Stupid Idea?

[Lizardracing]

The short....had a bad wreck, Kirkey seat got bent. The left side rib supports and the left side hip supports are bent outward to the left about 3-4". The right side is just fine. Can i bend it back without losing strength or safety?

[racing_kid]

well if it bent once and now your bending it again its gonna weaken it more,

[Lizardracing]

well if it bent once and now your bending it again its gonna weaken it more,

I can't argue with that logic. How often do seats bend? Is it common? What's the general consences on adding additional supports to regain anything that may have been compromised?

[Confused?]

IF the aluminum is not fractured or creased anywhere, I would do it. Aluminum work hardens. So the more it is bent, the harder it gets. That's why I say iIF it is not creased. I assume you mean like it was pushed, right? I've pulled my rib supports in with a ratchet strap before. It never affected the strength of the seat.

[zeroracing]

Seen many of that brand do the same thing, spend the money and get a good quality ultrashield full containment or similar. Seen multiple kirkey bend open like that or head rest bend flat with decking...

Bending aluminum back and forth does work harden it and make it more brittle, also welding supports to it may help, but remember welding aluminum takes skill and experience, aluminum welds different, meaning that in steel the weld is stronger than parent metal typically, in aluminum the weld is weaker than the material typically.

[Lizardracing]

Confused....
The seat isn't creased, discolored, fractured, or has any signs of stress fatigue by the naked eye. I made a template from wood just to get an idea of where the seat was bent more precisly. Pushed? Yes...I got T-boned in the LS door bars and my body weight pushed the rib support and hip support outward. Nothing else hit the seat.

Zero,
Thanks for the recommendation. I have seen those seats before and will by my next seat from Ultra shield. Welding isn't a concern for me. I am lucky enough to have some very skilled friends who love to help.

I was following another thread on another forum and the discussion was about "custom bending" the rib supports for a better fit. I got to thinking about how I might bend mine since it's still in the car(holds it securely in place)and got an idea. Using blocks of wood against the inside door bars and the screw/bottle type factory jack from my truck, I was able to slowly and methodically move everything back to the where I like it. I also used measurements from Kirkey's website shop drawings. It may even fit a little better than before but that might be all in my head. I never had to use any other tools including the jack handle(extends the jack) so hand power was enough. The seat actually seamed quite soft to me. This is the only seat I've ever had or used so I don't have a reference point to it's softness but to me, some more stiffness from "work hardening" sure wouldn't seem to hurt anything. Before I get flamed I'm quite aware that brittle/hardness and stiffness aren't the same thing. When I'm done healing and if it's before the season ends this year I'm gonna hot lap the car only. Right now I still can't get in or out easily by myself.