Jump to content

Unofficial Home of Old Simplicity & Allis-Chalmers Garden Tractors

B Series Seat Bracket Quandry


bowhunt4life

Recommended Posts

Okay, So I went to the garage and decided to install my seat back and seat cushion thinking I could pop some bolts and life would be good. Boy was I wrong. How the heck do I get these rubber bushings off? [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/55chevy/IMG00298.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/55chevy/IMG00297-1.jpg[/IMG]
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They usually don't come off. 90 percent of the time a used seat cannot be reused without removing all of the upholstery from the boards, because the T-nuts will strip the rotten wood, leaving the seat connectors to spin. I have used a cutting wheel to get them off but its easy to end up messing up the metal a little if you aren't extremely careful. New connectors are available for $5 or so each. Possibly less.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

you dont doing the same thing myself today. i had bought the rubber bushings about, boy am i slow, 8 or 9 years ago to redo the seat on my Big Ten. obviously not a priority project. the part is; connector-male, cushioned part number 157094. does not come with a nut or a T nut. price unknown but i think it was under $10 for all 4. i took the brackets to work and used the bench grinder to remove the nuts. if the bolt is turning in the rubber, there is no way to save it. even if you cut off the nut to remove it, you cant get the new nut tight because the stud will turn in the rubber. i dont know if this part is still available from the dealer. the mount is a 5/16-18 thread and goes into a captive nut in the bottom of the seat. a thick rubber bushing with a bolt going from the bottom of the pan up into the seat should work. just dont use a bolt that is too long or you will feel it on every bump. the auto parts store should have a collection of assorted shock absorber mounting rubbers that might do the trick. as to the ones that are on the seat bottom itself; the reason it turns is because the wooden bottom has rotted to the point it no longer holds the nut captive. the only way is to carefully pull the staples that hold the fabric to the wooden seat bottom. remove the seat covering and you can get at the captive nut, sort of. it was, when new, flush with the wood so there is nothing to grab with a pair of pliers. of course now that it is apart and you know the wood is rotten, you might be able to trash the wood to get the connector out, then cut the T nut off, saving the connector (if the bolt is not turning in the rubber) go to lowe's. in the hardware isle they will have 'T nuts, pronged'. actually there is only one in a pack and they are $1.04 each. make a new bottom from plywood and drill the appropriate holes. pound the T nuts into the wood, then recover with the vinyl seat covering. be sure to have the T nuts on the inside so the bolt pulls them into the wood. just use a hand stapler to secure the vinyl to the plywood. put a lot of never-seize, a real lot, on the bolt or connector when you install it. that's so you can get it apart again in a few years when you decide to redo the vinyl.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Dave. I have new seats with the t-nut already mounted. I think I will need to just get the new bushings and a bolt with a lock washer and life will be good. Thanks, Chris
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just cut the t-nuts out of the wood then cut them off the threaded end.It may take a little work to get them off ,then wire brush the threads, heck anyone can buy new ones,it's more fun to save the old stuff.^
Link to comment
Share on other sites

chris, i got my connectors at the simplicity dealer. as mentioned, you can cut the T nut off the connector. a Dremel is great for this sort of thing. a slice or a few bunged threads on one side of the connector wont affect how it holds inside the t nut. but if the threaded bolt is turning in the rubber part, it's junk. my earlier suggestion about a rubber spacer and a bolt wont work. it will let the seat vibrate on the seat pan, eventually wallering out the holes in the pan. if the part is NLA at the dealer, there are other machines that use similar mounts. i think some honda generators are among them
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, What I figured I would do is get the new rubber bushings, which I ordered from a simplicity dealer. I picked up some stainless bolts, washers and lock washers. I figured I would run the bolts up through the bottom of the seatpan, thru the rubber bushing and into the t-bolt which is already in my new seat pads. In theory this should work right?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...