Alfa Romeo 4C Forums banner
181 - 200 of 229 Posts
PITA tho. I think my passenger will suffer with an upright seat from here on out. Zero desire to do that on the other side.
That being said what a world of a difference!!!
I thought the same thing, but my wife wanted the seat raised so I went for it. It was much easier on the passenger side. I raised it to the top at all three points and she is very happy. Also, while I had the seats out I applied some PPF on the CF horizontal and vertical parts of the door sill (the painted sill already has the PPF). That was harder than the seat adjustments! It came out OK so I'm happy too./images/4C-Forums_2015/smilies/tango_face_grin.png
whered you order the PPF?
 
whered you order the PPF?
If you cannot find it locally, there are ebay and Amazon vendors who will sell you bulk.
No-chip.ca out of Kitchener sells various kits for our cars, and will also sell you various widths by the foot.
Be sure to get a self-healing variety lke Xpel Ultimate, Suntek, or 3M Scotchguard Professional. There are others which I cannot remember. But you won’t be as happy with older tech film.
 
whered you order the PPF?
If you cannot find it locally, there are ebay and Amazon vendors who will sell you bulk.
No-chip.ca out of Kitchener sells various kits for our cars, and will also sell you various widths by the foot.
Be sure to get a self-healing variety lke Xpel Ultimate, Suntek, or 3M Scotchguard Professional. There are others which I cannot remember. But you won’t be as happy with older tech film.
Thanks!
 
Discussion starter · #185 ·
So I’m just in the process of doing the high-middle-low setup. It’s a PERFECT feel for me.
But here’s my issue. I have 3 of the 4 rail to tub bolts in. The 4th is totally misaligned. When I look through the hole in the rear outside rail the bolt hole looks like a half moon. It’s half obstructed by the rail. No way it’s going in.
How did they line up at one point and not anymore? Any advice?
Tom
I know the question is rather old now, and has been addressed properly, but it's an important issue, so I thought I'd bring it up again.

When bolting the seat back in, leave all the seat rail bolts a bit loose so you can slide things around and get the last bolt in. The threaded insert through the carbon fiber tub is NOT something you want to damage, It will be near impossible to repair. After all four bolts are started and everything is aligned properly, then you can start torquing things down.

The negative battery terminal has a quick disconnect. Yes, disconnect the battery before messing with the seat wires. While you have the battery disconnected, take the time to clean the terminals, both of them, and apply some dielectric grease to the posts to prevent electrolysis. You should be able to buy dielectric grease at your local auto parts store, computer shop, or any electronics outlet. Yes, it's online, but I don't do mail order unless it's my only choice.
 
So I’m just in the process of doing the high-middle-low setup. It’s a PERFECT feel for me.
But here’s my issue. I have 3 of the 4 rail to tub bolts in. The 4th is totally misaligned. When I look through the hole in the rear outside rail the bolt hole looks like a half moon. It’s half obstructed by the rail. No way it’s going in.
How did they line up at one point and not anymore? Any advice?
Tom
I know the question is rather old now, and has been addressed properly, but it's an important issue, so I thought I'd bring it up again.

When bolting the seat back in, leave all the seat rail bolts a bit loose so you can slide things around and get the last bolt in. The threaded insert through the carbon fiber tub is NOT something you want to damage, It will be near impossible to repair. After all four bolts are started and everything is aligned properly, then you can start torquing things down.

The negative battery terminal has a quick disconnect. Yes, disconnect the battery before messing with the seat wires. While you have the battery disconnected, take the time to clean the terminals, both of them, and apply some dielectric grease to the posts to prevent electrolysis. You should be able to buy dielectric grease at your local auto parts store, computer shop, or any electronics outlet. Yes, it's online, but I don't do mail order unless it's my only choice.
Thanks. I managed to get that last bolt in without any issues that I could see. I did loosen off the other seat rail bolts. It Didn’t go in cross-threaded. I’m going to tackle the battery as soon as the temperature warms up from the current -17° (with windchill -28°). Even my garage is -10°. Too cold to work with bare fingers for longer than 1 minute. Lol
 
Where are the images that replaced the broken images on this post?
Is there a video of this whole process? In particular I am looking for access to the bolts that attach the rails to the tub.
 
Where are the images that replaced the broken images on this post?
Is there a video of this whole process? In particular I am looking for access to the bolts that attach the rails to the tub.
There are two bolts for each rail to tub, one front, one back (obviously 4 total per seat). Really pretty simple to see once push seat all the way forward and the all the way back. Remove those 4 bolts and seat plus rails can be remove for adjustment.
 
