Extending driver seat movement

David Lock · Apr 3rd, 2010, 11:26

Hi - please if this post is in the wrong place or been covered before let me know.

I want to try and extend the travel for the driver's seat. Unfortunately Diabetes has messed up my legs and I need a fair bit of space to swing my legs in and out of the seat. Once parked in I am fine!!

I phoned Volvo but they were no help whatsoever.

So any ideas please, perhaps from some super tall people who have done this. Car is a '96 940 Estate.

Many thanks, David Lock

JD79 · Apr 5th, 2010, 08:35

A couple of things you can try: First, look at the back of the tracks beneath the drivers seat. You may find a pair of little rubber stops. Removing them with a screwdriver may give you a bit more travel. Second, try playing with the seat front/back tilt, via the little lever on the left side. It can make a great difference to the logistics of contorting ones-self into the car

When I first bought my car, I had a fair bit of trouble getting in and getting comfortable. I'm a touch over 6'7, and was surprised that a swedish car was not built for taller folk. Tweaking the tilt and removing the stops solved the problem wonderfully.

Beyond that I think it gets complicated. May need to either shift the rails back, or put in new ones. Either option involves messing with structural stuff that I was too scared to interfere with.

NI_Volvo_Nut · Apr 5th, 2010, 09:00

if your seat back is too upright your loosing about 3"s too, I'm 6'3" and I've plenty of room, I think you just need to play with your seat abit more.....

Easy Rhino · Apr 6th, 2010, 07:48

I once (back in the day) unbolted my driver's seat on a Mercury (Ford sister product) and drilled new holes in the floor pan in order to gain leg room.

However, that was before safety engineering came into play.

I had the driver's seat out of my V90 to fix the mechanism and noted that those bolting points are extremely well engineered, meaning that the old "drill four new bolt holes" method is a non-starter.

I think that the only safe way to do this would be to have a machinist reconfigure the seat track "rack" - the straight gear that the adjust mechanism acts upon (which BTW, is also very sturdy) to where it is moved back in the seat "chassis" or frame. Not a casual undertaking, but technically do-able.

Apr 3rd, 2010, 11:26	#1
David Lock David Lock Last Online: Mar 29th, 2014 10:40 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Mere, Wiltshire	Extending driver seat movement Hi - please if this post is in the wrong place or been covered before let me know. I want to try and extend the travel for the driver's seat. Unfortunately Diabetes has messed up my legs and I need a fair bit of space to swing my legs in and out of the seat. Once parked in I am fine!! I phoned Volvo but they were no help whatsoever. So any ideas please, perhaps from some super tall people who have done this. Car is a '96 940 Estate. Many thanks, David Lock

Apr 5th, 2010, 09:00	#3
NI_Volvo_Nut Volvologist Last Online: Dec 6th, 2023 11:13 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangor - Norn Iron View Photos By: NI_Volvo_Nut	if your seat back is too upright your loosing about 3"s too, I'm 6'3" and I've plenty of room, I think you just need to play with your seat abit more..... __________________ What's the matter with the car I'm driving? Can't you tell that it's out of style? Should I get a set of white wall tires? Are you gonna cruise the miracle mile?

Apr 5th, 2010, 08:35	#2
JD79 Member Last Online: Mar 5th, 2011 06:14 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hervey Bay	A couple of things you can try: First, look at the back of the tracks beneath the drivers seat. You may find a pair of little rubber stops. Removing them with a screwdriver may give you a bit more travel. Second, try playing with the seat front/back tilt, via the little lever on the left side. It can make a great difference to the logistics of contorting ones-self into the car When I first bought my car, I had a fair bit of trouble getting in and getting comfortable. I'm a touch over 6'7, and was surprised that a swedish car was not built for taller folk. Tweaking the tilt and removing the stops solved the problem wonderfully. Beyond that I think it gets complicated. May need to either shift the rails back, or put in new ones. Either option involves messing with structural stuff that I was too scared to interfere with.

Apr 6th, 2010, 07:48	#4
Easy Rhino Senior Member Last Online: Nov 1st, 2015 20:39 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Kailua, HI	I once (back in the day) unbolted my driver's seat on a Mercury (Ford sister product) and drilled new holes in the floor pan in order to gain leg room. However, that was before safety engineering came into play. I had the driver's seat out of my V90 to fix the mechanism and noted that those bolting points are extremely well engineered, meaning that the old "drill four new bolt holes" method is a non-starter. I think that the only safe way to do this would be to have a machinist reconfigure the seat track "rack" - the straight gear that the adjust mechanism acts upon (which BTW, is also very sturdy) to where it is moved back in the seat "chassis" or frame. Not a casual undertaking, but technically do-able.

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