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Seat latch

dmich2

Donation Time
OK. I like really dislike the 'search' feature sometimes...:mad:

The latch for the seat back on my driver's seat seems to not be catching at the proper height and in fact, when I lock it sometimes and sit down, the back slips to a 'gangsta' angle. Sorry, not my preferred driving position. :cool: I guess it's finally worn out or something. I looked at it briefly and it seems like it will take a little bit to get at and/or replace the mechinism. Anyone have any suggestions and where I might get replacement parts or is it better to just buy a complete frame somewhere?

Thanks,
Dennis
 

RootesRooter

Donation Time
Your seat frame could be broken and need re-welding (they're not very robust and often crack near the welds), allowing it to flex enough that the 'teeth' get out of alignment. The teeth could also be rounded off over the years, keeping them from fully meshing and locking. You might also be missing the little spring on the adjustment lever which helps keep it in place.

The disassembly and inspection you'll probably need to do to repair your current seat is similar to what you'd want to do anyway if you bought another used seat, unless the replacement is a 100-point concours seat just refurbished by Martha Wheat - so I don't think you'll save yourself much work by looking elsewhere.
 

George Coleman

Gold Level Sponsor
That happened to mine last year at the Invasion, there is a spring that holds the bottom mesh gear agianst the adjuster arm, see if that spring is missing that was what I had to fix on mine.:eek:
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
The mechanism can give a false lock. It will catch the seat back but any real force will cause it to release. A way to check: If the handle is not horizontal, it is not locked. The adjustment is pretty coarse. Barb has a preferred seat angle that is between notches. She always "locks" it in the false position, then hollers when it falls back. This may be your problem.

Bill
 

dmich2

Donation Time
Looked at the seat more in depth today. My problem is a bent lower frame on the backrest portion therefore throwing the locking part out of whack. So, I guess I'm in for a seat rebuild. I've heard some horror stories. Soaking all the nuts and bolts, but I'm willing to bet my grinder, drill, hammer (ah. the trusted 'convincer") and tap set will get a workout during the next few weeks. I'm going into uncharted territory for me...:eek: hope all works out ok. The first look at the PO's work has me a little concerned:confused:

Wish me luck.

Dennis
 

Gary T

Gold Level Sponsor
Seat Repair Bolts

Please be aware that the seat bolts are British Standard Fine thread (BSF) Sunbeam Specialties has the special pivot screws, rachet plate screws and the long screws that are all British thread. So, if you need to tap the holes, you will need a British Tap!! This area is one of the few in the Sunbeam that uses British thread. Note the oil cooler connections are also British pipe thread. Good luck.
 

hotrod

Donation Time
If I remember correctly, BSF screw threads are a 50 degree thread. When I redid my seats I had to drill out several of the long screws. I thought that they were 1/4-28 NF threads. I tapped all the holes 1/4-28 and bought new socket head screws. They aren't easy to find though. 2 1/2 lnches long if I remember correctly. Got them from Mcmaster Carr.
 

LarryN

Diamond Level Sponsor
Under the heading of "you learn something every day", I thought the Whitworth and BSF threads forms had been phased out in Britain by the early 50's driven in part by the WWII Lend-Lease program (the engineering school story was that much of the equipment shipped to Britain was taken apart and shipped without nuts and bolts to save space and weight - after all, everybody has nuts, bolts, and wrenches, right? Shiploads of nuts, bolts, washers, and the appropriate tools followed quickly).

A quick look on the internet found the following source:
http://www.britishfasteners.com/index.php

I haven't done business with them but the web site is informative and they appear to have a good collection of fasteners and tools for the British thread forms.
 

hotrod

Donation Time
I'm not sure when they were totally phased out. I had a 68 Norton Atlas That had lots of Whitworth hardware. Also a 71 BSA that had a few. I think just on the Amal carbs. So probably some manufacturers were slower to change than others. So if Rootes bought the seats from a supplier, British threads could be possible.
 

dmich2

Donation Time
Well I guessed correctly. After soaking with penetrating oil, giving it the old college try, I restored to my impact wrench. It worked wonders when I needed to break the door hinge bolts loose. I tried the larger screws that hold the seat back to the bottom hinge. First one came right out, but the threads are all, pardon the pun....screwed up, second one just stripped the top off the screww and third broke loose but is still in the hinge and spins...Guess I should have known, what with a 40+ year old car. :p Like I said. Break out the grinder.

Thanks for the info on the British threads and all. And places to get replacments. I guess my tap set from Harbor Freight would be a stretch. I have a good buddy at a machine shop I'll probably turn to. I like the idea of retapping with standard american threads.

Thanks again everyone.

Dennis
 

MikeH

Diamond Level Sponsor
OK. I like really dislike the 'search' feature sometimes...:mad:
Dennis

Rather than use the site's search feature, use Google advanced search and enter sunbeamalpine.org in the "Search within a site or domain:" box.
 
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