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View Full Version : Kirkey Vintage Seats, public service announcement



zee
11-23-2022, 09:57 AM
I have Kirkey 55V 17" seats that a lot of builders use.

175357

I was planning on putting these on sliders. However, when speaking with Kirkey, they highly discourage that (to the point where they encouraged me to buy a different seat if I needed sliders and were willing to lose a sale).

These seats (according to them) "need to me mounted in a fixed position at the bottom and rear of the seat to a roll cage or rollbar to be safe. If you just mount at the bottom on sliders the seat could fail in the event of an accident."

In fact, I've seen most builders just mount the bottom. They recommend both the bottom *and* the rear:


"The seat itself need to be mounted in both spots (base and rear). You can mount the base using a side mount (# 99214) or go directly through the bottom of the seat pan to a structural point of the floor."

Just sharing it as an FYI. I know lots of people have mounted these on sliders and many others have used just the base mount. But since I only learned this information today, I wanted to share it so you could make an informed decision. It is mentioned explicitly in their instructions but not on the website itself where you place the order.

I am still using these seats but will skip the sliders.

EDIT: this post isn't a jab at Kirkey which was very up front that they'd rather lose a sale than have me do something unsafe. This is a PSA because I've seen many builders drop the ball on safety. I think FFR might get a part of the blame as well because they sell these without appropriate mounts. Either way, it's the builder's choice (I can see how sliders would still be safe). I just wanted to raise the info so all y'alls can make an informed decision either way.

Jeff Kleiner
11-23-2022, 10:25 AM
No offense Zee but this is one of those cases where one should do the research prior to purchasing. I’ve used these as well as Kirkey high backs in customer builds and they make it clear in the seat description, technical info and mounting instructions that these seats need to be mounted both bottom and rear and are not intended to be mounted on sliders. All of this is online.

Jeff

zee
11-23-2022, 10:33 AM
No offense Zee but this is one of those cases where one should do the research prior to purchasing. I’ve used these as well as Kirkey high backs in customer builds and they make it clear in the seat description, technical info and mounting instructions that these seats need to be mounted both bottom and rear and are not intended to be mounted on sliders. All of this is online.

Jeff

I know, I am posting it here because lots of builders on this forum have put these on sliders as well as others who just mounted them at the bottom and not the rear. I don't "need" the sliders and was worried about raising the seat anyway. That means people much shorter or much taller than me cannot drive my car, which is just fine with me :-).

Jeff Kleiner
11-23-2022, 10:35 AM
For anyone who is curious:

https://www.kirkeyracing.com/related/55%20series%20installation%20guide.pdf

michael everson
11-23-2022, 11:06 AM
While all this info is very true, keep in mind that the harnesses are keeping you in the car not the seat or its mounting points. I am sure the sliders or just bottom mounts are fine for a street driven car. Safety should always be first but in this instance, I think there are other things to worry about if you in an accident that could rip the seat out.
Mike

J R Jones
11-23-2022, 11:43 AM
Back in the day I was offered a ride in a CP Sunbeam Tiger (race car) if I used my engine. Great deal for me.
We did an intense preparation with near-all nighters and set off to Indianapolis Raceway Park for a National. We had arranged for a guy to meet us there with new headers. We installed the headers in the Holiday Inn pre-dawn parking lot.
Teething problems limited effective practice, and qualifying did not meet the desired result. Starting mid pack on Sunday the pace was intense as this race preceded the Runoffs in Atlanta. More teething problems became evident as the clutch and brake hydraulics were getting soft, then the seat mounts broke loose and I was left surging port and starboard as far as the harness would allow. A dismal finish resulted but not a DNF. Under dynamic circumstances one does not want to experience a seat mount failure, and aluminum has a limited fatigue life.
jim