TVR 350i seats - free for use / parts
Discussion
Hi all
Long time no post. I have replaced the seats in suffolkfoxy's 350i so the old seats are sitting in my dining room. The runners on both are rotted (as those that will remember, the car was a mobile pond when we picked it up courtesy of previous owner) and the frame on the drivers side has been re-welded twice and now broken beyond sensible repair hence the virtually new MG seats fitted. They are red vinyl (tear on drivers seat) with velour panels which I would describe as having all the appeal of a mangey cat, but if anyone can make use of them as whole or for parts (eg seat sponges, head rests, etc) I would rather this than put them in the tip. I may be able to deliver to Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, Diss, Norwich or local to Hunstanton for a contribution to costs as I am in all of these areas in the next three weeks if this helps. SF
Long time no post. I have replaced the seats in suffolkfoxy's 350i so the old seats are sitting in my dining room. The runners on both are rotted (as those that will remember, the car was a mobile pond when we picked it up courtesy of previous owner) and the frame on the drivers side has been re-welded twice and now broken beyond sensible repair hence the virtually new MG seats fitted. They are red vinyl (tear on drivers seat) with velour panels which I would describe as having all the appeal of a mangey cat, but if anyone can make use of them as whole or for parts (eg seat sponges, head rests, etc) I would rather this than put them in the tip. I may be able to deliver to Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds, Diss, Norwich or local to Hunstanton for a contribution to costs as I am in all of these areas in the next three weeks if this helps. SF
The seats in a 350i are TVR own pattern and not from another vehicle. A few on here have had them recovered by an automotive reupholstered or replace them with others such as Mazda mx5, certain sport seats from xjs or a few others (have a search). I have used mgtf seats but they are a tight fit and need additional runner supports fabricated.
The main feature of the wedge seats - and something you rarely see these days even in big cars - is a long seat base front to back; it makes for good support under the thigh. They're also relatively narrow.
The seats were built by Callow and Maddox Bros. (aka Cambro, whose label you sometimes find under the base) in Coventry who also supplied most of the non-Ford car builders in the UK, hence they appear similar to a lot of seats yet are identical to none.
The seats were built by Callow and Maddox Bros. (aka Cambro, whose label you sometimes find under the base) in Coventry who also supplied most of the non-Ford car builders in the UK, hence they appear similar to a lot of seats yet are identical to none.
bobs280i said:
anybody know which car these seats are from as i would like to see if you can buy new leather covers ? as my car the seats are really letting it down....
Hi Bob.This is something I was considering making but have since realised it wouldn't be that easy..For a start they would only sit right on the foam if strung like the early seats or glued like the later..The old foam can be reconstituted with the application of steam.
I was thinking of having a seat cover with a string fixing but couldn't find a good solution to the baggy middle section, However I will pursue this idea and report back my findings...
If your covers are not ripped just faded and cracked then there are ways in which to resurrect the leather to a presentable condition.
Cheers
Ziga
Cheers zig , my leather seats are just tatty and a few areas where the stitching is coming undone , but still very comfortable and i would have replaced them with black leather covers if it was possible, the seats never matched the cream dash or door panels ,console ... it always looked odd , i thought they were not original , i was wrong
OK, end caps from mechanism gone (thanks to phillpot) but the rest still here. Based on feedback I am going to dismantle the seats, unbolt the folding seat mechanisms and remove the sponges to see if they are grainy (the bit I tried over the weekend seems perfectly springy still). I will then add to this post the postage costs for what I manage to salvage, and the torn covers and dead frames will go to the tip. I hate to see difficult to source bits going in the bin. In fact, on second thoughts I will try to retain the torn covers in case anyone wants to use them as a template to have new covers made (saves handing over the complete seats if you can just give them a set of covers to unstitch)
Edited by SuffolkFox on Monday 28th November 09:19
The back bolsters rarely go...The bottoms are salvageable...A steamer will bring the foam back to life....Unless its totally badgered ..If anyone is making a template from the old covers then they need to be un-picked and then cut where the joining seam is, Its much easier to add a 1/4" for a seam then it is trying to guess where the stitch line should be...They also stretch over time so this is good practice.....
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