Seats Again

[brm brm]

I've decided my seats are beyond re-trimming so the question is what to replace them with - I know people have fitted MX 5 seats in Wedges but I'm loathe to put something Japanese in Blackpool's finest (they never did apologise for what tbey did to my Grandad!).

So has anybody fitted anything else, having wandered around a couple of scrapyards with a tape measure last week options appear to be fairly limited! I actually want to buy something worn as the whole car is to be re-trimmed shortly, so spending a lot of money at this stage would be a waste of time. Any ideas appreciated.......

I dont want to

[jvaughan]

Good luck .. forget the majority of Race / Rally seats they are too wide. I believe some of the pontiac seats fit... Why dont you get them re-bolstered / upholstered.
As long as you have the frame / subframes ... they can be renewed.

[D.K.Dalton]

I have fitted a pair of Moss leather seats in an M series. These are wel made , the right width and very confortable but unfortunately not cheap.

[19560]

What makes the seats beyond re-trimming? Even a rusty frame can be renewed.

[jvaughan]

I have been quoted around £500 for both front seats re-trimmed and re bolstered.. finished with leather of my choice.

[skyrocketship]

I saw a heavily customised (Midnight Blue?) wedge fitted with Race/Rally type seats last year at Duxford.

Can't remember exactly what they were but they had the high "surround" type head restraints and looked good - maybe someone here?

[jvaughan]

dunno.. anothe rproblem you have is the door handles inside need to be modified. They can stop the door from opening. I have heard about the one at Duxford, but have not seen it or any pix of it

[stainless_steve]

the seats fitted to Tuscan race cars fit a wedge, got them in mine.
Also Montego seats fit ,TVR fitted these from the factory on the SEAC.
Hope this helps

Steve

[Brm Brm]

Thanks Steve I guessed they were from something on those lines - trawling around scrap yards had got it down to something cheap and nasty from the BL days based on a match with plastic bits and runners on an early Metro! The problem I've got with the old ones is that all the plastic bits are disintegrating - literally! and whatever holds the headrests in doesnt any more - something has broken inside. On top of that the mechanisms are worn and loose and I just cant see the point of spending a lot of money on a re-trim when the basic seat is so cheap and nasty.
Thought I had the answer in a pair of Recaros from a Rover 800 Vitesse for £75 but couldnt get the door shut! I also seem to recall an advert a couple of years ago for a yellow left hooker SEAC that claimed it had XJS seats??? Will keep looking - some of the recent Alfa Romeos look promising if I can find any.

[stainless_steve]

Theres got to be afew Mg Montegos in the scrap yard?


Steve

[gf350]

The Griff ones I got are a straight swap and are the same size, they even come in full leather with lumbar support if you can find some.
I have seen a few xjs ones on e-bay that were cheapish but I can't confirm they would fit.
Seats from an mgf might work??
GF

[wedg1e]

A mate of mine has ex-Rover 200 or 400 leather seats in his Tasmin, with the electrics removed.

Ian

[Brm Brm]

Still no luck - Honda CRX ones fit but thats even worse than MX5. Griff seats might be an option if I can find any at a sensible price bearing in mind that they will probably have to be re-trimmed. Are they the same as Chimaera seats???? Thing is, if Griff seats will fit does that mean Cerbera or Tuscan seats will too?? Now that would be nice!

MGF is definitely an option but again its finding some to try - the latest ones are actually rather nice.

Cant seem to find any specialist breakers in the Bristol area to look - thought I'd try Douglas Valley as I'm on the M6 next week but their website is down, anyone know if they are still there?

[gf350]

Brm Brm said: Still no luck - Honda CRX ones fit but thats even worse than MX5. Griff seats might be an option if I can find any at a sensible price bearing in mind that they will probably have to be re-trimmed. Are they the same as Chimaera seats???? Thing is, if Griff seats will fit does that mean Cerbera or Tuscan seats will too?? Now that would be nice!

The older Chimaera seats are different and look more like the wedge ones, I got someone to measure these type and they are slightly smaller than the Griff ones aparently. The person I got the griff seats from fitted Cerbera seats in his Griff and looking at them in the Griff they would almost certianly fit in the wedge, although they raise the seating position relative to the griff ones and cost loads I am told.
I did hear of a Chimaera owner not very long ago, who has the early type seats in half magnolia and was upgrading. He was looking for a 'half sensible offer' for them, e-mail me if you are interested and I'll find out if he still has them.
GF.