Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Can the front seat and backrest be separated reasonably easily?

If so - how please?

Welded on sheet metal thing, hope the picture helps, Gordon Sauer

It's a reclining Plus 2 S seat. Is that a picture of the earlier (fixed back) seat frame?

Vince, I had mine apart to weld up the base of the driver's frame but I couldn't see how to separate the parts.. but then I wasn't needing to. The passenger seat needed the pawl freeing up on the reclining mechanism and I couldn't see how to get inside it (in the end I just sprayed the lot with oil and worked it back & forth until it started working as if by magic).

That is from my 73 titled, 72 build federal +2 S 130. Gordon

Sorry Gordon, didn't recognise the plate. I stand corrected!

[Edit: Read on - looks like I was correct after all..]

Gordon Sauer wrote:Welded on sheet metal thing, hope the picture helps, Gordon Sauer

Although mine had a rubber diaphragm not the posh spring I imagine it is much the same.
Naturally the replacement diaphragm bears only a passing resemblance to the original.)

It didn't look feasible but worth an ask!

Thanks
Vince

I reread this and probably just confused things. I took it as ?head rest? you wanted to get rid of and that?s what is shown on my picture. I went back and looked at the pictures of my seats and my backs do not recline?it?s a one piece tubular metal frame that runs all the way around the seat and there is no way to separate the back of the seat from the the lap of the seat. To get to the back ?seats? you had to lift up the whole seat and of course when they put the headrest on the federal models it merely knocks into the roof and you really can?t even get back there! Gordon Sauer

From memory I think Gordon's car has the fixed back seats with headrest rather than the adjustable back seats fitted to UK and possibly others cars.

Gordon not sure if you remember my car from a tx abcd a few years ago but it has the adjustable type (cream with brown inserts) that Vincent has.