The Interior

RZSR X

True Classic
Stage One - Redo the Interior.


New '74 dash, instrument console, door panels, arm rests, sun visors, seats, harnesses, steering wheel, shift knob, weather striping, badges, carpet and floor mats.


The far left gauge is not actually battery charge but instead oil pressure along with the more modern tack and 140mph speedo.


I kept the original console because I felt the crack to the cig lighter gives the X a period correct look ;) and I didn't mind the oil temp gauge.


The latest in Corbeau Clubman seats and the only ones that fit, ask me how I know!


Coated Targa top with textured truck bed paint.

Check.

Thanks to everyone that helped with my endless questions and to those that sent me parts. You might recognize them except that they are all black now.

Carl
 
Outstanding!

Looks fabulous.
Wonderful detail integration.
Seat bolsters appear a bit much
for the portly amongst us.
 
Thanks guys!

Next up I'll be posting a pic of all the new and exciting suspension, brake components and wheel and tires I have been collecting before the installation.

Oh and I might be tall but I'm thin so I have plenty of room with the bolsters.
 
Great work Carl... and a question...

I looked at the line offered by Corbeau but have NOT had any experience with them. I was hoping that one of these three "Reclining Sport Seats" might work...

http://corbeau.com/sport-reclining.html

I THINK that the only real dimension that keeps any seat from working in the X is their with... Other considerations would height and aesthetics including comfort. So I found other seats are between 21 and 23 inches wide... and I found one or two that were a 1/2 inch narrower that yours.

Without me getting up from my seat or you doing the same... what is the maximum width that we could install without taking drastic action. Also... Did you use their rail kits or ???

I have suggested these Corbeaus for YEARS now for folks to consider when contemplating re-upholstering for the same money or less... but so far I don't know of anyone else that actually did it.

Would like to know more... thanx...
 
Tony,

The width and the height is key. The Clubman seats are at the max in a '74 pressed against the center console while clearing the door panel when closed. If one was able to remove the Fiat rails welded to the floor I think the seats could be lowered and moved towards the doors another 1/2" or so. I'm using Corbeau rails off very old school Clubmans that were in the X, and to fit a seat the floor was drilled in 4 spots about an inch towards the center of the car. There are steel rails for strength under the floor connecting the front and rear bolts.

I first tried the Evolution X seats which fit better except they were to tall hitting the roll bar and a bit much up high for the X. But the 70 degree back angle was much better for leg room than the Clubmans 65 degrees. All the adjustable seats as far as I could decipher were either to wide at the adjustment or to tall to fit. I also looked at all the other after market seats I could find on the web that would accept 4pt harnesses and all were to tall!

My problem is that I'm 6'1" and a 1/2 and because of the back angle of the Clubmans I can't have them go back as far as I would like without the headrest pressing up against the rear window.

So I have them a fingers thickness from the window and slammed as low to the floor as possible. I actually tried different nuts and washers front to back a dozen times to find the best fit. If I was one inch shorter I could have raised the back of the rails an inch which would have reduced the angle to the rear window quite substantially allowing the seat to move back a lot, giving much more leg room. As they sit now the hair on top of my head just touches the front edge of the roll bar.

You will also notice my MOMO wheel is only 320mm and flat on the bottom to give my legs as much clearance as possible. To be tall and love small cars is a curse I tell ya...

To summarize my banter - If you are 6' tall or less and want to use a harness I would highly recommend the new vinyl Clubmans otherwise there are trade offs!

P.S. My harnesses are really 3pt because the shoulder straps go through a U-bolt mounted to the back shelf/engine compartment then down to one of the 3 clip in bolts on the floor. This way the shoulder straps are tied in within the recommended angles when exiting the back of the seats.
 
I like the idea

of the textured truck bed paint for the targa top. Mine always gets scratched stowing it on the frunk.

Mike
 
Thanks... and...

I can see where the Clubman and the Classic are much better suited for our cars. The Clubman for racing and the Classic for touring. Looking at the Evolution, its gotta be 6 or 8 inches taller. I've seen similar ones in our cars and they just look too big, IMHO.

The Fiat rails are three plies of steel stamped and spot welded together. I could see "cutting and boxing" them, but not just cutting them. In either case, these are the extremes that I don't think we need to go to.


I'm 5' 11" but am too short for my weight. I see they recommend a waist size no greater than 36 inches. So far, this is stop-gap for me...

I ran a flat-bottom wheel for some time also. I recently installed a few washers on the bottom two of the four column bolts that tilts the column up and away from you about 1/4 inch... giving you about an inch more clearance at the wheel.

To summarize my banter - If you are 6' tall or less and want to use a harness I would highly recommend the new vinyl Clubmans otherwise there are trade offs!

I would agree... and if using the car with just the 3 point harness and for the street, I think the Classic is a better "fit" for those that can fit. HA!

Thanks for your help!
 
Tilting the steering column

Do you still have the plastic cover on the column?

Because my cover at the ignition runs into the dash! So if I tried to tilt the column up I don't know if it would but I really like the idea because the head of the tack needle from about 3k to 6k has disappeared with the inside top of the wheel blocking it.
 
Do you still have the plastic cover on the column?

Carl, the PO of my car tilted the column up about as far as it can go, as he was as tall as me- 6'4". The plastic cover can't be used. He wrapped the column with some kind of material that looks like black canvas. It looks fine, as with the extreme tilt you can't see the top of the column, but I do plan to re-wrap in in some black vinyl or leather when I get the chance.

Dave
 
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