JerseyRoyal2 Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) Hi All, Both of my seat frames are strangely both tilting ie the seat back folds forward. In preparation for the arrival of new seat covers i have stripped the coverings from one of the seat frames, which i thought was in need of repair. Sure enough it does. I am considering whether to make this seat frame non tilting, or maybe leave it, your opinions aoppreciated If someone has a picture of how a fixed seat frame should look that would be a great help Thanks Very Much Guy Edited October 28, 2012 by JerseyRoyal2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Hi Guy, This any help? Tempted to say that from the looks of it that frame needs a lot of beefing up to do the job for a driving seat. Rgds Rod Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rodbr Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Hi Guy, Check your email as I have emailed you a piccy. Suggest that you should also weld washers over the seat to runner holes. rgds Rod Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley James Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 The only way to successfully weld up seat bases, and the result will be better from the raster distorted new ones that are available, is to have a proper sheet metal man or panel beater who gas welds repair it. The trouble with Mig is that it leaves the metal brittle and guarantees more cracks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrianC Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Having both seat backs tilting is a useful bonus. I'd keep it that way. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyRoyal2 Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) Thanks All The base of the frame has ben covered with some sort of black sealer , which makes the bases look worse than they are, clearly the rust is obvious. Heres Rods picture, for future reference Thanks Rod I am in the process of making some a paper templates, so i can fabricate some repair pieces. Fortunately the other seat is in good nick with no rust or holes, and not covered in black sh*t. Brian i can see the advantage of haveing two tilting seats The taking strip on mine seems to be a 1/4 inch hardboard is this a good idea , would i be better with a ply? Thanks Guy Edit Heres a great link especially if you plan to make your own covers http://xjguy.com/triumph/diy_tr3a_seat_covers.pdf Edited October 28, 2012 by JerseyRoyal2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyRoyal2 Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) Doing a bit of research and with reference to this thread 2008 http://www.tr-regist...showtopic=15346 It seems that Tr3a seat frames flex, Ian Vincent carried out some mods to the frames to stiffem them, i am at the stage where i can add extra metal to reinforce the seats and prevent twist. Any thoughts or ideas Cheers Guy Edited October 28, 2012 by JerseyRoyal2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) It certainly wouldnt hurt to stiffen them up as Ian has done. Most of the ones I have had to deal with as well as split on the mounting holes have also been split round the rear of the base on each side just below where the wood fillet goes (Yes Guy you would be better off with some ply round there to nail the covers to) but by the time they have been welded up and some penny repair washers spot welded on each of the mounting holes then they do end up a lot stiffer than original. The other thing with having two tilting seats is you will have to be careful with the new ready made seat covers as they are different shape at the bottoms of the back section from a fixed to a tilt version. Stuart. Edited October 28, 2012 by stuart Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyRoyal2 Posted October 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 It certainly wouldnt hurt to stiffen them up as Ian has done. Most of the ones I have had to deal with as well as split on the mounting holes have also been split round the rear of the base on each side just below where the wood fillet goes (Yes Guy you would be better off with some ply round there to nail the covers to) but by the time they have been welded up and some penny repair washers spot welded on each of the mounting holes then they do end up a lot stiffer than original. The other thing with having two tilting seats is you will have to be careful with the new ready made seat covers as they are different shape at the bottoms of the back section from a fixed to a tilt version. Stuart. Hmm, Was just thinking there would be a difference, but wasnt sure how significant it would be, as the tilting seat would have shorter cover, so i may be able to adapt to suit. Have emailed my supplier see how far he has got and advise hin i have two tilting seats, see what happens. Thanks Stuart GUY Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifrog Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Guy You have some work cut out for you there ! I gas welded the repairs to my seat but they were only cracks, your seats look more interesting. With regards to seat covers is there not an Upholsterer on the Island you could use to make and fit the covers. I am having mine custom made here in France and the cost including fitting and the repair of the seat bases is not much more than the seat cover kits and I get to chose the exact colours I want, I finally went for a rich dark blue with white piping. The guy doing the work is currently redoing the interior of an Alvis in Green leather. Cheers Alan Edited October 29, 2012 by Kiwifrog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JerseyRoyal2 Posted October 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Guy You have some work cut out for you there ! I gas welded the repairs to my seat but they were only cracks, your seats look more interesting. With regards to seat covers is there not an Upholsterer on the Island you could use to make and fit the covers. I am having mine custom made here in France and the cost including fitting and the repair of the seat bases is not much more than the seat cover kits and I get to chose the exact colours I want, I finally went for a rich dark blue with white piping. The guy doing the work is currently redoing the interior of an Alvis in Green leather. Cheers Alan Hi Alan, I have a plan for that seat frame, fortunately the other is in red oxide and no rust. The movement on both seats is where they bolt together, so i think the base needs stiffening with attention to thia area. As well as all the items Stuart and Rod mentioned. There was a trimmer overhere who i used to use, funny chap, but did an excellent job at reasonable cost. He has been retired for a good few years now. I also knew a sail maker , but hes now working in Canada somewhere .As for the rest of the trimmers , they are busy working mainly on boats where there is plenty of dosh to be made overhere. A local car restoration bussiness "Le Riche Automobile" bring in a trimmer from France to do their work. There are other trimmers however costs being Jersey, will be twice that of the Uk. So i will give it a go Cheers Guy Edited October 29, 2012 by JerseyRoyal2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Fitting the plywood strips to the seat back. If you are having difficulty in getting a piece of 6mm plywood to shape around the back of the seats, do what I did which was to buy a sheet of 3mm plywood and cramp two strips of 3mm together with waterproof PVA between them, around the back of the curve and leave to dry. Once dry you have a 6mm strip that can be pop riveted to the seat back. (Note: I actually used stainless steel screws, it was easier) Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jersey