Many years ago I bought the seat extenders when they first hit the market. At the time I was happy since I had driven the car without them to that point. I need more room so I am looking for the material that they are made from. Looks to be a formed "U" channel steel that would be simple to drill and modify.

Where would I find this material?

why dont you ask FireBirdBill, as he makes them...a friend of mine is going to ask him for a 4 inch extension set (stock is 2), maybe he can make both of you some??

eamail 'Bill Edmunds' @ earlybrds@aol.com

Bjorn, thanks fr the rec and I sent Bill an email. I hope he is not going to want a zillion bucks for them as I am trying to keep the costs down to a minimum.

If anyone finds the material please let me know.

Marc

He is real reasonable. I bought a set from him years ago off of eBay. $35 + shipping I believe.

Well he wants a little more than that lol. He sent an email back to me and says he has one set left but will have to check and make sure. I am going to pass on them for now so if anyone wants them better contact Bill.

I bought FireBirdBill extenders as well. Excellent product, well made and painted black. How much? My legs don't care!

There is company out there makes them for newer cars as well.

http://extendmyseat.com/toyota-rav4-2006-2012-seat-brackets/

I'm getting some for the wife's RAV so I drive it.

$225 !!![b][/b][size:23pt][/size]

Short guy ehhh

I had to make my own extenders for my coupe back in '80. I could not drive the car without them.

If your goal is more legroom, you could simply relocate your seat back further with these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-1968-and-19...6ce&vxp=mtr

My personal solution to the overall discomfort AND legroom problem of these seats was to put in a pair of black leather seats from a Chrysler Sebring. 6 way power, lumbar support, functional headrest, fantastic comfort...and my original seats sit on a shelf encapsulated in plastic. 8 bolts 15 minutes and I can switch back to 100% original at time of sale, or even for a car show.

That is FirebirdBobs seat extenders

So OHC are you saying $45 plus shipping is too much $$$ for a bolt-on solution?

As for the raw material if you really want to spend hours doing the measure/cut/grind/drill/paint your own in an effort to save another $25, just go to any local welding supply/steel store and buy some channel steel in the gauge/width you want. Then you can start from scratch and make your own.

who is FirebirdBob ??

you sure??
I paid $40 shipped for mine a few yrs back...even though these will be special order and cut...not sure that number is correct...he is a very reasonable guy..maybe ask him why that high cost?

R and D, and rising healthcare costs!!

See other thread about that!

Prices of everything are on the verge of skyrocketing to pay for all the freebies.

No, that's the cost of extenders for my Rav4.

Bill wants $100 plus shipping for the 4" set back. Big men must pay more for a low production part that isn't advertised .. Craze.

Yes. I like DIY project especially when it allows me to drive my Firebird.

Marc

I hear ya...I'm no shorty my self...long legged 6 ft 1...and likewise enjoy frittering my time away on little projects like this to save a few bucks...

And frankly I made my own set recently also, before changing course and going with the Sebring seats. Instead of that channel steel I just used 2 pieces of heavy gauge strap steel (might have been 3/8"? PLENTY solid), drilled the holes, and even took the time to put a weld-nut in 2 of the holes to simplify installation of the seats by integrating threaded holes. It worked, and was not that difficult. But then my 5 ft 4 inch wife sat down in the drivers seat couldn't get the seat forward enough to reach the pedals. Not good. So what I really needed was not just more legroom, but more range both directions. And I get great joy out of letting other people drive my car whenever I get a chance...my wife takes it out with a friend or two of hers sometimes, and I still say my favorite day as a FGF owner was cruising past the 15.5 year old kid down the street, and watching him light up with excitement when I stopped to ask him if we wants to go for a ride..."yes"...and then nearly seeing him crap his pants when I moved over to the passenger seat and handed him the keys (he was about 2 months into his drivers permit). And I don't think I ever felt more safe on the wrong side of the car in my life. Thank God he was relatively tall...he had to move the seat all the way forward and was still a little stretched out. If I had set it back any further he would have been in for a very serious and unintended letdown.

I quickly changed course and those extenders were only in the car for a couple weeks until I got the Sebring seats, modded them to fit, which now give HUGE range and satisfy anyone from 4 ft 9 to about 6 ft 6...in legroom AND height adjustments. Now I'm confident anyone can drive and I love that, not to mention modern comfort for cross country drives.

But as usual, I drift off topic. Those extenders I made got cut up and used for something else or I'd offer 'em to ya. But going back to your post #1, the raw material you seek is nothing special, and probably in stock at your local welding supply store, and you probably don't need to weld anything to make these...just cut, grind, and drill. Just ask to see their thinner gauge (1/8"?) channel or somewhat heavier gauge strap. Pick whatever you think is strong enough for application, but both would work fine. Just measure your tracks for width if you go channel, to make sure they'll fit inside. If you have basic metal working tools like a cut-off and/or angle grinder, plus a drill, and a tape measure, you can make these in whatever custom setback you want. Just realize every inch of setback takes away an inch of forward movement and hurts the short guy. Maybe a non-issue if you're the only driver.

A little off topic, but as you move the seat back that far, what happens to the seatbelt placement? It seems the belt would start to fall across your thighs instead of your hips. Did you notice that? (or maybe you are one of the many that still don't wear seatbelts?)

Just curious.

The seat belt sits back far enough to cinch it up nice and safe. I wear a 40 waist so I am not fat or too fat lol and there is more room for the seat belt to be tightened even more. Keeping mind I only have the first gen set of 2" extenders which I believe is supposed to be what was offered by GM at the dealership. I am a little over 6'4" so although the extenders help they are not far enough back to comfortable operate the car. My left leg gets trapped trying to work the clutch and steer at the same time. Making turns is interesting lol.

Craze, THANK YOU for the write up and the suggestion of where to get the materials.