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TALL CLUB OF NEW YORK,
Modifying a Car
When tall people plan to buy a car, eventually the idea of "just moving the seat back" or some similar operation comes up. Often the dealer suggests this as a way to make the sale, sometimes a friend or even the owner will come up with the idea. For reasons I will state later on this page, if there is any way to avoid modifying the seating assembly on your vehicle, DO IT, even if this means trading it in on a larger vehicle. In the end, you'll find it's a better solution. But if for some reason you decide this is the only way to go, here are some points to consider:
Have you considered other options? You may find that aftermarket seats are available that will do the job inexpensively, or you may be able to purchase upgrade seating from a junkyard that was designed to fit a different version of your car. Either is better than cutting the car up. Some manufacturers make extended seating rails that are available through their parts departments for retrofit.
Have you thoroughly planned this out? Seating in modern cars is not the simple thing it once was. The seats in your car are part of a sophisticated collision survival system, and any change you make affects the whole system. You should consider the seat, the seat belt assembly, the airbag system, the wiring harness that attaches to the seat, and the surrounding parts of the interior.
Will it accomplish what you want to achieve? In many modern cars, the roof slopes down at the rear for aerodynamics. This means that moving the seat back may mean more legroom, but less headroom. It also means that controls like the gearshift and radio may now be out of reach. Another consideration is rear seat legroom. You may unknowingly be turning your sedan into a two-seater. consider the Seattle and airbag, If you move the seat, you may need to move the Seattle attachments as well. If the Seattle does not fit properly, you could break your collarbone or worse in a collision. If the airbag does not expand far enough to reach you, it won't do you much good will it?
What will this do to your warrantee? In many cases, modifying the seating will void the warrantee for that part of the car, or possibly the whole car, and even if the dealer does the work. It can also affect your ability to sue if you are injured in a collision.
Have you talked to your insurance company? Most policies don't cover modified vehicles unless a rider is attached to the policy stating the modifications in detail. Check with your insurance company BEFORE you do any modifications. If you don't, they can always claim that you modified the vehicle without their knowledge, and cancel your policy RETROACTIVE to the time of the modifications. Even if the modifications had nothing to do with the claim.
How long are you going to keep this car? A modified car will be hard to sell, so you had better plan to keep it a while.
Once you have decided that this is really what you want to do and are ready to accept the consequences, consider if you want to have a professional do the work or do it yourself. Unless you are skilled in metalworking and auto mechanics, I suggest you have a professional do the work. This part of the car takes a lot of stress, so it's best done right.
The first thing to do is remove the seat. Study the way the seat is attached and decide how you intend to modify it. Don't try this with the seat in place. You really can't understand fully how the seat works until you have removed the seat and all the attachments.
There are three common ways to modify the seating:
Cut the seat brackets and re-weld them to position the seat lower and create headroom. This works best on Mini-vans and trucks. It doesn't work as well in cars because there is less room under the seat to work with. But I understand it is popular with Corvettes and other sports cars where the seat doesn't need to slide. Some people remove the rails entirely and bolt the seat right to the floor.
Drill new bolt holes and re-bolt the seat farther back to create legroom. This works best on flat floored vehicles like VW Bugs. The big problem here is that now the seat won't slide as far forward, so short friends or spouses may be unable to drive the car.
Extend the seat rails for more legroom. This is by far the most difficult. It involves getting an additional set of seat rails from the junkyard and welding it to your existing rails, making them longer. This preserves the sliding mechanism, but it requires a topnotch welding job with no seams so the mechanism works smoothly.
Don't forget to check the restraint system (seat belts, airbags) for proper fit and secure attachment before driving the car, and remember to save any parts so that you c
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