Supplying dealer (3rd Party) is being very awkward and won't do the adjustment before I collect. So I'll have to DIY when I get home, does anyone have an up to date guide/video?

As I understand it:
1) Disconnect negative terminal
2) Disconnect 2x sensors under seat
3) Unscrew T40 x2 behind seat
4) Unscrew T40 x2 in front of seat
5) Remove seat + Make adjustments
6) Try T40 in holes before re-seating, lube if necessary (what exactly do I need for this? WD40?)
7) Replace seat and screw in, 35-39nm torque & reconnect sensors
8) Reconnect negative battery cable and hope the airbag doesn't explode...
 
Supplying dealer (3rd Party) is being very awkward and won't do the adjustment before I collect. So I'll have to DIY when I get home, does anyone have an up to date guide/video?

As I understand it:
1) Disconnect negative terminal
2) Disconnect 2x sensors under seat
3) Unscrew T40 x2 behind seat
4) Unscrew T40 x2 in front of seat
5) Remove seat + Make adjustments
6) Try T40 in holes before re-seating, lube if necessary (what exactly do I need for this? WD40?)
7) Replace seat and screw in, 35-39nm torque & reconnect sensors
8) Reconnect negative battery cable and hope the airbag doesn't explode...
By Jove, I think you've got it.
Although you might need to change the order of #2 & 3, also 7 & 8 due to not being able to get your hands under the seat to connect/disconnect the plugs with the rails screwed tight to the tub.

I did them without taking the seats out (didn't even need to disconnect the plugs IIRC, but maybe loosen a harness strap). My way was awkward and can result in scratches, though. But my back wasn't up to wrestling seats in and out of the car, and my garage did not afford me the width required on both sides without moving the car between doing driver and passenger sides.

Might want to add "4B) put padding down over sill and against centre console." to prevent scratches.

I'd use only a very gentle spray of WD-40 or similar, onto the bolt (not in the hole) to test fit the bolts prior to reassembly. I don't think that lubrication is the answer - the thread is either clean, or it isn't. Not convinced that any kind of oil is great for the tub long term (but I don't know that to be the case). Blow it out with canned air, or be prepared to vacuum out the holes or even run a tap through if you encounter much resistance. There is just enough room to work, with the rails installed. So knowing that you have 4 good holes before you start is very helpful.
 
(y)What are the side bolts? Regular Phillips or still Torx? Just want to check I have all the right bits before I order a torque wrench.
Sorry - the cool cars are in hibernation. And I did mine years ago - my memory isn't that good.
You're going to have to look at yours, or maybe some other kind member will pipe in.
 
Side bolts to adjust seat height and angle are also torque bolts. The most important thing to remember is to clean the threads of the four lugs in the CF tub that the screws go into and lube them a bit. Before doing the actual re-installation of the seat rails, run the screws in and out with your fingers to start them. DO NOT use a wrench to start the screws so you won't cross thread them. They have fine threads. If at any point the screws start binding back off, clean again and retry. If you have a metric tap you can always chase the threads first to make sure they are in perfect condition but probably not necessary. If they do bind do NOT force them in with a wrench. Take your time and use old towels to protect against scratching the CF. If it does get scuffed though you can use some clear wheel clear coat to restore it.
It is easier if the seat is left in the flat position in the 3 side mount positions. If you decide to put a tilt in the seat (lowest in back and middle in front) you have a couple of choices:
-only use one front and one rear hole on each side
-drill a new mid way hole....this will require removing the seat rails and partially disassembling them.....a lot more work (I did do that).

While angling the seat is more work....it is worth it. Positions a taller driver enough to see the entire display and helps keep you from sliding forward under hard braking.
 
By Jove, I think you've got it.
Although you might need to change the order of #2 & 3, also 7 & 8 due to not being able to get your hands under the seat to connect/disconnect the plugs with the rails screwed tight to the tub.

I did them without taking the seats out (didn't even need to disconnect the plugs IIRC, but maybe loosen a harness strap). My way was awkward and can result in scratches, though. But my back wasn't up to wrestling seats in and out of the car, and my garage did not afford me the width required on both sides without moving the car between doing driver and passenger sides.

Might want to add "4B) put padding down over sill and against centre console." to prevent scratches.

