Advice Needed S3 SWB Seat Mods

[__Will__]

Looking for some advice from someone who's had the following done or knows a fair bit about it..

I want to change the seats in my Series 3 SWB from stock standard to bucket/head-rest seats. From what I can gather I need to cut out part of the bulkhead/transom and fit a bulkhead removal bar, which would allow me to fit the seats a few inches further back to allow more leg room and get some more back tilt on the seats.

I'm currently waiting on a price back from Rovacraft on a removal bar and new seats (and also a bikini hood). Now is it worth spending the money on new seats or are there some seats that will fit the existing rail mounts? I read somewhere about Defender seats fitting quite nicely.

I'm also looking to fit retractable seat belts once the seats are fitted. Is it just a case of find any from a local wrecker that will fit or are there some out there which are far better suited to a Series 3?

And finally, is all this fairly legal to fit by myself? Or is there another way I should go about this?!

Cheers, Will :)

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Will

Yes - to have adequate room to rake the back of the seat you need to cut down the transom behind the seats. Then the cut edge needs to be protected and supposedly you need to add a reinforcement to the sides, this is what some of the "Bars" you mentioned do.

You can do that with the bar from MUD products in the UK or if a bit handy make one yourself. (Remember that 110 wagons don't have a transom and no longer have a bar in the middle, although the "B" pillar is 1 piece.)

Defender seats bolt to exactly the same holes as your current seat base/rails, so there is no engineer certification required - I believe the RTA calls it a self certification. Any other brand/make requires an "Engineers Certificate" or a type approval. If you are a bit tall you may wish to also fit some booster rails. In MUD products they are called Mud rails.

Diana

[__Will__]

Thanks Diana that makes the mud seem a bit clearer! :)

Do all Defender seats fit or just upto a particular year/model?

[tony]

unless the SWB is shorter between the transome and the back of the seats theres no need to cut the transome, I put new seats in the better 1/2's SIII plenty of room to move the seats back even for me 5'11", when you take the angle out of the seat base it lifts the back of the seat up which allows for the seat back to go a lot further back.

Tony

[JDNSW]

unless the SWB is shorter between the transome and the back of the seats........

Tony

It is - by 10cm to be exact, according to measurements I just made.

John

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Thanks Diana that makes the mud seem a bit clearer! :)

Do all Defender seats fit or just upto a particular year/model?
Will

MUD have a website you may wish to visit MUDSTUFF.CO.UK - Have you got MUD? - Land Rover Solutions (http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/) there is a bit of information on the site in particular info on the "bulkhead removal bar" or transom what ever you wish to name it.

My understanding is all Defender seats and that would apply to County seats as well but I don't know what their reputation is. The main thing is that the seat box is the same as the design of the old series seatbox. The reason I mentioned Defender seats is because I have a set to fit into my SIIB project and needed some where you could lift the base to access the oil filler window.

Tony

You could be quite correct about being able to fit the seats, however if you wish to "rake" the seat back as my post suggested, then you are very limited by the transom.

Diana

[Blknight.aus]

you can also just cheat a little by putting support wedges under the securing rails of a sliding seat so that the rails are up over the re-enforcing ridge of the transom then when you slide back the seat extends over the lip...

dont forget to pull off the wedge blocks that mount the rubber stops for the seat back and then give your old seat bases and backs to someone doing a resto job.

[tony]

Will

MUD have a website you may wish to visit MUDSTUFF.CO.UK - Have you got MUD? - Land Rover Solutions (http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/) there is a bit of information on the site in particular info on the "bulkhead removal bar" or transom what ever you wish to name it.

My understanding is all Defender seats and that would apply to County seats as well but I don't know what their reputation is. The main thing is that the seat box is the same as the design of the old series seatbox. The reason I mentioned Defender seats is because I have a set to fit into my SIIB project and needed some where you could lift the base to access the oil filler window.

Tony

You could be quite correct about being able to fit the seats, however if you wish to "rake" the seat back as my post suggested, then you are very limited by the transom.