Royal Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Fitting the plywood strips to the seat back. If you are having difficulty in getting a piece of 6mm plywood to shape around the back of the seats, do what I did which was to buy a sheet of 3mm plywood and cramp two strips of 3mm together with waterproof PVA between them, around the back of the curve and leave to dry. Once dry you have a 6mm strip that can be pop riveted to the seat back. (Note: I actually used stainless steel screws, it was easier) Rgds Ian Good point Ian Where did you carry out reinforcemnt to the frame, and do you think it has helped? Cheers Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ashley James Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Proper trimmers are rare and much in demand, but far more expensive than buying a trim kit for something like a TR. The reason is that the kit suppliers are simply cutting out bits of leather and carpet to a pattern and binding or sewing them together. A traditional trimmer will make vintage seats from scratch and to the original designs, which is complicated and expensive work, but it means that they'd do a better job than a seat kit, at a price. My son did my TR sniffily, he mostly does rare exotics, but still made me buy seat covers from John Skinner, so that he could moan like hell that they didn't fit properly. Ash Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 My son did my TR sniffily, he mostly does rare exotics, but still made me buy seat covers from John Skinner, so that he could moan like hell that they didn't fit properly. Ash Nothing new there. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Guy, The bottom pan cracks around the rear mounting points (more so for the passenger seat which concentrates all the load into the two little supports and applies maximum leverage to the curved back. So I had to replace the whole rear area on the pan and then put the 1/8" X 2" strips down either side along the line of the fixing holes. The 20 g stiffeners were triangular and on the inside of the gussets on either side. And yes the whole frame feels much stiffer than it did but let's face it, they were both so cracked they had lost all their stiffness. Apologies for the formatting by the way but my 'enter' key has stopped working on the forum. it works on every other application, Word, Mail etc but not the forum. I have tried re-booting a couple of times but to no avail. any ideas anyone? Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Hi everyone, For what it's worth, I have switched to Firefox and my enter key has started working again - nice one Microsoft. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jersey Royal Posted October 29, 2012 Report Share Posted October 29, 2012 Guy, The bottom pan cracks around the rear mounting points (more so for the passenger seat which concentrates all the load into the two little supports and applies maximum leverage to the curved back. So I had to replace the whole rear area on the pan and then put the 1/8" X 2" strips down either side along the line of the fixing holes. The 20 g stiffeners were triangular and on the inside of the gussets on either side. And yes the whole frame feels much stiffer than it did but let's face it, they were both so cracked they had lost all their stiffness. Apologies for the formatting by the way but my 'enter' key has stopped working on the forum. it works on every other application, Word, Mail etc but not the forum. I have tried re-booting a couple of times but to no avail. any ideas anyone? Rgds Ian Thanks Ian most helpful. Just got to get some metal then will be making a few template. Cheers Guy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwifrog Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 (edited) Proper trimmers are rare and much in demand, but far more expensive than buying a trim kit for something like a TR. The reason is that the kit suppliers are simply cutting out bits of leather and carpet to a pattern and binding or sewing them together. A traditional trimmer will make vintage seats from scratch and to the original designs, which is complicated and expensive work, but it means that they'd do a better job than a seat kit, at a price. My son did my TR sniffily, he mostly does rare exotics, but still made me buy seat covers from John Skinner, so that he could moan like hell that they didn't fit properly. Ash Ash I am lucky, the guy doing mine is a 3rd generation Trimmer who has semi retired to the SW france after 30 years in the trade having started as an apprentice to his grandfather and father at 15. I have seen some of his work and it is fantastic. He is making the interior trim from scratch using the old factory covers as models, he is also rebuilding the seats. Living in rural France means overheads are low as well so a decent price,On a par with an off the shelf kit and I can have any colour I want with any piping i want, and it will be fitted as well so in the long run it works out cheaper than a kit. I think it is worth while getting prices for some work from proper artisans as the finish will be better than a kit and the price differential once you have taken into account the hours of fitting time and the finished result is not much. Now where did I put that fluro orange leather sample, ah there it is next to the faux Zebra skin........ Alan Edited October 30, 2012 by Kiwifrog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vivdownunder Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Now you've done it Alan - 'er indoors will be demanding a re-trim in Ocelot (like everything else) Actually one of the nicest trims I've seen was my neighbour's red 3A with black leather seats piped red. Very smart indeed, but it wouldn't suit a white car. Anyhow, I recall the thinking behind having only the one tilting seat was to deter children from getting in and out on the traffic side. The answer to the flimsy bases was to have a pair replicated in heavier gauge metal, not needing the pan swages, then sell the originals. Viv Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Bazzano Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Guy, Regarding the wood strips......don't use wood at all! When I rebuilt my TR2 seats I fabricated the curved wood strip for the first seat using 6 very thin strips of wood, glued together and clamped to the seat base to get the right shape as the glue dried. It worked fine but was a real pain cutting those super thin pieces. For the second seat I decided to try a different route. I went to my local TAP plastics store and asked if there was anything they had that would bend easily and be able to hold nails hammered in, without splitting. They suggested something called HDPE. It worked like a charm! Would never use wood for that situation again. I assume HDPE stands for high density polyethylene. Great stuf to work with. Cost me around $5 for the seat. Try it. John B. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Bazzano Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Actually, I just had another idea........ I believe the new plastic decking that is replacing wood decking for many folks would work just as well. It's probobly made from HDPE, certainly would cut up and bend quite nicely. Finding a scrap piece shouldn't be that hard. John B. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Graham Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 When I did mine I tried bending some plywood, made a jig etc. It was a waste of time. I ended up using some 1.5 inch plastic Venetian blind slats I had stashed away. Much like John, I found that they worked perfectly. Held the staples well and were easy to bend. Cheers, Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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