw head. Once I figured out what was hitting I jammed a screwdriver between the track and floor on each side. I was then able to slide the seat back enough to get the front screws out.

[Keith Scott]

I could use some help also - - my passenger seat won't budge at all. It is jammed all the way back to the rear "seat". Thanx

[mbouse]

does the adjuster lock move?

These slides collect major amounts of crude over the years, and when the wrong type of lubricants are used, becomes more like glue than grease.

I'm afraid you may spoil your carpet if you move past gentle nudging with a ball pein hammer. The next step is to spray in something that will thin to old grease ball that is gumming up the works. Isopropal alcohol, works about as good as anything to thin down most of the stuff in these tracks. Go lightly at first, unless you are not concerned about the carpet beneath.

[So Cal Mark]

I use Zep 45, it's a penetrating oil with teflon and works wonders.

[Keith Scott]

Thanx, Mark and Mike. I'll give those a try. The adjuster lock lever rotates, but that is all.

[nickfury]

happned to me on the pasanger seat had to cut the bolt of with a piece of a hack saw blade, realy sucked!!