Slx seat rebuild

[TxVirageTx]

anybody that has a late model slx,slh,or pro1200 will sooner or later have these issues.the seats are not available from polaris and time is a major killer on these and used seats are gonna have all these issues as well,this is my second go round rebuilding these seats and its a better set up still.first problem area is the rear latch support.any nuts or threaded inserts put into the plastic base cause it to split around them.the latch support area just becomes an area of large cracks and the latchs just fall out.the rubber bumpers are put in with rivets which swell to provide holding pressure,problem is this causes cracks as well and the bumpers fall off.the first pics will be ones of the first rebuild which is currently on the ski but will be replaced by the rebuilt seat in later pics

[TxVirageTx]

pics

the first rebuild got me patterns which i'm actually going to reuse the originals on the second seat.they do require a little grinding to get a good fit on the outer one.the rivets didn't work out,but the material i used is so hard that i actually tapped it and used allen bolts instead of the rivets.the latch has to be spaced out with something to simulate the plastic block that was removed.i just used 2" plate and stacked them up with a bolt running though the plates.two holes need to be made in the inner plate to clear the bolt heads.

[TxVirageTx]

pics

the first repair was done without removing the seat cover at all.it has held up pretty well,but there are cracks in other areas.so we'll start with rebuild #2.this seat has very,very little actual ride time on it but as you can see the cracks are huge around the latch area.this seat has been totally taken apart and will get the hydro turf cover reinstalled without the stock blue polaris one underneath.

[TxVirageTx]

pics

using a dremel tool i removed the latch support area completely.these are the templates and the plates used for reinforcing the the rear of the seat to mount the new latch setup.the foam cushion has pieces removed from it allow for the inner plate as well as the the mounting of the rubber bumpers.

[Polaris_Nut#1]

cool info, probably ought to be in the tech section somewhere

[TxVirageTx]

pics

the rubber bumpers also had cracks developing around them so they were all removed.the rivets were causing the issue so the bumpers will be bolted back on using aluminum and stainless steel hardware and red loctite.all cracks were terminated by drilling holes at the ends to prevent further progression.the rubber trim that covers the edge to prevent the cover from cutting was also glued in place to aid reinstalling the hydro turf cover.

[TxVirageTx]

more

so i removed the 2 plates from the first seat (without removing the cover),and have the inner and outer installed on the new base.the 2 holes on the inner plate are to allow access to the latch retaining bolts and for clearance on them.because i'm reusing the inner plate the holes i tapped into it no longer hold.after 4 times of being installed on the first seat rebuild,(working out the bugs).on this build i used ss poly nuts and red loctite to secure the plates together.

[TxVirageTx]

more

now that the outer plate is fastened i have to make a raised platform for the latch to mount to.i used 2" flat aluminum stock to make 7 flat plates.then i drilled holes in them so they would slip over the nut coupler i decided to use on this build.on the first build i simple bolted the latch and plates to the outer plate and secured it with the allens bolts.i had to drill a hole thru the latch handle to access one of the bolts.on the 2nd version the nut coupler allows me to replaced the the latch if it breaks.

[K447]

Nicely done

Did you happen to trace outline or measure the dimensions of the various metal plates you created for this repair?

[TxVirageTx]

patterns

i actually have a spare set of the metal plates already made.the cardboard patterns as well,and enough spare material to make an additional 2 sets of plates

[K447]

i actually have a spare set of the metal plates already made.

the cardboard patterns as well, and enough spare material to make an additional 2 sets of plates

Would you be willing to scan the pieces on a scanner, and post the images, along with some dimensional info?

I suspect that if you put together some seat repair 'kits', there would be buyers

[TxVirageTx]

$$

a lot of work went into this.for me to kit it i'd want like $200.00 per kit comlpete w/hardware.most people wouldn't want to uncover the seat,so a very dense and hard aluminum is need to accept tapped threads.the material i used is aircraft grade,very tough and hard to cut.my goal was to show how the seats can be repaired and we can keep these polari going. besides if somebody wants to slip me a 20 i'll send the plate material with the patterns on it

[K447]

a lot of work went into this.
for me to kit it i'd want like $200.00 per kit complete w/hardware.

most people wouldn't want to uncover the seat, so a very dense and hard aluminum is need to accept tapped threads. the material i used is aircraft grade, very tough and hard to cut.

my goal was to show how the seats can be repaired and we can keep these polari going.

besides if somebody wants to slip me a 20 i'll send the plate material with the patterns on it

Options are good.

For some folks, spending $200 for 'ready to install' parts to get their seat fixed might be reasonable.

For others, $20+ to get the uncut flat material, with pattern guidelines to work with, would be worthwhile.

If someone is recovering their seat at the same time, backing out the staples around the back section might be doable, especially if it meant the metal cutting/shaping/installing aspect might be easier.

Your photo guide in this thread is already a welcome contribution

BTW, do you know exactly what model years used this particular seat design?

[TxVirageTx]

models

the 1998slxh when converted to a 1 piece seat,
the 1999 slh-slx
the 2000 slh-slx-pro1200
the 2001 slh-slx-pro1200
the earlier its caught the better off the repair will work

[TxVirageTx]

kit

i figured i already had a set of patterns cut so i spent the time and made 1 kit,its complete with all hardware for a non cover removal install and can be converted to the same setup i did with the cover removed.