Seats

[Peter Cresswell]

I'm about to change the seats in my 69 roadster, to make it more comfortable for long distance touring. I have a pair of later headrest seats which need refurbishment, and I have one cover to make up a passenger seat. I was thinking of a racing seat for the drivers side but although they hold you in well when pressing on, they are a bit of a pain to get in and out, and restrict the ability to look sideways. I'm now thinking along the lines of seats from another car, so I read with a lot of interest the article in the latest MG Enthusiast on the MGB fitted with MX5 seats for exactly the purpose I need.

Unfortunately it doesn't specify which MX5 so my questions are:
1. Does anyone have experience of fitting MX5 seats to a 69 car?
2. Are there any problems to fitting them? I have heard it is easier if they are fitted with passenger seat for the driver and vv.
3. Do you sit low enough in the car? I don't like to be looking under (or worse) over the top of the screen.
4. Does a headrest MGB tonneau fit ok.

Cheers
Pete

[George Wilder]

Pete
I have a friend who has recently fitted Maxda MX5 seats to the GT he is rebuilding.
I'll ask for details
Did you know the Midget and Mazda MX5 have a connection?
George

[Peter Cresswell]

Thanks George, that would be great.
Since making the post I have found a blog showing how someone fitted the seats, and they made some new mountings out of a steel strip with 2 bolts welded in place which is welded to the floor. I was hoping to make the fitment easily reversible, as I am a big believer that any modifications should have that feature.

Please enlighten me about the Midget/MX5 connection!

[George Wilder]

Pete
I have spoken to the GT owner Richard today, who will post details of the seats he used (late Mk1 MX5 I believe) and the fixing arrangment which is reversable.

Pete Neal (MGCC Archivist and ex MG employee) told me that amongst the many jobs he undertook, designed the folding hood for the MIdget when wind up windows were introduced. It is an easy one hand lift. Two apprentices who worked with Pete later went on to work on the development of the MX5. They told Pete the hood design was easy they just copied the MIdget with dimensions to suit. The MX5 hood is an easy one hand lift too.

[Richard Stanbridge]

Pete
Here are some ramblings: -
I have fitted MX5 seats to my MGB GT. They were from a late Mk1 (approx 1994 to 1998) with separate headrests and look like they were made for an MGB GT. I do not know whether the Mk2 seats are the same. The early Mk1 seats are a different style with fixed headrests with their own speakers. "My" seats have a slimmer back rest to the MGB's.
I made-up some adapter plates and used the original 'B' mounting points. I have attached scans of my working sketches (hope these notes are not too jumbled) and a photo of the driver's-side plates. The plates are made from (1/8" thick, I think) strip steel and extra 'tabs' have been welded to pick up the seat mountings. It's a simple mod but took quite a while to get the optimum solution. The original MGB mounts use 1/4 inch UNF sets and the mx5 uses larger studs which are welded to the adapter plate - using any diameter or thread type of your choice which goes through the seat holes! Other people have used wider steel strips but this is not necessary if you have access to a welder. I have used the Mazda slider mechanism, it being superior to the MG system but you will need to bend the front mountings of the seats to provide a flat fixing to the adapter plates. This is easy and they can be cold bent. I have used MGB exhaust manifold thick (slightly domed) washers over the original front MGB sets for neatness.
The original MX5 seat belt mountings are attached to the Mazda seats hence the Mazda required stronger seat fixings, but I have used the original MGB seat belt arrangement, hence the seat assemblies take virtually no anchorage stresses (just like the original MGB). It's a bit awkward and hard work to remove the seat belt mountings from the seat frames (by cutting disc) but worth it.
The driver's and passenger's side seat assemblies are slightly different so will require slightly different fitting arrangements. I chose to use both seats in the same orientation in order that the back tilting operating levers were located on the door sides, handy for accessing the rear of the seats from outside the car. On my car (1972 GT) there is a slightly reduced fore & aft adjustment ability because of the wider transmission tunnel I suppose, but still OK. Is your '69 car a narrow tunnel type? It would make it easier if it is.
The whole modified system is reversible to original within half an hour total for both sides.
No need to use the wooden strips of the original seat fixings.
The seat height appears to be about the same as original.
I only went this route because my seats needed rebuilding and the MX5 seats were much cheaper and are in excellent condition, but they are supremely comfortable and also hold you well. I am very pleased with this worthwhile mod. Re-covering kits in leather etc. are readily available for the MX5 seats.
I am not sure whether an MX5 seat conversion in an MGB roadster would look as pleasing as the GT conversion, but hey, that's an individual subjective decision.
It may be that re-covering your original seats with a modern automotive cloth could hold you better and along with a lumber plate modification and new foams would be more comfortable.
Hope this has helped make a decision!
NOTE: I HAVE TRIED TO UPLOAD THE FILES BUT PDF FILES CANNOT BE ACCEPTED AND THE PHOTO FILES ARE TOO BIG AND I HAVEN'T WORKED OUT HOW TO REDUCE THEM YET (NEW PC & I DISLIKE MY NEW, AWKWARD OPERATING SYSTEM (WINDOWS 8:1). OH, AND I'M NOT VERY COMPUTER LITERATE. I MAY BE ABLE TO EMAIL THE DETAILS, BUT PERHAPS SUGGESTIONS FOR HOW TO UPLOAD THE FILES WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS.
Regards
Richard

[Jim Haines]

I wonder - is there actually a great amount to be gained by going to all this 'effort' when proper attention to the original seats can produce very comfortable seating and driving experiences?
I have a 1971 Roadster, with head rest attachments and automatic seat belts. When I restored my car we took the seats apart, checked the structural strength of the frame etc., then fitted new foam seat and backings under an 'original' style cloth covering set, all bought from the MG Owners Club. I paid a little extra for them to be fitted together by a professional trimmer, but the result was excellent in every way - comfort, stability and ease of entry/exit.
I subsequently drove my car to Paris, I have toodled around the north of France in it, and even though I am now in my 70's I still use it to hare around the Essex countryside with another like-minded friend on many occasions (long may that continue). I am 6 feet tall, and I use the simple adjustment available from the original design with no problems.
As a longterm user I really see no need to change anything as I simply can't see the work involved giving any great benefit............
Hope this helps.

[Peter Cresswell]

Hi Jim
My roadster is 1969 and is pre headrests. Also my wife had a bad road accident some years ago and suffers neck pain if her head is not supported as a result. I do have a pair of seats from a later car, but they need restoring and didn't come with headrests, so they quite a lot of work (and cost)before fitting. I have thought about modifying the frame of the original seats using the parts from the later ones so that I could fit head. The MX5 route just offered an alternative, and was triggered by the article in MG Enthusiast this month.

[Richard Stanbridge]

Pete
I have now managed to reduce photo size and have attached one of the strips and a general view of the passenger MX5 seat.
Please refer to my earlier post for the details.
I'll try to overcome the PDF acceptance problem for the sketch.
Richard

[Peter Cresswell]

Thanks Richard
Your two posts are really helpful.
Do the headrests just pull out? Like modern cars, after pressing in a little button on the plastic surround to the hole they fit into? If so they might fit under a tonneau cover for seats without headrests.

[Peter Cresswell]

Hi Richard,
Hopefully you will pick this up in time!
Do these seats look like yours? These are from an early Mk2, which I believe to be much the same as a Mk1 but without the pop-up headlights. George if you see this perhaps you can prompt Richard.

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