Seat bobbins

[gideon]

I have a question about seat bobbins, and I can't find the answer.

This thread shows bobbins laminated into the floor of a TCS for mounting the seats.  My S2, type 65, has no bobbins for the seat mounting points, though the mounting holes are damaged.  Is the S2 supposed to have seat bobbins, or were these added for the TC, or TCS?

http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/index.php?topic=1665.0

[TurboFource]

I am also curious about whether they are all threaded or not? I see/hear people talk about grinding bolt heads off from underneath the car leading me to believe some bobbins are just through holes? Mine are threaded with nothing hanging under the car from the seat bolts....I am having to drill vertically through the bolts from underneath to get the seats out.

[GavinT]

There are no bobbins for seats in the Type 54 and I believe the Type 65 is the same.

The TCS used bobbins.
If they are threaded, presumably it's expected that you slide the seats off their runners to access the bolts from inside the cabin.

[gideon]

Thank you Gavin.

[SilverBeast]

My TCS had bolts screwed nto the bobbins for the front fittings and bolts with nuts on the outside at the rear!

You can slide the seat forward, without taking it off the rails and access the rear bolts, and all the way back to access the front.  I found some more bolts from the box of bolts left over from the mini I had in the 80's to replace the rear ones when I put the drivers seat back in. I haven't had the passenger seat out yet.....

[TurboFource]

Sadly mine will not slide even with some persuasion.....

[GavinT]

Sadly mine will not slide even with some persuasion.....

Dammit . .
The drilling is likely the only option if the seats won't slide. My guess is, drilling will also inevitably damage the bobbin threads, too.
Charge on, I say, and prepare to weld some nuts into the seat runners.

These cars are ~ 50 years old.
I expect rain splashes up underneath, makes its way into the seat fixings and also wets the carpet. A recipe for frozen seat bolts if ever there was one.

[jbcollier]

If you have an S2, cut off the nuts from underneath and remove the seat.

If you have a TC with bobbins, carefully drill out the bolt from underneath.  Center-much it carefully, start with a small bit and go successively larger until the bolt breaks off.  If you are really good, takes practice, you can then just pick out the remaining threads and the bobbin is unharmed.  More likely you may have to fit a thread insert to the bobbin (not a big deal).

[Nisswa Collision]

My car. 2603R had the threaded bobbins but also had big nuts used a spacers under the tracks at the front. I didn't understand why at first. He had really nice thick "Lotus" embroidered floor mats and the seat wouldn't go over them when moved forward. I discovered that to install the seats when I was done, I couldn't get at the front bolts. I had reglassed the bulkhead and I suppose that amount of thickness was just enough to keep the seat from going back far enough to expose the bolts. I put the seat back on the tracks just far enough to start the front bolts in the bobbins while the seat was tilted way forward. Then I could push the top back all the way and move the seat ahead enough to get at the rear bolts. When the seat is tilted, it will go further back on the tracks. Somebody already removed the seatbelt and ignition key warning wiring from my car