General I didn't think things could get any worse...

[default_user]

As mentioned in my other recent thread I've been concentrating my work on the Rat on the interior. I've made a few panels and was trial fitting everything and thought "I'd better make sure nothing is in the way of the seats" so I went to get them....

As you can see, both seats and both harnesses have been chewed to pieces by mice. That's several hundred pounds down the drain. The problems and knock-backs are coming thick and fast. What's next FFS?

 

[firstcar-Y10]

oh no, that's a sad and expensive looking sequence. you sure those mice haven't been eating your wiring too?
absolutely gutted for you. Don't give up, time for a nice leather retrim... and maybe a cat?
Andrew.

 

[Plug]

Oh hell, it's not been a good weekend for you, has it?

Feel for you mate, hope the setback hasn't put you off finishing the project..

Cheers,

Plug

 

[jangcy]

What they've done!!??
you should leave them some cheese
oh...
Disaster

 

[aca]

What a hellllllllllllll
As I see, they collect material for his nest! Thats mean there will be more than few- soon. Rats anyway-tends to be in group!!!!!!!!!:bang:

 

[CLXCraig]

fckin vermin!!! I've learnt from now to keep materials stored off the floor. had so many chair cushions eaten its unbelievable. Such a ashame, atleast the seets can be re-trimed but harness will need to be replaced. at least it's sunday evening and you dont have to be with it any longer

 

[default_user]

Thinking I may just get some cheap covers for them (if I can find any that fit) until I can be bothered to go to all the trouble of finding and fitting new ones. I don't think tatty seats are an MOT fail but the harnesses will definitely need to be replaced.

Of course the interior will look sh!t until I replace the seats.

Never mind, things could be worse.

 

[CLXCraig]

you might be able to find a firm who will produce seat covers to the same shape so they pull on snug and still look cool. if so could get your name or road rat/satans rodent... embroidered into them!

 

[default_user]

Hmm, that's not a bad idea.

 

[werdna]

I use one of these under my caravan, and it works. We saw lots of mice in the hedgerows where we were and when we put the battery in this and hung it outside the caravan, they couldn't get away fast enough. Worth a try !

E bay item number 230386115397

 

[Pandarus]

fckin vermin!!! I've learnt from now to keep materials stored off the floor. had so many chair cushions eaten its unbelievable. Such a ashame, atleast the seets can be re-trimed but harness will need to be replaced. at least it's sunday evening and you dont have to be with it any longer

They will eat anything in my garage, off the floor or not. Buggers.

Please keep going, sometimes it's just one thing after another...

 

[CLXCraig]

yeah, as he have guniea pigs they get attracted to the food.. bit ironic isn't it

The rat gets bitten by the mice...

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Rick, I really feel for you :hug:

It was only this summer when clearing out our garages of all the junk that I realised just how distructive they can be, and what they'll have. Luckily all the damage in ours was caused to musty smelling fury toys which all went down the tip.

Have you electricity in the garage you store your bits?

One of those plug in rodent deters might be worth a try?

Jon.

 

[VmanC]

I've had a whole year of misfortune, some incidents having very serious consequences, so I can empathise with you entirely. As you did with the wiring loom, you've just got to put it behind you and move forward, and it seems that you've quickly done this with the seats.

I've always found Ebay good for finding some alloys to cheaply upgrade a car, but just recently I've been watching seats as well, and quite often you can pick up some really tasty ones for silly money. I mention this to suggest it as a way of finding a stop gap until you decide on and fit your final setup.

Best of luck, you certainly have alot of people willing you on on here!

 

[VmanC]

How about these for example:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Subaru-Imprez...arts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM?hash=item56362210ef

I appreciate these might be a bit wide, but what a good buy!

 

[default_user]

Those seats are very nice! And they are just the right colour to match the car. Hmmm...

 

[default_user]

I've got the interior panels pretty much as I want them now so I've been doing some measuring up and comparison with the seats in my Focus. The Focus seats are much too wide to fit so it's almost a certainty that other 'normal' car seats won't fit either. Sadly, this means that Scooby seats are out. Shame, they would have looked awesome.

I'm ideally going to need seats from a small car not more than 21" wide at the widest point (the current buckets are only 20" max width) and hopefully with the runners closer together than that.

So for now I'll use the current seats as they are and keep my eyes open for something suitable after the car is finished. I'll keep a tape measure handy and keep measuring seats every time I'm in someone elses car!

New thread coming soon about interior progress...

 

[VmanC]

Mazda MX5 seats are very popular for kit cars coz they're nice and slim. A mate of mine has some in a 4x4 Mini, I'll measure them for you if you'd like.

Just so happens there's some on Ebay at the moment if you'd like to check.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220493891350&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[default_user]

Nice. I like them. However, I've spent a lot of time setting up the seating arrangements to accomodate 3 point harnesses and these won't be suitable. I'm going to need ones that have the hole for the upper part of the harness or separate headreasts so that the harness can go between the seat back and headrest.