Thinking out loud...Converting Original Front Seat to Power...

rambos_ride
rambos_ride Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Without replacing the front seat in my Commodore - I love it too much it's like sitting on a couch! - I was curious if anyone has ever taken an original seat and modified it to work with power assist for forward to rear adjustments?



I suppose a linear actuator connected beneath the seat to the original framework would work...

Comments

  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    edited November 2013
    Grumpy wrote:
    Rambo's Ride - Why "re-invent the wheel" (so to speak)?

    Seems that there would be a lot of these mechanisims out there already, waiting to be 'plucked' from salvage yards... Of course, they (and your seat frame) would need modifications to match-up, but...



    With the design of the front seat in the stepdown there is such little room in originally between the seat, seat tracks and floorboards I think it would be tough to find a setup from a later model vehicle wouldn't raise the seat height - but then I was hoping someone else had already done this mod to a stepdown.



    I'm getting lazy as I get older (or is that wiser) and it would be nice to reach down and hit the button to make the seat move :)
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    My 2 cents: Since you are building a full blown custom, I think an electric seat makes alot of sense.Keep the original seat if you can! Niels
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    nhp1127 wrote:
    My 2 cents: Since you are building a full blown custom, I think an electric seat makes alot of sense.Keep the original seat if you can! Niels



    thanks Niels! If I can figure out a way to do it and retain the original seat and ride height I'll let you all know - I'd like to do it so that it retains the same handle on the side so we can all be lazy and move the seat by a touch of the handle with no outward sign of hacking!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I recently had to modify the front seat adjustment mechanisms for my 53 Wasp. The mechanisms for all the cars are the same. They are designed to fit inside the seat frame area. This design allows for a robust and fairly high mechanical seat adjustment track. The track is actually very much the same as the power seat track used in my 1970 Firebird. So, I suspect that the motor, and tracks from a power full size seat will fit equally well in place of the Hudson pieces. In my case I had to move the seat back due to installation of a full size steering wheel. As a large fellow I found the wheel was quite close to the original rearmost adjustment. I used plate steel to move the whole mechanism back 3 inches. No more wheel marks in the stomach!



    Good Luck ... suspect you will post pictures of your success on your site???
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    Heart Of Texas wrote:
    ... No more wheel marks in the stomach!



    Good Luck ... suspect you will post pictures of your success on your site???



    LOL - Hey - I resemble that remark! That's why the CJ5 I have got a tilt wheel - I needed more room and you can't move the seat back. It's not so much the wheel marks as it is the sound like fingernails on a chalkboard as the wheel scrapes my belly :eek:



    I will put a tilt wheel in my 49 - just to accomodate myself - but mounting the seat back is a perfect solution for retaining the orig. steering wheel/column combination - and it probably still doesn't pinch the folks riding in the back 'cause there is so much room! You gotta love these cars!



    You bet - If I can find an affordable solution (my car budget is on a starvation 'diet' right now :mad: ) I will always post pics to my website. :)
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