Seat replacement

[micmak]

I have a question about seats.  I saw that there were a few threads on seats already, but the most recent posts seem to be from last Summer.  So I thought I’d start a new one and maybe there are new ideas/solutions:  

When I got my 68 convertible Vitesse two weeks ago, it had the original seats.  I felt that the seats were almost too big for the car as they rest against the rear quarter trim panel/B post.  The seller also provided me with a set of MGF seats. They came with the flat bar modification already attached to the seat rails.  I liked them because I thought the headrests looked good, and they are safer if someone collides with you from behind. 

I removed the original seats and put in the MGFs a few days ago.  

Now I find that they feel even bigger and I am too far forward even though they will not push back any farther.  They also rest against the quarter trim panel/B post.  There is no room to even get the seatbelt unless I slide the seat forward first. See attached.  I feel that I am too close to the steering wheel and the throttle, brake and clutch pedals. Has anyone else had this issue?  Is there a recognized solution?   Are there any "new" ideas not previously shared in similar threads?  It seems to me that the seats really need to be a little narrower and/or a little more towards the centre of the car, so that they can slide back further. 

[Colin Lindsay]

The convertible is notorious for the lack of backwards movement of the seat - due to the design of the hood well and the fatter b-post - so thicker seats like those will only make things worse. You need a seat with a thinner back so that you move back into the seat when the seat itself can't move any further towards the rear. I'm not sure if MX5 seats are any thinner; someone here will have tried different variations and can advise.

[Paul H]

I see you have a dished steering wheel , although I have MGF seats in a Vitesse Saloon ( more access ) i also have a 13" flat steering wheel , changing should give you more room ?

Paul 

[Gary Flinn]

I had a similar problem with the MGF Seats in my convertible.

I'm 5' 8" tall and just about had enough room when they were set fully back 

An option is to sell on your MGF Seats and fit MX5 Seats which will clear the 'B' Post and give you more rearward travel as they are narrower at the top, I believe they recline too.

PS - Here's an image I've borrowed off this site of MX5 Seats in a Herald Convertible  

Gary  

[Clive]

Yes, MX5 seats are the obvious solution. And they come in different flavours. I have a set of red leather MX5 seats to pop into the Vitesse that I am looking after when it arrives, which have removable headrests. And yes, the car is white with red interior. 

Your MGF seats should fetch good money so pay for good black MX5 seats (both MX5 and MGF seats are very comfy)

[PeteH]

I put a prolonged section into a post here when modifying my (still unfinished) 13/60. To MX5 seats. It included the fitting of retractable. Belts too. I fabricated brackets to mount via the existing mountings. To ensure retuning them to OE if ever,was simple.

Pete

[68vitesse]

I have a 68 Mk1 Vitesse convertible and am over six foot tall l find the leg room adequate and have driven it while wearing size 12 walking boots. The 2L Vitesse's have different seats for the saloon and convertible and if saloon seats are fitted to the convertible it will reduce the leg room by about three inches.

A thread I started which might be of interest.

Regards

Paul

 

[micmak]

7 hours ago, Gary Flinn said:

I had a similar problem with the MGF Seats in my convertible.

I'm 5' 8" tall and just about had enough room when they were set fully back 

An option is to sell on your MGF Seats and fit MX5 Seats which will clear the 'B' Post and give you more rearward travel as they are narrower at the top, I believe they recline too.

PS - Here's an image I've borrowed off this site of MX5 Seats in a Herald Convertible  

Gary  

These look VERY interesting.  Anyone got more pics of this seats in a convertible Vitesse?  Or any info on how easy/difficult they are to set up in the car?

[micmak]

6 hours ago, clive said:

Yes, MX5 seats are the obvious solution. And they come in different flavours. I have a set of red leather MX5 seats to pop into the Vitesse that I am looking after when it arrives, which have removable headrests. And yes, the car is white with red interior. 

Your MGF seats should fetch good money so pay for good black MX5 seats (both MX5 and MGF seats are very comfy)

How much could I reasonably expect to get for the MGFs?

