Chummy questions - front seats. Rear number plate hoop

[Hedd Jones]

To help with progress on my rat look chummy. 

Can anyone help me by providing a picture of how the front seats should bolt onto the floor on a chummy? 

I suspect strongly the seats I have are not 'chummy' items, nevertheless im missing the connecty bit so some pictures of the pukka items will be of great help. The floor seems to be a bit different from my saloons. And in anycase I know the seats in my RL are ruby ones as they are too wide.

Also can anyone suggest a dimention to set the number plate hoop on the back of the car? Say a dim from the bottom corner of the body to the inside of the hoop. I want to be able to get the spare wheel off, but I want to keep the overhang to a minimum. 

Progress at present. I hope to be driving round in it this time next month



Many thanks in advance.

[Bill Sheehan]

To help with progress on my rat look chummy. 

Can anyone help me by providing a picture of how the front seats should bolt onto the floor on a chummy? 

I suspect strongly the seats I have are not 'chummy' items, nevertheless im missing the connecty bit so some pictures of the pukka items will be of great help. The floor seems to be a bit different from my saloons. And in anycase I know the seats in my RL are ruby ones as they are too wide.

Also can anyone suggest a dimention to set the number plate hoop on the back of the car? Say a dim from the bottom corner of the body to the inside of the hoop. I want to be able to get the spare wheel off, but I want to keep the overhang to a minimum. 

Progress at present. I hope to be driving round in it this time next month



Many thanks in advance.

Hi Hedd - the seats were never bolted to the floor on any model Chummy.  They sat on the top of the (vertical) transverse struts that joined the tunnel to the panel next to the door. With the the early ones the extra piece on top of the tunnel acted as a slide for the bottom inner edge of the seat frame.  The outer bottom inner- edge of the seat frame was held to the panel which joined the seat struts, next to the door piece.  This piece had a  u-shaped bracket which could be swung inwards to release it's hold on the bottom seat flange.   It had a 1/4" hole and the seat frame lower flange had three  (sometimes 4) holes.  When adjusting your seat to suit, you dropped into the aligned holes a pin with a finger loop to locate.  When in 1925 the nearside was made to tilt, the seat frame was held by two hinges on the top of the front strut, the tunnel piece was different (i.e. flattened to allow that seat to lift).  Note that it was originally only on the one seat, not on both as claimed in many publications.  It was not until '29/30 that both seats could be hinged forward, thus altering the central tunnel piece again, which is relevant in your case.  If you have early copies of the Grey Mag you'll find drawings of the four seat hinges, which you can easily make.   Good Luck, Cheers,  Bill

[Hedd Jones]

Ok Bill. That is very helpfull. There is a single hooked lip on the floor box and I do have a single sliding runner. Nothing for the passenger however except half of one hinge

[edge]

Apologies for thread hi-jack. I arrived here via google search, and have now registered to ask a related question....

My '27 chummy has a sliding driver's side seat, and is hinged on the passenger side. The driver's seat is fine - the u-shaped pivoting clamp holds the seat secure against the seat box crossmember.
However, the passenger side is problematic - the seat frame is not very stiff torsionally, so under enthusiastic cornering (!) with a substantial passenger, the seat frame flexes and lifts from the crossmember on one side - a very disconcerting experience.

Is this a recognised issue with the hinged seats? It seems to me that this is intrinsic to the design if my car is correct. With the hinged seats does the frame rest solely on the box section crossmember, or is there intended to be some location/bracing to the rear footwells behind the box section? 

(OP - nice looking project)

[AustinWood]

Ok Bill. That is very helpfull. There is a single hooked lip on the floor box and I do have a single sliding runner. Nothing for the passenger however except half of one hinge

Here are two pictures of the seat in my car. The Right hand runner swings aside to allow the seat to be lifted out.
The runner is held in place with a peg, or in my car a bolt with no nut.
There are several holes to allow the seat position to be changed.

   

   

[Hedd Jones]

Jim. Marvellous. I will study further over the weekend and see what I have got.

Progress is zero at present as ive run out of money this month. Payday on tuesday then game on. In the meantime I am contemplating the jobs on the to do list.

[Bill Sheehan]

Jim. Marvellous. I will study further over the weekend and see what I have got.

Progress is zero at present as ive run out of money this month. Payday on tuesday then game on. In the meantime I am contemplating the jobs on the to do list.

edge (and perhaps others) - I've never discovered if original or not, but I've come across dozens of seats that had a flat steel strip (about 3/4" wide, from memory) that is bent into a U shape, with the"legs" riveted to the outsides of the seat backrest, and the flat part of the strip in the middle sitting flat on the floor behind the transverse seat strut.  If the driver is tall and thus needs the seat moved back as far as it can go, there is quite an overhang behind the seat strut, thus the attached steel strip not only reduces side-flexing & longitudinal bending of the seat frame, but takes up the weight.   Hope this helps.   Cheers, Bill in Oz

[Zetomagneto]

Correct hinges available from Seven Workshop, £40 for the 4.

[Hedd Jones]

I have about 15 box saloon ones in stock!

[jboy964]

My 1928 Chummy also has a “swing aside” arrangement, as mentioned by AustinWood. Just a piece of cut u shape metal, held in place by a pin, does the job!