Seat Lean Help

[kpippin1986]

Hey guys, my driver side seat is leaning a lot farther back than the passenger side. It's been like this since I've gotten the car. Ive checked the seat back for the broken welds and everything is fine, and the seat back isn't bent. I've also replaced the recliner mechanism on the side of the seat with a newer one.

So my question is, is there anything else I can check? or is this how all the seats are on our cars? I'm a shorter guy, and I'd like to adjust the seat up a little further.

Also sorry if there is already a thread on this issue, I couldn't seem to find it.

Here are some picture of it. The drivers seat is on the left. I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures lol

[webestang]

That happens to just about every Fox Mustang built. I solved the problem on my 88 by using a passenger seat instead of a drivers seat....LOL

But here is a repair link to keep your drivers seat............
http://mustang.zeroentity.com/howto_...wto_glean.html

[kpippin1986]

Hahah that's some ingenuity, I might have to do that.

Also Thanks for the link, but I've already taken the seat apart and the upper frame is completely square, and none of the welds are broken. I'm so confused. I'm going to take the lower seat frame apart tomorrow and see if there is anything wrong with it.

[ToddMcF2002]

Do yourself a favor if you pull the shells out that are undoubtedly cracked and have broken welds. All the silver markings are weld failures and cracks on a previously repaired shell if you can believe it. Do what I did. Once and forever repair.

[ToddMcF2002]

Note the middle pic isn't mine it's where I got the idea. Bottom line is they fail because of flex. The seat now is amazingly firm structurally. If I get in my 84 I can feel flex. In my 82 there is zero movement in the seat back. Feels great trust me.

[kpippin1986]

Thanks! I'll definitely reinforce it like that; to prevent future problems.

[webestang]

Do yourself a favor if you pull the shells out that are undoubtedly cracked and have broken welds. All the silver markings are weld failures and cracks on a previously repaired shell if you can believe it. Do what I did. Once and forever repair.

Now that's a fix!

[homer302]

Note the middle pic isn't mine it's where I got the idea. Bottom line is they fail because of flex. The seat now is amazingly firm structurally. If I get in my 84 I can feel flex. In my 82 there is zero movement in the seat back. Feels great trust me.

Without seeing how it all goes together, I think your idea looks better. It goes inside the recess and looks to me like it would better support the frame and the foam etc.

[kpippin1986]

Okay, so I took my bottom seat frame apart and definitely found the problem, the part when the latch mechanism bolts into the frame had basically ripped off. I've never heard of the lower frame breaking like this, I've only seen the upper frame break.Here are some pics. The last one is after I bent it back, I still need to weld it together though.

[homer302]

Wow. Never seen that either. I suspect as they all age more that this will be a more common sight. At least that doesn't look like a very hard fix for someone with the equipment and ability.

[ToddMcF2002]

Damn! Well if its broken there its probably f'ed above too. I'd keep going!

[webestang]

Wow. Never seen that either. I suspect as they all age more that this will be a more common sight. At least that doesn't look like a very hard fix for someone with the equipment and ability.

Damn! Well if its broken there its probably f'ed above too. I'd keep going!

I agree, WOW. And it looks like a weak spot in design. I should double check my drivers seat in my 88 and 85. Sure hope that can be fixed.

[kpippin1986]

I'm definitely going to reinforce the area with some thicker steel. I have the top frame apart and suprisingly it's perfectly square and no broken welds, but I'm definitely going to do what ToddMcF2002 did while its out, so I never have to take this thing apart again lol.

[86GreenStang]

Also check the foot of the seat to floor bracket. My was cracked but it was not visible until the seat was removed.

[homer302]

I am not willing to go so far as to say that any part on an el-cheapo Fox Mustang that lasted 33 years before failing has a design flaw or defect when it goes wrong. That car was probably $8,500 brand new on the showroom and had a 12 month warranty on it.

[webestang]

I am not willing to go so far as to say that any part on an el-cheapo Fox Mustang that lasted 33 years before failing has a design flaw or defect when it goes wrong. That car was probably $8,500 brand new on the showroom and had a 12 month warranty on it.

True, it has lasted this long.

[blueandsilver]

Reviving the thread...

I´ve read that the seat frames are the same up til 2004 Mustangs. Can I buy some used new edge mustang seats and then transfer my seat foams / upholstery?

My driver´s seat is suffering from the same problems described by others, and I´m not skilled with welding to fix them myself...

[dagenham]

Reviving the thread...

I´ve read that the seat frames are the same up til 2004 Mustangs. Can I buy some used new edge mustang seats and then transfer my seat foams / upholstery?

My driver´s seat is suffering from the same problems described by others, and I´m not skilled with welding to fix them myself...

Ive had a 2004 seat apart and I don't recall the frame looking like that.

[kpippin1986]

I think the new sn95 and new edge seat frames are the same as the lx/4cyl seat frames from our cars. I'm not 100% sure though

[86GreenStang]

Try a local welder. The shop I went to charged me $0. I just had to wait till the end of the week to get it back.

[dagenham]

Instead of the big cross of steel, what about using seat spring stock. You can buy it I think in a roll and cut it to fit top to bottom in the back opening to fill the entire hole. It can be welded in too.

[kpippin1986]

Hey guys, just an update. I welded the lower seat brace back together today, The welds look like crap but they're strong. I'll probably weld the braces on the seat backs soon.

[erratic50]

After seeing steel fail on either side of a weld many times, it must say - reinforce it! If you do it with sheet metal and plug welds you'll never see it or feel it under the cover. Even metal and pop rivets on both sides of the frame in the area near the break would go a long ways to make it stronger.

consider yourself lucky, the 89 rag top I had didn't break the seat but instead tore the front mount right out of the floor! It was an automatic with a wicked 1-2 shift that was also hell on windshields....

Hey - when people joke about stomping on the gas too hard and ending up in the back seat, I wonder if this was what they were imagining. Lol.

[dagenham]

Had to weld a plate back in to my 4 cyl daily driver in the same place. Left front mount of the drivers seat.

[kpippin1986]

Luckily the previous owner had subframe connectors with the seat brackets installed on it, and when I pulled the old carpet to por15 and put sound deadener down the floors were perfect, no cracks or anything.