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308 headrest removal

Discussion in '308/328' started by jon s, Apr 6, 2009.

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  1. jon s

    jon s Formula Junior

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    #1 jon s, Apr 6, 2009
    its time to put the new leather covers on and after doing the forum literature search it seemed like the job is a super pain in the ass. the drawing in the parts catalog isn't much help. here's what i did. the seats had been recovered so the back cover rivets had been replaced with screws. removal of the cover was the easy part. the legs of the headrests run in vertical tubes welded to the thick cross bar. if you remove the hogs holding the leather to the small cross bar just below the large one and also the first two hogs on the sides of the leather you have enough stretch to run your finger up along the vertical tube (you split the foam backing) until you find the linch pins that act as the spring detent and stop for the rods. with the seat all the way forward in the runners and tilted forward there is more than enough room to work. the pins are about a thumbs length up from the cross bar (go further if you are small) and are removeable with needle nose pliers. you can feel them easily and after you split the foam they're easy to see. i saw a picture in one of the ealier forums with the leather rolled all the way up but i don't see how to do that without damage to the leather and the above method worked fine.
    birdman mentioned that he had some oem plastic caps for the top of the seat; are you interested in making some? regards, jon s
     
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  2. mwr4440

    mwr4440 Five Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 mwr4440, Apr 6, 2009
    Jon,

    Sorry. I have no idea what you are talking about.

    However, on my 308 there are detents, down a few inches from the top of the seatback. Feel around (you gotta push) and you should find them. Push in and have someone else pull and remove the head rest. It is a SERIOUS PITA but do-able.

    Mark
     
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  3. AHudson

    AHudson F1 Rookie
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    #3 AHudson, Apr 6, 2009
    I'm in the process of removing my 328 headreasts now, and am having a difficult time. I presume the method is the same, but I must admit, I'm a little confused too. Any pictures would be supremely helpful. Very timely thread!
     
  4. jon s

    jon s Formula Junior

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    #4 jon s, Apr 6, 2009
    mark: i suspect there may be differences from year to year after reading the prior posts. all i can tell you is that after i removed the linch pins the headrests came right out. my 308 is an 81.
    jon s
     
  5. AHudson

    AHudson F1 Rookie
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    #5 AHudson, Apr 7, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
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  6. jon s

    jon s Formula Junior

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    #6 jon s, Apr 7, 2009
    those are the very pins. i did the second seat today; removed the pins and had it back together in less than 30 minutes. cut the hog rings with a good wire cutter - much faster than using pliers and you won't damage the leather. slit the foam up the post until you see the pin - grab the long end and pull backwards - they pull right through the foam. finally no more hog rings - i reattached the leather with 50# black plastic wire ties - quick and easy. i'll leave the pins out until i recover the seats (if ever). i don't see how you could easily get them back on without taking the seat apart. good luck. jon s
     
  7. mwr4440

    mwr4440 Five Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 mwr4440, Apr 7, 2009

    Jon,

    You must be right but the varience may even be greater than we think. Mine is a 1981 also, North American version.

    About 3-4 inches from the top of the seat, behind the leather of the seat back, there are two detents you push in and when depressed, down go or out come, the head rests.

    Things that make you say Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

    Mark
     
  8. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    #8 miketuason, Oct 13, 2012
    On that pic, it looks like the notches on the post are cut too deep, I think this is why it's so hard to adjust.
     
  9. Sparky328

    Sparky328 Rookie

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    #9 Sparky328, May 28, 2018
    How do I just adjust them not take them out
     
  10. waymar

    waymar Formula 3

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    #10 waymar, May 28, 2018
    My 82 308gtsi headrest height adjustment is pulling them up and pushing them down.
     
  11. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    #11 miketuason, May 28, 2018
    Mark just explained it on post #7
     
  12. Rosey

    Rosey F1 Rookie

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    #12 Rosey, May 28, 2018
    If you have never adjusted your headrests in over 25 years you may need to spray a very small amount of SILICONE spray (NOT WD40) down between the chrome struts and the black plastic surrounds. Then wiggle and push the headrests up and down a little for the spray to penetrate.
    You should be able to lift the headrests up with a bit of effort- you will definitely need to use a fair bit of force. If you have a GTS it's a lot easier to take off the targa roof to get better access to pull the headrests straight up from the top.
     
  13. Ptama10

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    #13 Ptama10, Aug 17, 2019
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  14. jmaienza

    jmaienza Formula Junior

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    #14 jmaienza, Aug 18, 2019
    Removal of the headrest has become one of the "How To Do It" topics that drives me crazy. There are usually several ways to accomplish a task and everyone can choose their method. However, some common sense and a bit of thinking should be the first step in the process before ripping half of your seat apart.

    Our Ferraris are unique in many ways when it comes to adjustments and maintenance, but moving a headrest up and down is not one of them! Do you really think the seat designers made the seat only to have the customer remove the seat, drill out rivets, blindly cut foam, remove clips and then put everyone back together and re-install the seat. What happens if you raise the headrest, re-install the seat and then decide you don't like the new position? Are you supposed to do it all again?(This is where the thinking and common sense comes in)

    The headrest will come out once you push in the clips at the right spot with your fingers. No seat removal, no drilling, no cutting and no silly business is involved.

    https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/headrest-question.356323/#post-141221764

    (detailed directions on post #13)
     
  15. Rosey

    Rosey F1 Rookie

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    #15 Rosey, Aug 18, 2019
    Great advice, I used that technique to lift my headrests that had been in the lowest position for 20 years.
    All i'd say is use silicone spray instead of WD40 as it can stain the leather if you use too much and it also smells terrible.
     

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