Vitesse & Herald - Seat Replacement - MGF

[European Voyager]

Hi 

I've got a few seats of these seats as I play about with rover MGs . If you need any runners or seat parts let me know but the postage costs might be prohibitive. 

EV

 

[Peter Truman]

Is your Vitesse 6 a CV or saloon and do the MGF seats clear the CV B post. My Mk2 Saloon seats won't slip past the CV B post causing me at 6ft 2 legroom issues?

So it takes a day for our hot weather to reach NZ, it was 39C here on Saturday, 37 on Sunday, it takes 2 days on average for Perth's (very) hot weather to reach us here in Melb

[ahebron]

Hi Peter

My 6 is a saloon.
I have sorted the seat issue by replacing the flat bar with 40x40x3 SHS. This does lift me 35mm closer to the roof but also enables me to slide the seat back fully so a compromise. I have bolted the seat to the top of the box and fix it to the floor through the bottom of the box, to access that one I drilled a 1" hole in the top and used a cap head bolt into the floor fixing. This is a prototype, I only have one piece of the shs and it is about 5mm short, I used Jims packers to lift the front. The photo of the transmission tunnel shows how the seat was hitting the insulation, I now have 5mm clearance so enough for carpet though I might adjust the side rail with the angle grinder if needed.

Thank goodness you are not burning at present, the last few seasons of Aussie bush fires turned our skies orange and affected air quality. I dont care much for temps above mid 20s, if this goes on for another week I will start to pine for a good old Wellington Southerly. I recall an article I read a few years back that weather forecasters can tell us what will happen in 3 days and 10 days time but the bit travelling across the Tasman can vary so much that between those days is just an educated guess. I did a job in Fiji and the thermometer hit 50 C at our locations on 2 days, first on a sailing ship with no wind flat calm sea and the second up a cliff. The locals looked at us like the idiots we were but we had a schedule to meet come hell or hot water.

Off for a lunch time dip soon

[ahebron]

Another modification to the seat runners I made today is drilling two extra holes then filing them square and filing a 1/2 square piece into the end of the rail so the slider can use the whole track and beyond, next one will have neater holes I promise. This is a relatively simple job and as long as they do'nt break or bend will be something to do on the good seats when they get back from the upholsterer. Every bit helps when you are 6'5"!.

I also revisited the 40mm SHS and might revise my plan and make it out of 30mm SHS, if I need to I can pack it back up the 10mm or whatever thickness I think suitable. Nothing open till tomorrow wednesday due to New Year holidays so plenty of time to change plans.

 

 

[ahebron]

10 hours ago, European Voyager said:

Hi 

I've got a few seats of these seats as I play about with rover MGs . If you need any runners or seat parts let me know but the postage costs might be prohibitive. 

EV

 

Thanks for the offer EV but having two sets gives me a bit of UH OH tolerance🤔

[ahebron]

Me again progressing slowly with the MGF seats. Had a day off as I broke the chain on my MTB when I went for a ride down Pencarrow Coast so it was into town to get a replacement and refit

Using spacers to get the required thickness I have decided to go with 30mm x 3mm SHS tube this gives 10mm more head room from the 40 SHS I was playing with.
I have also trimmed the inner tunnel side slider so that it clears the tunnel at full legroom (which is a mod I did in a previous post) and more importantly clears the seat belt mount. After I cut the piece off and slid the seat right back a ball bearing from the slider mechanism fell out so after putting that back in I used a small self tapper to imitate the dimple in the slider that keeps the bbs in.
Hopefully the attached photos explain better

[Pete Lewis]

some pics of the gravity self latching  tilt latch i used from bits and pieces 

[Dallas Herald]

I’m reading into this post with some focus now having just purchased some lovely MGF black leather with red piping seats. I have printed the guide for the brackets and will get those made up. I can hardly wait!

I notice in a few pics the seats have an electrical connector, like mine. I assume that was purely seat belt warning?

[Pete Lewis]

wires under seats can be varied depends on model and age of. 

seat belt pressure switch

seat belt pre tensioner cannons 

heated seat pads     

ejector  seat sensor !!!

Pete

 

[Badwolf]

When I took some friends (one at a time) out in the Spitfire for the first time, they asked me what the overdrive switch on the gear lever was for....you guessed the answer already Mr Bond!! They haven't let me forget it.

[Pete Lewis]

ive got a warning lamp for a parachute brake if thats any help

pete

[PeteH]

 

I`ve done a similar re-fit in the Herald, with a pair of donated MX5 seats.

Wiring for SRS on Mercedes seats. Unplug, and it`s an £85+VAT job to have them re-set!!!😭. NO prizes for guessing how I found that out!. MOT fail if you leave them!.

