Advice on rear seats please

[benjj]

Gents,

I am rally prepping my 944 and now the majority of the work is done I am having to address a few of the more annoying MSA regulations.

One reg insists that road rally cars retain their original interiors. This is somewhat flexible but fundamentally if a car had rear seats as standard it needs to LOOK like they're still in place.

So, I have a bit of a plan but wonder if it will work...

A lot of the 911 rally boys simply have their rear seats retrimmed in some material where the seats would have been. No soundproofing, no cushioning, simply the fabric over the bare metal. This is what I want to try and attempt in the 944.

At present my car is completely stripped, and I mean every last gram of glue, soundproofing etc. and finished in original matching Montego Black to match the exterior.

Having had a chat with a friendly MSA scrutineer I will be able to get away with just the bottom parts of the seats as per illustrated by me (in true Tony Hart's Gallery style), obviously this photo taken before the strip down was finished.

What I am wondering is this: if I remove the fabric from my old back seats it is already roughly in the form of the seats. I could then lay it over the rear seats and use some kind of spray adhesive to get it tacked down. Then very carefully trim all the edges with some scissors/scalpel to give a flush finish.

Is this likely to work out ok or will it just be a total nightmare from start to finish? If its worth a shot what sort of product would be best to use to tack it in?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

 

[zcacogp]

The squab of the rear seats is pretty light - you'd not save more than a couple of kilos by taking the foam out and leaving the trim in place. Frankly, I'd not bother - it's a couple of kilos, in the middle of the car and low down.

The "will it work out OK" question is hard to answer; how fully are the scrutineers? If you need to stick the trim back in then I'd use carpet glue, sprayed from an aerosol can, but it's never going to look convincingly like rear seats without the foam to give it shape. Whether this is a problem or not is a difficult question to answer.


Oli.

 

[benjj]

That's a fair point, given that I roll with 42kg of kit strapped in the back +plus fuel the 3kg rear seat base won't make too big a difference.

I would have no concerns with the scrutineers either way though, the old glue some fabric to the metal ploy (Baldrick style) is so widely take advantage of its a joke!

Thanks anyway, I think you're probably right.

 

[944 man]

Ive only skimmed your post, but Id suggest retaining the rear squab and ditching the seat backs. It will still have the rear seat, itll have lost virtually all the weight and after the first fifty miles you and your co-driver will both thank me. The noise when it is removed can be terrible and its extremely fatiguing.

Summary:

looks right / keeps legal
Weighs nowt
greatly quietens the car