Seat bolt installation frustration

[BNelsonAz]

When we pulled the motor out of my son's 1980 FI spider, we thought it would be a great time to also refresh the interior. So out came the seats. Now the motor is done and back in, and we're re-installing the seats. However, the seat bolts are not cooperating. I can't seem to get them lined up, or in some cases, in the seat rail hole. Is there a trick/tip for this?

If not, seriously considering just welding them in place!

Any help, as always, much appreciated.

Bill

[bradartigue]

This shouldn't be hard, and certainly don't weld them. Take the seats out and put them aside. Get some kind of degreaser/cleaner and clean the holes and the bolts thoroughly, maybe even a wire brush to clean them out. Oil the bolts slightly and hand-thread them in. If they all fit then you should be in good shape; if not figure out why and/replace them with allen headed, metric bolts from any hardware store.

I tend to install them very loosely on all four corners, by hand, then tighten them up.

[vandor]

Use a screwdriver to line up the seat rail holes with the captive nuts.

[azruss]

let me know if you need some help