seat adjuster

[TooBadBrad]

47 Plymouth special deluxe. I have discovered the bearings are missing in the seat adjuster track on the drivers side. Does anyone out there know what size goes in there and how to get them in?

Thanks!

[woodrow]

43 minutes ago, TooBadBrad said:

47 Plymouth special deluxe. I have discovered the bearings are missing in the seat adjuster track on the drivers side. Does anyone out there know what size goes in there and how to get them in?

Thanks!

I have one of the larger ones on my work bench.  I'll check the size tomorrow with the micrometer if u like.  I would say they are a pretty common size and not hard to source.  issue is that once you get them u will have to prevent them from rolling out again. theres a reason why they got away in the first place.  in the mean time I would take the seat out if you haven't already and look around for them.  they couldn't have gotten very far unless somebody already picked em up.  I believe there are two large ones per track.  

[DonaldSmith]

You can fix the seat track yourself, if you have the balls. 

 

I repaired one of my seat tracks ages ago.  I got the balls from a junk seat track.  Somewhere in antiquity is the thread on how I fixed the track, and how to get the balls in and out.

 

Maybe someone can find ithe thread, while the other Don makes some juvenile comment about balls.  Mind you, I am a connesseur of juvenile comments, being quite good at it myself.      

[casper50]

My 47 Dodge took two each side.  1 large 1 small.  Don't remember where I got the size but I believe it was on this site somewhere.  Maybe Tech section.

[DonaldSmith]

Here's my description:

 

Description of front seat track repair:

The track on each side of the seat is formed from two heavy gauge pieces, which when placed together form two outer races for small ball bearings and a middle race for large ones. It works like a drawer guide. The upper piece has three recessed bolts for attaching the seat, and the lower piece is riveted to the base. (I replaced the base, so I drilled out the rivets.) The upper piece rides over the large race and one small race. The lower piece hooks over the upper piece, so that the upper piece rides under the other small race. There are two large balls in the large race, and two small balls in each small race. Travel of small balls limited by indentations in track. Travel of the large balls is restricted by the heads of the bolts for the seat.

Disassembly:

Remove the lever that goes from the handle on the side of seat to the latch under the track. Drill out the rivet that connects the lever to the latch. (I forget why I had to do this.) Slide the track toward each extreme position, and push out the upper bolts at the ends, making room for the large balls to come out. (If the large balls do not come out, drive the large balls to the center of the track, to provide slack for popping out the small balls. (A 3/8 drive extension works well for this.) The small balls should be visible in their race. Use a large screwdriver or similar tool to pry the tracks apart and pop the small balls out. With the small balls out, the pieces will separate, releasing the large balls.

Assembly:

(It’s sort of reverse of disassembly.) Grease the race surfaces of the track. Grease the four small balls to hold them in place. Slip the two pieces of track together. Tape them, so they won't separate. Drive a large ball in each end. Slide the track toward each extreme, and install the seat bolts. Draw the seat bolts home with nut and washer, so that square end of the bolt fits in the square hole. (I used small bolts to replace the rivets to the base. For some reason I left the two end bolts out until the track was otherwise reassembled.)

I hope this helps.

w

[Don Coatney]

32 minutes ago, DonaldSmith said:

You can fix the seat track yourself, if you have the balls. 

 

I repaired one of my seat tracks ages ago.  I got the balls from a junk seat track.  Somewhere in antiquity is the thread on how I fixed the track, and how to get the balls in and out.

 

Maybe someone can find ithe thread, while the other Don makes some juvenile comment about balls.  Mind you, I am a connesseur of juvenile comments, being quite good at it myself.      

 

I always keep a few big balls in my tool box so I found a pair just the right size. That way I did not have to go tramping around strange junk.?‍♀️

[TooBadBrad]

Thanks for the help so far. Mine were missing when I bought the car, so the seat would only stay in the forward position. I'm hopping someone knows the size to save some experimentation!

[58prostreet]

I have a '52 dodge and the track has four 5/16th and two 5/8th balls in each track. I found them at Norfolk bearing, so I would think  pretty muc

h any bearing shop should have them. Not sure if # and sizes are same for '47 Plymouth.

Bob

[TooBadBrad]

Thanks! That's a good place to start!

[TooBadBrad]

58 Prostreet was right! 2- 5/8 AND 4 5/16 per side. I'd still like the seat to go back another inch or two, so I'll modify the brackets some day.