What Is This Stuff?

[FloatsLikeARock]

I removed the two bucket seats from my ProCraft 170 Combo. The right seat has a forward/aft slide adjustment, the left seat has a lockable swivel. Rectangles of this stuff about 13 x 10 inches and 1 inch thick form mounting adapters between the bottoms of the seats and the slides/swivels. See the picture.

The stuff looks like some kind of plastic. Whatever it is, it is quite rigid and holds the seats solidly. As you can see tho, rusted captive nuts have expanded and cracked the material. I'm looking for a good replacement material.

What is this stuff? HDPE? StarBoard? What material would be a good choice for replacement?

 

[Scott Danforth]

HDPE = Starboard. why not reuse what is there?

 

[FloatsLikeARock]

"why not reuse what is there?"

Because it is cracked badly by the expansion of rusting captive nuts. Look closely at the picture. The other one is even worse. These pieces have to be replaced.

In all the pictures of Starboard I've seen, it is white and uniform, kinda like PVC. The stuff in these panels is black and seems to have a fibrous grain to it, made me suspect it is something other than HDPE. Knowing what this stuff is is not that important as long as I can replace it with something that will securely anchor the seats. If HDPE / Starboard will do that, I'll go with it.

Will it?

 

[Scott Danforth]

starboard comes in about 30 different colors, including having mica chips in them for that 70's disco look.

HDPE (Starboard) has been used to hold T-nuts for decades on seats and boat upholstry. it replaced wood in about 1998-2002 range

 

[arks]

What is this stuff? HDPE? StarBoard? What material would be a good choice for replacement?

Buy new Starboard and stainless T nuts, then match them to the old ones.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Get the 6 pronged T-nuts if you can get them (vs the more common 4-prong)