Updates

I never did get back to the GPS unit - that's on the backburner. But I did get my rebuilt transmission back. I've completed the wiring for my Megaquirt install and need to do some basic testing, the Palm Pilot is ready to do some datalogging and I am inching slowly forwards.

Over the last week or so I've been working on installing steel framed race seats in the car. i ordered a set of sliders for my Cobra Monaco seats (to slide the seats forward and back to suit different drivers) and have built a frame to mount the sliders to the car:







I can see over the steering wheel, but seeing over the dash "might" be an issue, I guess I'll try it and see.

The other issue is it might be hard to heel-toe my shifts when the seat is that low. I sat on a phone book and everything improved, so I'll probably use this one on the passenger side and fab a taller one.

I also set the front of the mount higher than the rear to give the seat a little bit of layback - without this I felt like I was falling forwards out of the seat. For the record, the front legs are 3 inches tall and the rears are two inches. I think 2 1/2" on the front might have been perfect - the 1" of layback seems to be just a little too much.

Of course, I'm probably over-thinking it.

I went to buy bolts to mount the seat today - I hear a lot of good things about "Grade 8" bolts. I could only find SAE bolts. I'd have preferred metric, so out of curiosity I called a local bolt place (Star Bolt in NLR) and they have everything I need IN METRIC and IN STOCK! $10 minimum order and they were very pleasant on the phone.

And because I 'm a nerd, the grade 5,8 etc bolts are an SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) standard and apply mostly to American Standard bolts. Metric bolts follow the ISO standard - the equivalent of a Grade 8 bolt in metric would be a Class 10.9.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw#Mechanical_classifications