[DeTomaso] Adding lumbar support for Pantera seats

[Asa Jay Laughton]

I haven't seen those since an RX7 I worked on back in the 80's.  As I 
recall though, the hoses were black, not clear.  Very nice.  So how does 
a Recaro adjust lumbar today?

Asa Jay

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired

& Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA

1973 Pantera L 5533
[ASASCAT]
    
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http://www.351c.info
  



MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> Everybody knows that Recaros are considered to be the best auto seats in the 
> world.   They are normally a tight fit in a Pantera unless the floorpans are 
> lowered, because the seat base cushions, and the seat back cushions, are both 
> an inch or two thicker than the stock seats.   But they are so excellent, I 
> felt it was worth the effort, and had my car modified to accept them comfortably.
>
> I bought my Recaros back in 1992, and at the time, as an option I bought 
> inflatable air bladders for extra lumbar support.   At some point over the years, 
> the fellow that did the bulk of the restoration work on my car somehow lost 
> them, but I wasn't overly concerned about it.
>
> On my drive to and from the Las Vegas Fun Rally this year, I found that the 
> shape of the cabin of the car was forcing me to adopt the standard Pantera 
> seating position, where your butt and the top of your back are touching the seat, 
> but your lower back is a few inches away from the seat back.
>
> I bit the bullet and re-bought a pair of Recaro air bladders.   They weren't 
> easy to find, as many Recaro dealers don't even know they exist.   I got mine 
> from my nearest Recaro dealer, Griffen Motorwerke in Berkeley.   They are 
> actually being marketed today primarily for the Recaro office chairs.   The part 
> number for the air bladders is 30807007, and they sell for about $50 each.
>
> Each of them consists of a thick white plastic base, with two bladders 
> stitched to it.   One of the bladders has two chambers.   They are linked with clear 
> plastic hose to a rubber squeeze bulb, like that used on a blood pressure 
> collar.
>
> There are two slots stamped into the plastic base, which engage a pair of 
> tabs on the seat back frame.   On the first seat, I actually broke the plastic at 
> the bottom of the seat back cushion, which is the only way I could pull the 
> cushion away in order to get the photo.   On the second seat, I was able to 
> slide the bladder in behind the cushion from the side and hang it on the tabs, 
> without breaking the seat cushion mounting.
>
> The plumbing needed a little bit of work.   I had to shorten one of the 
> smaller hoses, and lengthen (replace) the single hose going from the “Y” to the 
> squeeze bulb so that the hoses would exit the chambers and point down, rather 
> than straight out to the side.
>
> I'm happy to report that they work absolutely perfectly.   The squeeze bulb 
> is positioned unobtrusively at the front of the seat, where it can easily be 
> reached, but it isn't in the way.   The seats are much more comfortable than 
> they were before, and the amount of lumbar support can easily be increased or 
> decreased on the fly.
>
> Although they are intended specifically for Recaros, these bladders will 
> probably work with virtually any kind of seat, and thus I highly recommend them!
>
> Here's some photos:
>
> http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/RecaroLumbarSupport.jpg
>
> Cheers!
>
>
>
>
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