BryanPendleton

Went to install my Cobra Imola seats last night, and of all the issues I was afraid I might run into, having the Planted C5 seat mount NOT fit the car was not one of them. The Planted seat mount, both passenger and driver side, interfered with the lap belt retractor. Not a major issue, but certainly a nuisance. I plan to trim 1/4" off (~2.5" long) along the corner to provide adequate clearance to be able to position the mount on the 4 seat studs.

Note that this would not be an issue if the seat belt retractor was pulled and its interior panel left off, but I am installing both OE belts and Schroth 6-point.

Just thought I would pass along this information for those considering the Planted hardware for mounting aftermarket seats in your C5.

The good news was the standard width Cobra Imola fits beautifully in the C5. I can position the seat dead center in front of the steering wheel and have tunnel clearance and plenty of door panel clearance. Overall head room is still to be determined. Without being able to position the mount flat of the floor (for reasons above) I cannot determine final seat height. I am using Planted universal side mounts with a Sparco seat slider. If helmet clearance is an issue the slider will have to go. I have ordered the "Low" Pro-Fit cushion set for my driver seat to help improve helmet clearance as well as fine tune seat fitment for myself. Once I get everything buttoned up, I will report with more information.

ScaryFast

Bryan would you mind posting a few pictures? I am considering the planted mounts myself.

Thanks!

BryanPendleton

Not a problem. I'll snap some photos this evening and post them up.

rkdc5z06

MTI seat rails bolted down.

BryanPendleton

I talked with Planted this afternoon, and they are going to make another set of mounts using their "narrow top plate". Basically they have a few standard top plates and weld on different feet to fit the specific application. While I have to be patience and wait for the new mounts, the flip side is I may shave another pound or so of weight with the narrower seat mounts.

BryanPendleton

Here are some photos

ScaryFast

Thanks much for the pictures. So they have a standard and a narrow C5 mount? Or they sent the wrong one? I don't have factory seatbelts so I won't have the same issue with interferance, but it looks like it doesn't line up with the seat mounting bolts.

BryanPendleton

The fit is perfect if you remove the interior panel covering the seat belt retractor.

Planted reported that they have not seen this issue before. As for what is offered for the C5 they make the wide version like what I was shipped. This wider plate gives you more flexibility with mounting the actual seat. In my case I have a narrow seat, so the wide plate is not necessary, so they are going to simply make me a set with their narrow top plate. Since in most cases, they make the mounts when ordered, you can probably simply specify what you want during ordering.

lefrog

Even with the panel off, I had clearance issues with the seat belt retractor. I ended up completely removing the seat belts, which was not an issue since the car is now a track car but it looks like this is not the best seat mount.
There are discussions about seat mounts in this other thread were I posted pics of my setup: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/auto...post1585264688

BryanPendleton

I recieved the narrow top plate Planted mounts last week and got my new seats installed. Plenty of clearance with the seat belt retractors. I will post up some photos of the new mounts soon.

BryanPendleton

Here are some photos of the "Narrow" Planted mounts. They worked nicely with my Cobra Imola's in standard width, because I was using the middle row of mounting slots. There is still a outer row of mounting holes for wider seats, but the slot length was shortened considerably with the narrow version of the Planted mounts which could limit adjustability.

Overall all I am happy with the Planted hardware. It is extremely robust in design, but could lack the adjustability needed to properly position the seat for some drivers.

Note that clearances with the seat belt retractor are much tighter on the driver side. Oh and please ignore the filthy passenger side...I haul my son to soccer practice several times a week, so he always tracks in dirt and grass.