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I regret that I have been working so late at night that I haven't been keeping up with the posts. I'm sorry for that. The progress continues on Wilbur, and despite the continued delay on the Cobra seats the car is now officially back on the road!
I was anxious to get rolling again, so I reached out to HMS Motorsports to inquire about the Cobra Nogaros. HMS advised that the seats aren't going to arrive until mid-October. HMS did agree to direct ship the seats to me to save a few weeks, and they gave me an extra 5% discount on a new set of Schroth GT3 harnesses. FYI HMS always offers a 5% discount to all PCA members. But sometimes things happen for a reason.
Waiting another month to drive the 964 was not an option. So I yanked the Tillet racing seat out of the passenger side of my 993 for a temporary seat. I wanted to adjust that seat down one notch, so it was a good excuse to pull it out and use it for a bit. The Tillet seat was plug and play with the Recarro universal sliders, but not so the BK-9035 sub strap bar. The BK sub strap bar smacks right into the Motronic on the 964. So much for that plan. So I pulled out the Motronic and all the carefully laid wires, and made a new plan. I'm going to mount the Motronic against the rear seat like the RS. And instead of of the weighty BK sub-bar (which also lies a bit too far forward for this long-legged driver), I saved 4 lbs. by drilling a few holes and using Schroth reinforcement plates. A quick and easy solution, and the substraps are in a much better location about 20 degrees behind center.
The spartan Tillet seat seems to suit the bare bones 964. And the Tillets weigh about 20 lbs. less than the Cobras. So current thinking is to run with Tillets in the 964, and the Cobra Nogaros will go in the carpeted and insulated 993. That seems to be a better match. In the meantime, I will be running solo in both the 993 and the 964 as each has only one seat. I'm a loner, a rebel...
Repairing some rust before reinstalling the brake pedal brace Before After Door seals treated Like new Rear window seals got the same treatment Reinstalling the windows was easier than expected Bare hands worked best for me Work the forward edge in first, and then work your way back To the rear corner which takes a little finesse Revelation that BK sub strap bar fouls the Motronic Need a new plan
Disconnected battery Yanked out the Motronic And the base plate Abandoning the BK sub bar Schroth reinforcement plates saves 4 lbs. Drilling two small holes for eye screws Silicon adhesive View of reinforcement plates from underneath
4" gap is ideal - close enough Almost ready to install the seat But still need to install the pedal board Marine grease for the pedal ball Hold tight with a wrench and pedal snaps right on with a good push
View of the ball in the socket Getting the Tillet seat ready Planted offset brackets are light, and whedn reverse mounted they provide the requisite 16" gap for the Recarro sliders Recarro sliders Confirm 16" width between sliders The Brey Krause 9005 provides a nice solution for the tunnel belt, and the GT3 lap belts bolt right onto the BK mount and a bolt in the door sill bung
Tillet seat in the 964. Th Recarro sliders are solid, and function smoothly and effortlessly (sliders are not for racing) View of the tunnel and BK 9005 tunnel anchor mount Ample head room, and the seat can easily drop another few inches. I topped off the oil and went for a ride. The first half was a bit smokey I guess I topped off too much - had to drain the quart out again Driving around in stripped car provides an interesting view. It's a bit loud inside, like the windows are always open
Drove a few country roads home. Farm Road in Dover is always a pleasure Oh oh, time for a new sticker Farm Road, Dover Driving reminded me i need floor boards. So I made a quick template Cut with as jig Pretty good fit. Now for some hardware and paint this weekend.
Great work as always Jim, I totally agree on the seats. Wonder what the doors look like without the panels? Painted up all nice like the rest of the car?
..The spartan Tillet seat seems to suit the bare bones 964. And the Tillets weigh about 20 lbs. less than the Cobras. So current thinking is to run with Tillets in the 964, and the Cobra Nogaros will go in the carpeted and insulated 993. That seems to be a better match. In the meantime, I will be running solo in both the 993 and the 964 as each has only one seat. I'm a loner, a rebel...
Solo-seater in two cars! Love it. Yes, you are a rebel.
As a cyclist, I'm attracted to the functional minimalism of the interior and those Tillet seats.
What more do you really need?
Solo-seater in two cars! Love it. Yes, you are a rebel.
As a cyclist, I'm attracted to the functional minimalism of the interior and those Tillet seats.
What more do you really need?
Thanks 911Jetta. The more I look at the Tillet seat in the 965, the more convinced I am that it’s the right seat for this spartan car. I drove the car to work today. The seats are surprisingly comfortable even in a daily commute. And they weigh only 15 lbs! That’s about a 100 lb. reduction in weight with both seats. Hoping to remove the A/C tomorrow and lose another 50 lbs. It’s beginning to all add up.
Originally Posted by Dingo
Great work as always Jim, I totally agree on the seats. Wonder what the doors look like without the panels? Painted up all nice like the rest of the car?
You had me thinking about the doors, Dean. But looking back at the photos I took of a cup car at the shop, it has the same look. The cup car actually has the center console as well. I’m going to stay true to the cup car look for now, and leave the black RS door panels. All that white inside the car can be distracting.
The cup car has black RS door cards Going for this look, but just a half cage to keep the car street legal
I’ve been consider the B6 since you first started the tillet install thread- but have held off due tor fact that my964 is dual purpose- but looking over the offerings I think I may try the B5 instead just to see if it’s a good compromise in terms of getting in and out of the car easily. I figure if I want the B6 after all I’ll just move the B5 over the the passenger seat.
I had Tillet seats in my lotus. Can't say enough good things about them. Super comfortable even on a 3k mile trip. Sort of wish I bought them again for my 964
I’ve been consider the B6 since you first started the tillet install thread- but have held off due tor fact that my964 is dual purpose- but looking over the offerings I think I may try the B5 instead just to see if it’s a good compromise in terms of getting in and out of the car easily. I figure if I want the B6 after all I’ll just move the B5 over the the passenger seat.
Great call, Pete. I also considered the B5 when I was searching for new seats. My 993 is also dual purpose, but it’s principally a track car and I wanted true racing seats. It definitely takes a little extra work getting in and out of the car with the B6 seats. Daily driving the 964 with these seats will be a bit of work, but the seats are very comfortable once you’re in the car. The B5 is probably a better call, however, offering a light sturdy seat that you can also get in and out of easily. I’ve seen a few cars at the track equipped with B5’s, and the drivers are all very pleased with the seat.
There’s a recent thread in the 993 Forum where a B5 was installed for the passenger seat. This is a smart solution (but the Planted base brackets are unnecessary IMHO, and shouldn’t be mounted on top of the sliders). https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...nger-seat.html
I had Tillet seats in my lotus. Can't say enough good things about them. Super comfortable even on a 3k mile trip. Sort of wish I bought them again for my 964
Totally agree. Despite the minimalist shell, these seats are incredibly comfortable. The Tillets are well known in Lotus and Kartng circles, but not so much with the Porsche crowd. When I purchased the Tillet seats 18 months ago, i could only find one example in a 996. Now that I’ve got the mounting figures out, installation is quick and easy with the Recarro universal sliders. I think we’ll see more of these Tillets in our air cooled cars.
But wait until you see the Cobra Nogaros in the 993! Still a few weeks out, but this thread in the BMW M3 forum is a great teaser. http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=600516 I think the Cobras may perhaps prove the best application for a dual purpose car. Time will tell.