Diana


you can also just cheat a little by putting support wedges under the securing rails of a sliding seat so that the rails are up over the re-enforcing ridge of the transom then when you slide back the seat extends over the lip...

dont forget to pull off the wedge blocks that mount the rubber stops for the seat back and then give your old seat bases and backs to someone doing a resto job.


as I said if you alter the angle of the seat base to make the thing sit horizontal insted of the stupid sloping down at the rear this brings the seat base over the lip of the transom (as dave suggests) and this allows the rake i presume this is the seat moveing backwards and forwards a far grater span of movement befor contacting the rear sloping transom
as i said we have no drarams in the LWB and to be honest I didnt think there was a differance in the SWB seat base and transom area so the 10cm comes as a surprise

T

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Sorry Tony, I shouldn't have assumed that people knew the term.

Rake: Is the relationship that the backrest has to the squab or seat (the bit where your bum sits). When you have less or lower "rake" the backrest is sloped more towards the horizontal and greater "rake" the backrest is more to the vertical or a right-angle to the seat. The term is also used for the slope of a roof on a house and the angle of the front forks on a motorcycle or pushbike.

In the Land Rover if you want to lower the rake on a seat (or lay the seat back) the original transom prevents it.

Also the term "transom" is what many people call the "bulkhead" is the horizontal dividing barrier between the front seating area and the rear tub area and both terms are correct. On a boat transom refers to the horizontal bit at the back where an outboard motor may be clamped. In the Series 1 Land Rover you will hear the term transom used in describing the pre-1950 and post-1950 80". The wide transom vehicles are the up to 1950 ones with the fixed backrests held on with a couple of bent 1" flat bar brackets. The narrow transom ones are the ones where the backrest is hinged at the bottom.

Diana

[tony]

Sorry Tony, I shouldn't have assumed that people knew the term.

Rake: Is the relationship that the backrest has to the squab or seat (the bit where your bum sits). When you have less or lower "rake" the backrest is sloped more towards the horizontal and greater "rake" the backrest is more to the vertical or a right-angle to the seat. The term is also used for the slope of a roof on a house and the angle of the front forks on a motorcycle or pushbike.

In the Land Rover if you want to lower the rake on a seat (or lay the seat back) the original transom prevents it.

Diana


OK so asuming you only wont to put better seats in a series and not wont to lie down on them the rising of the rear of the seat base so it cleares the lip on the transom allows the seat to move back a considerable distance and the "Rake" in a normall driveing position would follow the rear slope of the transom further allowing rear movement of the seat without cuting the transom i hope this makes sence it all works well in real life not so much when you try to write about it

T

[__Will__]

Thanks everyone for the info :) I guess I should try and track down some Defender seats first and fit those, and if I feel I still need more room I could then look at cutting the transom and fitting a bar.

[__Will__]

Also, if I did choose to fit seats from another car manufacturer, how would I go about getting them certified for use? Is it expensive? And do I have to put my LR over the pits? (!)

[Blknight.aus]

as long as you dont drill weld or cut to make your seats fit and the rails of the seats are correctly supported you dont need an engineers certificate...

bring a grinder drill or saw into the picture and if they want to get picky tey can go you a row.

[banjo]

this is what i done ,but i am short & the seats where to high & uncomfortable so i did this works a charm..

10563

10564

i chaneled the seat rails down at the front so they now sit flat (straight).& gives more room to move the back of the seat back...

[banjo]

oh & they dont interfear with the tanks..

[isuzurover]

as long as you dont drill weld or cut to make your seats fit and the rails of the seats are correctly supported you dont need an engineers certificate...

bring a grinder drill or saw into the picture and if they want to get picky tey can go you a row.

Sorry Dave, not true. Laws vary state to state.

In QLD, you have to get a mod plate for ANY alterations to the seating, regardless of if you weld/grind anything or not. Even if you (permanently) remove seats you need a mod plate for reduced seating capacity.

In fact, any welding or grinding to SEATS in QLD means that no approval is possible.

I fitted seats from a 1979 Mitsubishi Lancer to my IIA, and had them approved in QLD. They required a minimum of 75x75x3 mm steel plates on the underside of the seat box under each mounting point, and class 8.8 bolts.

Btw - I am 6'3" and I didn't remove the rear bulkhead/transom to fit my seats (109). Not heaps of legroom, but enough.

[__Will__]

Does anyone know where I might find some info on modding regulations in Perth?

[isuzurover]

Does anyone know where I might find some info on modding regulations in Perth?

I think your best bet would be to call the DPI and ask. They seem to require written (prior) approval for most mods. And they will be the ones examining it anyway.