I've got a track day coming up and was changing seats this morning. Got my race seat in and was tightening the last bolt, left rear, when the bolt felt like it cross threaded a little. Like an idiot I gave it a yank and the nut welded onto the underside came off and dropped into the under tray!

So now I have three problems: 1) no way to bolt one corner of the seat in 2) ruined nut and bolt 3) nut rolling around in the under tray will probably drive me crazy.

I'm assuming the only way to fix this is to use a hole saw to cut up into the under tray. This way I can access the old nut and just get a new nut and bolt and use a washer underneath to attach the seat. But then I'm left with a hole in the under tray and I'm assuming that will fill up with dirt and water and start to rust.

Any idea about how to go about covering the hole to keep water and stuff out but still be able to access it for seat changes?

Thanks for any tips,

George

 

doh, that sucks, they have rubber plugs to cover the hole your cut out....kinda like this

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/oe...FQooaQodSo0AXQ

and from now on, we shall call your car Lance (after Armstrong....because it lost a nut)

 

Perfect! Thanks. I'll have to buy a metal hole saw bit too. Stupid mistakes can get expensive.



Or.............because of my strong arm.....not! I'd need some steroids first.

 

This same thing happened to me only with OEM Seats. I bought a Snake tool with a heavy magnet at the end for 10 bucks. Saved my A$$ GLuck

 

Here's what I did:

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...and-floor.html

 

Thanks. I can't see the images on my computer here at work but will check it out when I get home. My seat has felt loose and is making clunking sounds during cornering so I probably have a lot of the same problems.

Just had to change the window motor in the driver door today because it crapped out. I had a spare motor from some parts I picked up after I wrecked at VIR last October.

Seems like the car is heading south. Was hoping to keep it as my DD and track car for another two years but at this rate I'm shooting for maybe one more year and then gut it for track use.

 

LOL!!!!! We all knew that was going to happen sooner or later

 

The downside is that my DD will be an 03 F150 that smells like a wet dog on the inside and burns a quart of oil every 500 miles.

Crawford, was that you in Grass Roots Motorsports in the UTCC?

 

Yea, but I didnt do well at all. I was almost 3 secs. off my best time
It was an interesting experience though, so glad I did it.

 

I was sorry to miss UTCC this year but it was good to see you and a few other names I knew on the pages.

 

So like this right?

I got a nut of the same thread size and had shop weld it to the back of a plate and then they welded the plate to the floorboard.

 

Update: Super simple solution:

3 1/2 inch grade 8 3/8 bolt
3/8 lock washers (2)
3/8 washers (2)
2"x2" galvanized square washer, about 1/8 inch thick from hardware store.

Since the welded on nut just came loose in my case and the floor pan did not split or crack, I did not need to do any welding or floor repair. I used a 3/8" drill bit and drilled a hole down through the original hole out through the bottom of the second floor pan layer.

Then put the bolt assembly up through the holes in this order:

bolt---3/8" lock washer---3/8" washer---2"x2" galvanized square washer--- |lower floor pan|---space---|upper floor pan| ---seat base---3/8" washer---3/8" lock washer---3/8" nut.

The a little caulk applied to the 2"x2" washer, which presses up against the lower floor pan, should keep any water out.

The lower floor pan does not feel as stout as the upper floor pan and I was afraid as I tightened down on the bolt it would start to collapse but I was able to compress both lock washers and snug down very tight with no problems thanks to that big 2"x2" square washer.

So, problem solved. Drilled one hole. No cutting. No welding.