benn Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hey guys, I just got a really good condition '96 Impreza and I'm having some issues fitting in it 100%. I'm a really tall guy and I can sit comfortably in it for a few minutes, but after 20 or so it's a bit irritating. The plastic on the inner door panel juts out (http://imgur.com/T6MmvGX) and jabs my knee. I took the panel off and found that it houses the window switches in a very archaic PCB board. A possible solution is having it redone to be smaller but I genuinely have no experience in soldering or PCBs. My idea is to just have the seat go back further by 1-2 inches but I really don't know how to go about it. Has anyone else here ever done something like this? Where do I start? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Hi and Welcome, Re-doing the door switch is outside my comfort zone, so no help there....sounds a bit drastic, but us 'average' height type don't have the issues. RE: moving the seats back, you might find that you can modify the 'stop' that keeps the seat from going off its track and gain a couple. Also, any seat from a '90-'04 Legacy - Outback, GT, etc., '02-'07 Impreza - OB, WRX, etc. or '98-'08 Forester will fit in there, too. You might find one w/more travel?? Maybe find a local wrecking yard and see if any of them have more leg room?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benn Posted July 19, 2017 Author Share Posted July 19, 2017 (edited) Thanks for the speedy reply, wtdash. I was looking at the plastic housing and it's actually just a small piece that can be replaced later on if I screw up monumentally. I don't think I want to mess with the PCB either. I'll take a look at the 'stop' that keeps the seat from going! Maybe I'll be able to make a homemade block so it doesn't make the seat wobbly. I dunno. I appreciate it! Also yes, looking for a new chair actually may be ideal. If I found a seat with a thinner frame to it I think it'd solve the problem too. I'll have to look around for some junkyards! Edited July 19, 2017 by benn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 Had the same problem in my 96. The seat wouldn't go back far enough for me. Remove the rails from the seat and you'll see there's a notch at the back that keeps the tracks from rolling back too far. I used a chisel to knock tha notch off and dremel to smooth out the rough edge. You get about 1-1/2" extra by knocking that off. The seat won't slide off because there's another notch in the center of the rail that the front roller will catch on. I think I also had to modify the latch that holds it but it was so long ago now I don't remember exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 I have seen a car where someone moved the whole seat mounting point. this was on a Power seat 03 outback, so the rail trick was no go. Basically he made 2 strips of steel with a hole that bolt into the original mounts. Bent the steel back over the mounting "hump" and ending with a tab that the original seat mounts can bolt to. In the back he simply drilled new holes in the floor and tunnel and bolted through the bellypan using washers to reinforce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benn Posted July 20, 2017 Author Share Posted July 20, 2017 Fairtax, that might be exactly what will fix my issues. Thanks for the information man! Exactly the kinda stuff I was looking for. Also Gloyale, thanks for the insight. If I can't keep it stock and need to make further modifications I'll refer back to your post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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