I just went outside and checked, by sitting in the drivers seat and then sitting in the passenger seat, and measuring where the top of the seat came to on the back of my head.

I'd say we got 1.8 inches, maybe 2 inches. Of that, probably one inch was from lowering the seat pan, and the other inch was from cutting the foam. I don't see how you could get more than 1 inch from dropping the pan, since there isn't more than an inch between the pan and the floor to start with.

I have another suggestion to anyone thinking of cutting the foam, one that I'm going to try tomorrow. Instead of just slicing off some portion of the bottom of the foam, slice out a wedge from the middle, and replace this wedge with a similar sized wedge of lower-density foam. Three advantages:

- By retaining the lower piece of foam, the foam fits into the pan just as well as it did before. That is, no stretching or rubbing down there.
- By replacing a wedge (thin at the front, thicker at the back), you ensure that the surface of the seat, as it compresses, will have an even pressure profile. A wedge shape isn't perfect, of course, but perfection might be really hard to achieve here.
- By actually replacing the high density original foam with lower density foam, you retain the shape of the seat with no occupant.

 

If all goes not so well you can always put the modded seat bottom on the passenger side and start anew with the other seat bottom...

 

BTW I had the same cut on my finger even after seeing that yours was cut, seems like I would learn

 

Those of you considering this listen up..........I must now do it or sell my car! I have developed a stooped posture due to the need to lean forward in the car. This has led to a pinched nerve in my back that makes my hand numb. If you think you need it, do it sooner rather than later when the symptoms have already shown up. My seat gets it now.

 

!!! Oh man, I really need to do this....

Sidesway, please post back your findings while doing this mode. I am concerned about changing the rack of the seat while doing this mod...

 

did anyone in S. CA ever end up doing this???

 

Da Hapa,

I am the pioneer of this mod. I posted the original instructions at the top of the thread. Airsport was kind enough to take photos and post them on the board. It has really taken off from there. I would encourage you to give it a shot. It's not a difficult mod, and you will feel so much more comfortable in the car. Go for it!

Greg

 

I did this Mod last weekend and I'm thrilled with the results.
I wasn't happy with the amount I got from pounding the back of the pan so I went back and really pounded the crap out of it which made the seat rails a bit crooked. Needless to say I had to take it apart and pound it somemore until I lined it up.
I Pondered Lowering the brackets that hold the back of the seat pan like Outoforder stated in his post but I don't have the tools to rivet that properly.
Maybe next winter when it is layed up again I'll get more ambitious but it is almost as low as possible.
I Can barely get my fat middle finger to slide between the Bumps on the bottom of the pan and the floor.
Did anyone get theirs lower than this . (approx. 7/8 of an inch )

This is the Best Mod ever. At 6'4" I can now see the traffic lights thru my windshield for a change.

Greg and Scott I am eternally grateful for the Knowledge and Pics.

 

Let me know when you come up with a larger seat. I'm interested in purchasing.

 

I've been searching for a way to lower the factory seat even before I bought my car. This is the best post I've ever seen. I'm a little afraid of trying this myself because I'm not the most mechanically inclined person. If I was able to put a header on myself, do you think I'll be able to do this? Thanks for the detailed post.

Matt