[Clive]

1 hour ago, micmak said:

How much could I reasonably expect to get for the MGFs?

Dublin may be different. UK they seem to get £200 +/_ depending on condition. Plain black will be a very popular choice.

Ebay is the way to value such stuff

[Josef]

Well that’s my photo Gary re posted  so I can fill you in! I shortened the original MX5 runners so that they almost fit on the original Herald / Vitesse mounting holes. The MX5 runners are however asymmetrical so you will still end up needing to modify the floor to get them in. On top of that getting them bolted in is pretty awkward cause there’s not a lot of clearance for hands or sockets. Rearward movement is limited by the seatbelt mount points. 

I have never been happy with the job I did of fitting them, and now they’re getting pretty knackered so I have been considering finding some original seats to put back in. I can’t provide any more useful photos right now as I’m in the process of stripping out enough of the car to be able to remove and repair the bulkhead!

[Clive]

I tend to swap teh seats side to side, so the bolster wear is less of an issue. It does mean the adjusters are on teh inside, but that is no biggy.

On my Dolomite, I welded plates to the edges of the runners (3mm flat bar, 50mm wide) so I coukld put the setas in my preferred position without extra floor holes. When I tackle the MX5 seats it may require a slightly different approach, but not sure until I try. Also hampered by the fact one daughter is only 5' tall, so height may need tweaking.

[johny]

Yes forn the same reason I swopped over the Vitesse seats but couldnt just unbolt them from floor as the runners/pivot set ups are different for each side to allow the tilt to work without hitting the A pillar. You have to remove just the seats and then re-mount them using different holes...

[Gary Flinn]

I attended the MG/Triumph spares day on Sunday and spotted this lovely Vitesse fitted with MX5 Seats.

I believe they had been re-trimmed to suit the existing interior and looked very smart and not at all out of place, if you look closely you can see that they clear the 'B' Posts and would no doubt be fine for someone six foot plus.

Apologies for the poor quality, but they where taken with my phone and I couldn't stop the reflections from the windows    

I believe the owner is from Gloucester area, although I didn't get chance to talk to him unfortunately, so I hope he doesn't mind me sharing these Photo's on here?

Gary  

[micmak]

Wow, they look so perfect.  I gotta get a set of MX5 seats.  I have been looking, but they are quite rare, and it seems to be even more rare to get the type with the removable headrests.  Most seem to be the high-back type.

 

Is that an additional bracket/guide for the seatbelt?  The seatbelts seem to be awkward to use.  I know the car was designed before seatbelts came along, but surely there is a tidier way to control them instead of being a contortionist reaching back there to grab them!

[Clive]

5 minutes ago, micmak said:

 

Wow, they look so perfect.  I gotta get a set of MX5 seats.  I have been looking, but they are quite rare, and it seems to be even more rare to get the type with the removable headrests.  Most seem to be the high-back type.

 

Is that an additional bracket/guide for the seatbelt?  The seatbelts seem to be awkward to use.  I know the car was designed before seatbelts came along, but surely there is a tidier way to control them instead of being a contortionist reaching back there to grab them!

No, earlier cars had the seat belt fitting on teh B post, later cars on the rear arch (stronger I expect)

A solution is a loop attached to via teh headrest fixings, a local did it with a length of leather belt, though versions are sold on the bay of fleas. I would make them, using both headrest supports so they don't flop about. 

[Gary Flinn]

They do look the part, I must agree.

I'm not sure regarding the seat belt mounting, the original mount on the 2 Litre cars as you probably know is on the rear inner wheel arch and the belt passes through a slot in the rear side trim panel (Photo below).

I wouldn't recommend fitting them to the side of the 'B' Post Hood well area, the forces involved in an accident are very severe and they may well pull out!

