10 replies to this topic

[johnathan]

Hi Taking delivery of my new vx220 turbo(sapphire black) on Fri. As Im 6'3" I need full legroom however those hard plastic head resraint things wont let me. I had an elise s1 before and they didnt have them. Anyone know if and how they can be removed? Any info is appreciated. thanks Johnathan

[jneill]

I'm only short but they annoy me too as they obscure so much of the rear windscreen. It seems they actually are a cladding over a couple of metal hoops that protect the back of the seats in the event of a crash and are a built-in safety feature. Even Ricky in his eternal search for weightlessness in his stripped down VX hasn't removed them! James

[Ricky2772]

...just because I'm becoming lazy..... they are not all that heavy, just clams of plastic, the rear shell kept on by velctro, and the front clam by three or four 8 mm bolts...... I actually have to remove'em, since the pass. one interferes with the videocamera positioning....I guess tomorrow off they go!

[jneill]

Can you post up a piccy when the job's done! cheers James

[ddpunter]

you can take the plastic covers off but the metal plates remain

[cheeky_chops]

John - try "slumping" a little!! I'm 6'1" and even if i do that i have the seat one notch forward Wasnt someone told to keep them there, a safety reason ?? Something to do with a rear shunt? Was it was you Ricky...? Let us know how your weekend goes

[Ricky2772]

removed the rear headrests, saved 1100 grams, and the visibility on reverse improved a LOT... the exposed metal frame even looks somewhat racy.... I also replaced the crappy rubber mouldings bits with a unique stretch of thicker moulding with a metal core......looks and feel so much better that way, wander why they did not do the same in the first place..... the original installation was such a crap job, they used superglue to keep the rubber on the panel!!! removal of the headrests is easy, pry the back cover out with a screwdriver (velcroed), then undo the three 8mm bolts for the front part. done.

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•  headremoved.gif   165.5KB   0 downloads

Edited by Ricky2772, 12 July 2003 - 10:15 AM.

[Ricky2772]

here's a close-up.... the moulding can be found at any automotive supply shop ....

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•  moulding.gif   147.11KB   0 downloads

[Marco Polo]

Nice... Can you show more pics of the harness installation ? (I plan to install one) Where did you find the "thicker moulding with a metal core" ? My rubber mouldings are looking so bad ! I feel so bad about having such a nice car with so ugly rubber...

[johnathan]

Thanks for the info. Will see how it goes and if they really do impose to much then bye bye. Thanks again :ph34r:

[CarlB]

be careful removing the polystyrene... it's there for protecting your head in a smash, bit like a crash helmet. The stuff collapses on impact with your noggin. However I have shaped the pad on mine to be a more comfy fit. Not sure taking it off would be cool - if you had a big crunch, got brain damaged or a broken neck, you'd want your insurance company to payout, wouldn't you?