I'd use only a very gentle spray of WD-40 or similar, onto the bolt (not in the hole) to test fit the bolts prior to reassembly. I don't think that lubrication is the answer - the thread is either clean, or it isn't. Not convinced that any kind of oil is great for the tub long term (but I don't know that to be the case). Blow it out with canned air, or be prepared to vacuum out the holes or even run a tap through if you encounter much resistance. There is just enough room to work, with the rails installed. So knowing that you have 4 good holes before you start is very helpful.
I'm with you. There is risk of over tightening a fastner if it was lubricated before torquing it, if the torque was specified dry. I'd hate to strip one and have to figure out how to repair it...
 
NO LUBRICANTS ON THE BOLTS! that's the last place you want the bolt to loosen up over time. Clean the threads, go slow and methodical, do not cross thread them.
In the case of the seat bolts....I agree that lube should be very lightly used on the screw itself to do the test finger tight start. WD40 would be a good choice as it evaporates out. The big tip is do NOT use a socket wrench to start the screws. Use fingers only to start and ensure the screw is going in clean. Those are fine threads and there have been some reports of people forcing them and stripping the socket in the floor.
 
In the case of the seat bolts....I agree that lube should be very lightly used on the screw itself to do the test finger tight start. WD40 would be a good choice as it evaporates out. The big tip is do NOT use a socket wrench to start the screws. Use fingers only to start and ensure the screw is going in clean. Those are fine threads and there have been some reports of people forcing them and stripping the socket in the floor.
Since I now have a lot of time to kill, I decided to remove the seats from the 4C and raise the front of the seat, bottom cushion.
In my car the 6 screws that fasten the seat, too the seat rails were all in the bottom holes, so the seats were in the lowest position.

I left the rear screws in the bottom holes. Then placed the 2 center screws in the middle holes. And the 2 front screws in the upper holes. This leaves the rear seat bottom in the lowest position, and raises the front of the seat about 1 1/2".

Prior to this, the seats gave little support to the thighs and just felt flat and level. It felt like I was sitting "on" the seat. Now I am more ensconced in the seat. And it feels more like I am sitting "in" it. What you are doing with this adjustment is just tilting the whole seat back at a greater angle. You can now, if desired, recline the seat back to an even greater angle relative to the tub floor.

When the seat is moved to the most rearward position on the seat rails, you will lose about 3/4" of rearward movement. The very bottom of the seat back will now contact the carbon fiber tub. It is not really necessary. But I did attach a rubber pad onto the tub,where the seats make contact. Similar to the ones that ALFA places on the top portion of the seat backrest.

I am 5' 11" and never have the seat even close to the rear of the tub. For that, I would need to lengthen my legs about 5 or 6 inches. Have not yet, figured how to do that.
 
After I made the adjustments to the seats. I had a problem when I tried to screw the rails to the floor.
I put the seat back into the car and slid the seat to the rear. I did this so that the slider adjustment bar did not obstruct the front rail mounting screws. Then I was able to screw the front screws into the floor. Next I slid the seat forward and did the 2 rear rail mounting screws. When I went back to the front screws, to tighten them up. I found that I could not slide the seat back far enough to get at the front screws. The slider adjustment bar was in the way. What was going on here? I had just screwed the front & rear screws to the floor, no problem. The rails could not move to the front or to the rear since they were screwed to the floor.

I then slid the seat back again with the rear seat screws removed. I had thought that with the 2 front seat bolts secured, that the rails could not move. But they do move.
What happens is that when the seat contacts the rear of the tub, it forces the rear of the seat rails to raise up just a little. Which allows the seat to slide back a bit more. And that is why I could get at the 2 front mounting screws. When the rear is screwed down it does not permit the seat rails to raise up. At first I did not notice that it did raise up, because it is such a small amount of rise.
It does this because at the point where the seat makes contact with the back of the carbon tub, there is a portion of the tub that protrudes out from the rest of the tub. The contact point is at the very top of this protrusion, it has a rounded top edge. When the seat makes contact at this point the seat rail rises up and allows the seat to slide back further.

Now , what I do is just just completely tighten the front screws. So I do not have to go back to them, after I apply the rear screws.
I have my seats mounted with the front mounted in the upper hole and the rear in the lower hole. So if your seat is adjusted differently all this may not apply to you.
 
This is with the seat tilt removed (set to upright) to give you more room to work?
Don't forget, if you haven't changed the rear tilt from before, then you have effectively increased it by tilting the seat pan backward.

Just a thought.
 
181 - 200 of 229 Posts
Top