Foam fitted seat insert

Does any one know for sure if the Foam fitted seat is manditory? I have a fire proof Taylor insert for my seat and have been told by Taylor that I need to purchase the foam fitted seat.Today while at the races at Firebird I checked out what the Top Fuel teams are using and see some teams are not using the foam fitted seat but are using a fire proof insert like I have but from a different manufacturer. I actualy took pictures of Gary Densham seat as NHRA is alowing himself and other larger drivers to use the fireproof cloth insert and not the foam insert?
I was also very surprised that some top fuel teams are still being allowed by NHRA to use the 3.3/05 boots and glooves?
Greg Sereda

 

I've seen top fuel cars with 4 bolts holding the can onto the motor and no one says anything guess if your one of the BIG boys you can do what ever you want. then when something happens they blame the manufacture.

 

Greg, I have sometimes wondered about the 'Big Guys' and the rules? But I do know the tech guys that will tech your car aren't the same that wil tech their's. I have wondered more than once if a person could argue that if 'Big Guy' doesn' have to follow the rules why do I? And then I wake up and the tech guy isn't in a bikini and he is actually going to follow the rule book. Good luck, let the rest of us know if it works for you. Dave Germain

 

seat

I'm not a small guy and my seat was what I considered to be "shaped to the driver"but I did the ISP insert and it did fill in the voids around the small of my back and the kidney area. didn't put anything under me(not required) and it didn't go above the seatbelts.(we thru away alot of foam) I know the price is abit out there but go ahead and do it.

 

do you put your suit on when you put the foam in are what

 

You better put your driving suit on and helmet also. As the foam is first starting to expand and several times thereafter you need to move aroung and get a little wiggle room. If not it will conform so tight you might have a prob. getting out, and in the car.

 

well thats what i thought but just wanted to make sure it seemed to only make sence but there isnt much room in there at 6'5' 250LBS its hard enough to get the belts off the sides as it is thanks for the answer

 

One thing that I notiched this weekend with the Pro cars was there was no consistency on the foam inserts. Some inserts were just on the top of the back and under the front legs with no foam on the side of the seat and others were only about a 1/2" of foam through out the seat and did not appear to be form fitted for a persons body at all. Then there were the ones that had just the material inserts still in them. The one I seen that looked good was the one with just the foam for the top of the back and under the front of the leg shaped like a wedge but no foam on the sides of the seat. The owner/driver of this Top Fuel car said he had it installed by the company that he purchased the kit from,not sure of the kits name but he said he really liked the way it fitted him in his car.I was under the impression it should fit you around the sides also but this may not be the case. I am also a big driver 6'1" and 220lb with no space to spare in my seat.
Does any one have any comments on how the seat ended up looking on their cars. Just trying to get a opinion on how it should look like so I do it right the first time.
Thanks,
Greg Sereda

 

ours came out pretty good. They all require a lot of trimming.
As it was setting up and expanding, it became a little uncomfortable while I was sitting in the car waiting for it to set up. But after a few hours of shaping it, and getting back in the car, etc....It's okay. Just Not Fire Proof. My seat was more comfortable before it because of the cushy padding we had, like sitting in a lexus, but you can shape it and mold it to what fits Your Body. I'm used to it now and it's pretty comfortable. It's so thick that you end up taking quite a bit of it away in certain areas, so don't be shy when you're shaping it in certain areas.

After you put the nomax on it, it turns out looking pretty good really.
Good luck!

 

Seat Insert

Jeff Garvin just did ours and it turned out very form fitting and just like his web site. Must say there is alot of work involved and that we are glad to have him do it. Thanks Jeff Kosky racing

 

Seat Insert

I would have to say the same here. Jeff Garvin came out & did a great job, for us as well , the fit & finish was perfect . Jeff Veale Racing .

 

Hey, Greg.

We did both cars yesterday and they turned out quite nice. A lot of work, but I think you'll like it. It's snug, it's safe and I think it might do something for consistency. It doesn't look bad either.

And, if you have a second kit, you can switch back and forth for Elaine and yourself. If you want to come check ours out, I believe we're in the shop on Saturday.

 

Troy,
I will come by and check them out. I just ordered my kit yesterday. Have you bought boots yet? I have a brand new pair of Simpson boots XL that I will not be using. I bought a pair of boots and gloves form Simpson when I was at Firebird last week and the boots fit me perfect and fit Elaine if she wears her shoes in them.
Greg

 

Before pouring my seat I decided to call the Divisional safety person I deal with to find out their thoughts on the seat and they mentioned the same as a few of you said, what the big boys are allowed to get away with is not the same rules that the sportsman classes have to abide by.
So I poured my seat on the weekend and just wanted to pass on how my experience went. I suited up before pouring the seat just to re familiarize my self in the seat and my first thoughts were, there is just no room in this seat for any additional foam. So I only mixed 2/3rds of the kit up.
So after going through the entire process and while sitting in the car, I thought this was kind of cool having arm rest in the seat now. Now after the seat set up I decided to try and get out of the car and those cool arm rest are overtop of my legs so now I can not get out of the car.No big deal I was able to wiggle out of the car and trim back the arm rest so now they are quite small. But I have maybe 2mm of foam under my entire butt and about the same amount of foam behind my entire back. The only place where there was room to actual require additional foam is at my shoulders. I guess if this keeps my neck and spine aligned in the event of an accident it is worth it. Otherwise my entire seat looks like it was a waste of time. Now I know this will be very practical for my wife when I pour the kit for her as she is half my size.
Any bigger drivers watch how much of the kit you mix up as I figured I would of needed carving out of the car if I poured any more of the foam in to the bag.
Greg Sereda

 

pour in place seat

if anyone is using the double sided tape on the outside of the bag,, do yourself a favor before you stick it to the metal tub put masking tape under where you are going to run the double side, makes the clean up about 1.5 hrs shorter. saves on thinner to take the glue off Too !!!! i know about this... dont ask why..