Do you think the seats originally had wooden strips? If not, it's appalling that they were bolted to the floor with those nuts protruding, hardly an elegant or stable arrangement. Also, wouldn't they (with or without strips) be better bolted direct to the floor rather than through the carpet? I agree with the suggestion above to use allen cap head bolts for those with recessed heads.
Your photo of the steering column shroud shows what a nasty cheap bit of plastic it is. The earlier shroud (Freelander?) was much better IMO.
