'81 seatback angle adjustment

[David B.]

There seems to be no way to adjust the angle of the seatback. I would like it to be a little more vertical. I heard of putting washers under the rear of the bottom seat but that would also slope the bottom cushion. Anyone come up with a solution?

Thanks,
David

[John Chesher]

Re: '81 seatback angle adjustment

I also have an '81. Welcome to the club! I have had the seats apart, so I feel pretty comfortable with answering this. The only way I could see to straighten the back without tilting the bottom also forward would be to take the hinges out and add a little material (weld bead?) where the hinge comes together and stops the seat from going back. You could also try to build up the topmost portion of the plastic seat shell where the top section comes to rest on it when the seat is brought upright, but can't imagine how to do that effectively and looking good.

You could also pop out the seat cushions and try to put a spacer between the front of the bottom cushion and the plastic shell, which would make the front edge sit a little higher and thus allow you to adjust the whole seat more upright.

Now, the real question... I'm 5'5" and can drive the car just fine without any special tweaks of the seat, although no doubt a little higher than most. What, are you on a quest to actually be able to see some portion of the nose while sitting in the driver's seat ;-) If so, good luck with that! (OK, just a little humor. Sorry!) As I told my wife the one time she drove it, "Wherever you think the front-end of the car is, it's really another 4 foot out there!"

Hope you come up with a decent solution.

[David B.]

Re: '81 seatback angle adjustment

Thanks John. Good suggestions. The same visibility issues you describe are important for the family member who will be driving this one.

David