 

Pete

[Dallas Herald]

I might leave the passenger visible, just to warn people 😁

As I do further prep and research, I know I need new bolts and captive nuts (?). From the refurb of my seats and fit of carpets a few years ago, I remember the locating of the nuts being quite a pain. As I’ve no welder (or welding skills) does anyone know if the nuts or retainers are still available anywhere, please? 
Rimmers draws a blank and I can’t find a listing on Canley’s.

TIA

[PeteH]

2 minutes ago, Dallas Herald said:

I might leave the passenger visible, just to warn people 😁

As I do further prep and research, I know I need new bolts and captive nuts (?). From the refurb of my seats and fit of carpets a few years ago, I remember the locating of the nuts being quite a pain. As I’ve no welder (or welding skills) does anyone know if the nuts or retainers are still available anywhere, please? 
Rimmers draws a blank and I can’t find a listing on Canley’s.

TIA

I am assuming these are the ones that bolt the seats to the floor. Just captive nut`s.? I think some have bolted right through the floor in the past?, Big washer underneath.

Pete

[Dallas Herald]

1 minute ago, PeteH said:

I am assuming these are the ones that bolt the seats to the floor. Just captive nut`s.? I think some have bolted right through the floor in the past?, Big washer underneath.

Pete

Yep, those ones. 
 

That could be an option, I’ll get the drill and some longer bolts and decent washers. 
 

Thanks, Pete 👍🏼

[steveo]

My Herald has Suzuki swift seats fitted by the previous owner, looks like a easy swop ( think there is something on here about it ) nice seats apart from he plastic air bag thing on the side, will make some covers when it gets on the road.

Cheers, Steve.

[PeteH]

Found the pic; They all need a serious clean.

Pete

[steveo]

I think the seat conversion is the only thing on my car done properly, everything else is a complete bodge & disaster, will get some photos of the runners / any brackets before they go back in ( interior out for major welding at the moment ) and see what age car they came from, this may help someone fit some in the future. 

[John Hill]

Well, I've taken the plunge and just bought some MGF seats.....after weeks of deliberation and an increasingly achy bum in my Herald seats.

Wish me luck in the fitting process 😁

[Pete Lewis]

certainly firmer and better roll control of the body ,the bum can only get better  !!!!

should be an easy fit with a bit of twiddling do make sure if they had seat belt pretensioners that the charge has been safely removed 

you dont want a wake upshot going into a roundabout  Ha!!!

Pete

 

[John Hill]

1 minute ago, Pete Lewis said:

certainly firmer and better roll control of the body ,the bum can only get better  !!!!

should be an easy fit with a bit of twiddling do make sure if they had seat belt pretensioners that the charge has been safely removed 

you dont want a wake upshot going into a roundabout  Ha!!!

Pete

 

Hi Pete, yes looking forward to getting them fitted. 

Just ordered the metal flat bar I need, as per the excellent instructions further back in the thread.

We're off to Laon in a few weeks so I need to get my skates on

[Pete Lewis]

4 hours ago, John Hill said:

so I need to get my skates on

ah  go faster   does it work  ???

Pete

[ahebron]

John I would advise playing with the height of the seats.
I found the 10mm flat bar did not lift the MGF seat high enough to clear the floor coverings and allow me to push the seat back to be comfortable, I am 6ft5.
I was tempted by 40mm box section with possible headroom issues  but settled on 30mm as the lowest I could get the seat and still have full movement without fouling the tunnel seatbelt fixings.
Read above my alterations to the MGF tracks.

 

[John Hill]

28 minutes ago, ahebron said:

John I would advise playing with the height of the seats.
I found the 10mm flat bar did not lift the MGF seat high enough to clear the floor coverings and allow me to push the seat back to be comfortable, I am 6ft5.
I was tempted by 40mm box section with possible headroom issues  but settled on 30mm as the lowest I could get the seat and still have full movement without fouling the tunnel seatbelt fixings.
Read above my alterations to the MGF tracks.

 

Hi mate, thanks for the advice but I've already ordered the 5mm flat bar as per the instructions earlier in the thread.

I won't be able to slide mine back fully anyway as it's a convertible.

I think it'll be a bit of trial and error, could always use some spacers I suppose if needed

cheers John

[Pete Lewis]

i used some 25mm spacers added to suit till the inner slide just cleared the tunnel carpet

if you need to tilt the back i can re post my backrest catch idea i used 

if you keep the orig runners then in a CV its easier to tilt the whole seat

cant do that in a saloon.  the headrest meetsthe roof