Started seat rebuild - what a pain

[boss-tiger]

Well, half a day yesterday, and most of the day today just to take the seats apart and clean up the hardware. I thought this would be simple but that has not been the case - 1/3 of the screws came out fine, 1/3 are still soaking with penetrating oil to loosen up hopefuly (and don't want to cooperate so far) and the other 1/3 need replacing or something. And those little screws that hold on the side plates, 3 out of 4 broke off requiring several hours to drill out. Hope I never have to do this again - ha. Easier to pull out the engine and trans for sure. Found 2 broken welds that will need fixing, then blasting, painting, re-assembly - hope this gets easier. In case you were wondering, the seats looked and worked fine - just had a very creative (non original) bottom cushion webbing and worn out foam. I am in seat rebuilding purgatory is seems ....

 

[Austin Healer]

just to make it more interesting... the threaded screws are 1/4 BSF... 26 threads per inch. you can get them from Sunbeam Specialties...

 

[0neoffive]

I'm guilty of re-tapping those critters to 1/4" X 28 so I can just trot down to my local hardware . . . .works great.

 

[michael-king]

@boss-tiger male sure the seat backs aren't twisted, a comon issue of people leaning on the backrests to get in/out of the cars.. Also causes the stress fractures at the base of the backrest frames.

You can gusset the areas at the base to strengthen them.

 

[65beam]

Restored loose flap seat frames. These are the ones for my green car.

 

[IvaTiger]

@boss-tiger male sure the seat backs aren't twisted, a comon issue of people leaning on the backrests to get in/out of the cars.. Also causes the stress fractures at the base of the backrest frames.

You can gusset the areas at the base to strengthen them.

Great advice ! I guess that the seat backs take the strain instead of the steering wheel and reinforcing with gussets is a very good thing to do

 

[65beam]

Over the years I have found that the seat frame breaks where the two center upright tubes enter the main frame in order to protrude thru the main seat back frame. This photo shows one of the breaks prior to the restoration of the same seat shown above.

 

[65beam]

A partial view of the finished seats. They hold my 270 lbs in place.

 

[boss-tiger]

Are Mk1 and Mk1a seat backs interchangeable? Mine look the same shape wise but a) one has very small holes drilled on the back side and other does not, and b) on back frame, the vertical rods are welded at top differently : one has tubes open on top of the frame and the other does not (probably should have taken a picture, can do this evening)

 

[65beam]

Are Mk1 and Mk1a seat backs interchangeable? Mine look the same shape wise but a) one has very small holes drilled on the back side and other does not, and b) on back frame, the vertical rods are welded at top differently : one has tubes open on top of the frame and the other does not (probably should have taken a picture, can do this evening)

I haven't tried to swap later seat backs to the earlier frames. I did have one seat years ago that had a dowel rod driven into the upright tube.

 

[Austin Healer]

Are Mk1 and Mk1a seat backs interchangeable? Mine look the same shape wise but a) one has very small holes drilled on the back side and other does not, and b) on back frame, the vertical rods are welded at top differently : one has tubes open on top of the frame and the other does not (probably should have taken a picture, can do this evening)

The short answer is YES... The seat backs are dimensionally the identical. The "holes" in the inner vertical braces on MK1 seats are for the listing rods on a Mk1 seat back as the foams are different and the way the seats are recovered is completely different. I have good seat backs for BOTH the Mk1 Tiger/Series 4 Alpine and the later Mk1a/Mk2 Tiger and series 5 Alpine. (one of each) You could use what I have for any of the Tiger models... both would work for Mk1a/Mk2. For the Mk1 you'd have to drill holes in the vertical bars for the listing rods. The MK1 seat frame is on the RH side of the picture. Neither one is broken and neither has ever been welded on.

 

[65beam]

The short answer is YES... The seat backs are dimensionally the identical. The "holes" in the inner vertical braces on MK1 seats are for the listing rods on a Mk1 seat back as the foams are different and the way the seats are recovered is completely different. I have good seat backs for BOTH the Mk1 Tiger/Series 4 Alpine and the later Mk1a/Mk2 Tiger and series 5 Alpine. (one of each) You could use what I have for any of the Tiger models... both would work for Mk1a/Mk2. For the Mk1 you'd have to drill holes in the vertical bars for the listing rods. The MK1 seat frame is on the RH side of the picture. Neither one is broken and neither has ever been welded on.


View attachment 16378

Unlike my seat frames those wouldn't require the work mine required. My seats had the original coverings and foam on them when I took them apart. The foam came apart in pieces but the original covers are in the attic. I have better sets stored but I didn't care to have them restored because they had survived everything four generations of the family put them thru since the 60's.

 

[boss-tiger]

My plan is to just drill the holes in the miss-matched Mk1a seat back to match a Mk1 seat back - seems simple enough and I they do both look the same other than these small holes in the back of the frame. Does anyone have a source for those little rubber bumpers in the bottom seat height cross bar thing?

 

[boss-tiger]

Also, ? good spray paint color match for the seat frame brand/color?