PS - I have discovered the name of the owner of the car, I will try and find his contact details for you as I'm still in touch with the owner of my old Vitesse who knows him  

Gary

 

[Paul H]

 

Paul

[PeteH]

This is how the 13/60 (MX5 seats) finished up (below), Retracable belts, the guides on the "B" post take no load,

its all transfered back to the reinforced wheel arch.

I reloctated the Reel to the top rear of the Wheelarch and strengthened the wheel arch as in original with heavy doubling plate in the wheelarch. This gave the clearance for the Hood to fold right down without fouling the belt. Blanking screw in the old hole.

Pete

[Josef]

On 13/02/2023 at 14:39, Gary Flinn said:

I attended the MG/Triumph spares day on Sunday and spotted this lovely Vitesse fitted with MX5 Seats.

I believe they had been re-trimmed to suit the existing interior and looked very smart and not at all out of place, if you look closely you can see that they clear the 'B' Posts and would no doubt be fine for someone six foot plus.

Apologies for the poor quality, but they where taken with my phone and I couldn't stop the reflections from the windows    

I believe the owner is from Gloucester area, although I didn't get chance to talk to him unfortunately, so I hope he doesn't mind me sharing these Photo's on here?

Gary  

Oh they do look good. That was basically my plan with the similar set I bought for the Spitfire, then I decided to use the 1500 seats it came with as I wasn’t keen on the fit of the MX5 ones in the Spit. Didn’t spot that car myself, but I was a bit fed up last Sunday as I felt I’d come a long way and spent a lot of money for not very much…

[68vitesse]

On 14/02/2023 at 10:17, Gary Flinn said:

I'm not sure regarding the seat belt mounting, the original mount on the 2 Litre cars as you probably know is on the rear inner wheel arch and the belt passes through a slot in the rear side trim panel (Photo below).

I have a late Mk1 2L Vitesse with seat belt fixings on rear wheel arch and side of transmission tunnel to brackets on main chassis rail. The very early 2L Mk1 Vitesse, embarrassingly long long term project, has seat belt fixings on hood well frame, inboard of the B post, and a fixing behind the handbrake to a reinforcing plate under the transmission tunnel.

If I ever get the early Mk1 back on the road I will convert it to the later seat belt mounting points.

I'm over six foot tall and find the convertible seats very comfortable with sufficient leg room.

Regards

Paul.

[micmak]

3 hours ago, PeteH said:

This is how the 13/60 (MX5 seats) finished up (below), Retracable belts, the guides on the "B" post take no load,

its all transfered back to the reinforced wheel arch.

I reloctated the Reel to the top rear of the Wheelarch and strengthened the wheel arch as in original with heavy doubling plate in the wheelarch. This gave the clearance for the Hood to fold right down without fouling the belt. Blanking screw in the old hole.

Pete

I like those guides.  Where might a fella find guides like that?

…..Mick…..

 

[PeteH]

8 hours ago, micmak said:

I like those guides.  Where might a fella find guides like that?

…..Mick…..

 

I have no Idea. The Belts came as fitting for My son`s Dolomite saloon, many years ago. But because the Car was stolen and trashed where never fitted, the Belt guides are for that fitting and part of the kit, which was kept, still packaged unopened, until I repurposed them for this job.? They are the Guides intended for the mount to the upper B post on the Dolomite, where the reel sits at floor level.

Pete

[Puglet1]

Are MX5 seats lower than the original Vitesse ones? Do they give more clearance between your knees and the steering wheel or just rearward leg room? What is the advantage of fitting them?

Edited March 5, 2023 by Puglet1
Ore information required

[micmak]

12 hours ago, Puglet1 said:

Are MX5 seats lower than the original Vitesse ones? Do they give more clearance between your knees and the steering wheel or just rearward leg room? What is the advantage of fitting them?

The MX5 seats have a narrow back compared to the original seats.  This will allow you to slide the seat back further.  The original seats do not go back far enough because they hit the B pillar on the convertible cars. Thanks to a pic posted by Gary Flinn below, and one I found online, you can see the difference.  I am currently looking for a set of MX5 seats (the removable headrest type).