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Alternative Seats for TR2


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Hello, i am slowly coming to the  end of a long time rebuilding my TR2.

I would like to fit some non standard seats to give a bit more comfort and safety.

Was looking at the Cobra range of seats, possibly their SR type,  but they all seem a very tight fit in the car.

As i can`t go and see them for fit and comfort, i was wondering if anybody could recommend any they have fitted.

Thank you,   Ian.

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Not very adventurous but I went MX5 very pleased with them 

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12 minutes ago, Lebro said:

Restorations seats are very good, but also a tight fit.

Bob

I found that they fit canted out at the front away from the gearbox tunnel. The originals are fitted in the same way but as they have curved backs and rounded cushions it matters little because we can swivel in the seat to sit straight in the car. The Racetorations seats I tried held me comfortably and firmly but facing the o/s front corner of the car. 
Revington seats are nice but expensive. 
I use Corbeau Classic Narrow and had to stretch the frame so that I could fit in them. Clearance is very tight and the frames are pretty flimsy compared with Revington’s bespoke frames. 

Edited by Drewmotty
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I've just ordered some Cobra Roadster SS bucket seats. Going off the dimensions they should fit. At £460 the pair, made to order, I thought fantastic value. Black with white piping. They'll be here in 5 to 6 weeks, so I'll report back. 

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Four years ago I bought a pair of Ridgard seats for my TR4 (4VC) from another member.  Was very pleased with them until I attempted to fit them in the car. 

With my short legs, it was quite impossible to get the driver's seat sufficiently far forward to allow me to operate the pedals because the seat mechanism hit the speedo drive and the gearbox tunnel. 

If I jacked the seat up, my son, a cyclist/runner who has really beefy thighs, would not have been able to get his leg past the steering wheel.

Lesson learned - one needs to try any prospective purchase installed in someone else's same model of TR.

I sold the Ridgards to another member.

The driver's seat in 4VC was devised by rally driver John Sprinzel, marketed by him and, as far as I am aware, fitted in all four of the VC TR4 rally cars.  It is a fibreglass moulding with some (not much) padding - very light in weight.  No headrest. Fits me very well and is very comfortable.  The other three VC cars have lost both the original driver's and navigator's seats - the navigator's being a specially modified seat from a Standard van (I believe), with the back hinged, a headrest and straps added so that the seat may be inclined backwards to permit the occupant to snooze without falling on top of the driver.

In 2005, I went to Sicily and back as passenger in another fellow's TR4.  He had fitted MX5 seats and a footrest for me (short legs!). Foot rest allowed me to keep the maps etc. in an accessible position.  Even in the extreme heat of June (well over 30C), on days as long as 450 miles, during which we sweated buckets, neither of us (both in our late 60s then) suffered back pains and, following a shower and copious quantities of fluid, were able to enjoy our evening meal.

Ian Cornish

 

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If they are like these pictured then I hope your fairly skinny as I fitted them to Martin Jays (Dizzy doc) 3a and he took a portapower to them to try and widen them and gave up in the end and fitted MX seats as he couldnt get on with them at all.

Stuart.

 

photo1320.jpg

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I got my Ridgard seats off a fellow TRR member. 
they are a tight fit especially if you want some adjustment. Mine are slightly off set. 
but work well for my wife and I when we share the driving. 
 

the frame sits a little high for me for competition. 
 

there is a pic with a Ridgard and an original. 

ideally you do need to try before you buy.

 

FECC2408-7479-4E08-AB04-2ED7CB4087A6.jpeg

F806C42D-8169-4730-A2CC-219DE9FA56FF.jpeg

C0976F46-73AF-4E8B-97B9-43AC4F7AFAC8.jpeg

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Mine are from BB seats, bought online last year during lockdown. I went by the measurements on the site and they were about the only ones I could find that stood any chance of fitting. They are quite thick in the back, and very narrow across the hips which prevents me getting my bum fully into the back of the seat, consequently they are mounted as far back as I could get them, not helped by the shape of the flat rear seat platform in the back. There is only about 3 inches of available adjustment before the corner of the seat frame hits the gearbox tunnel on the drivers side, and less on the passengers. I think they will be one of the first things that gets changed when I start using it.

Ralph

20210125_122913.jpg

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Remind me why everyone apart from Graham seems to be ignoring MX5 seats?

I have a pair in my TR3a and yes they are a tight squeeze to fit but I find them very comfortable long journeys. They look good and are well made. What’s not to like?

Rgds Ian

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Corbeau Classic here (standard not the wide version). 

They just fit in the car and are very comfy for me (mind you I'm fairly trim) but the build quality isn't great. The glue on the driver's seat has come unstuck.

Might just be my pair as they were on sale from Holden and the only ones they had.

I really like the look of these ones with a cutout that should clear the gearbox tunnel : https://www.holden.co.uk/p/sports_bucket_seat_leather_with_moss_box_cutout

Caveat: they might be tiny

prod_large

 

 

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Good afternoon all,

After a lot of searching I fitted MX5 seats. I was lucky to find a pair of seats in, as new condition, but fabric covered which was good for me as I wanted to cover them in leather. I then sent them to Paul Bishop, PBU, at Winchester who is an MX5 trim specialist and really does a fabulous job. He only does Mazda trim with Mazda pattern but if you look at the result the pattern is okay for a TR3A. They are a tight fit and the set swabs are handed, most people put the leaver for the back of the seat on the tunnel side but I liked it on the outside which also meant that the wider swab overhangs the tunnel. It's not possible to change the shape of the seat swab as it's all one piece.

Fitting the seats requires a new bracket for the runners which you can buy but it's easy to make up brackets yourself, I went to a steel fabricators with drawings and measurements and got them done for £20, actually it was £10 but I only had a £20 note on me and thought that even at that price it was cheap. I then pinched the prop shaft tunnel a little to give me more room. They are a very tight fit but look good, work well and are extremely comfortable. Have a loot at the pics.

Des.

PS How do I reduce the size of the files, they're too big to send.

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I fitted Restall seats in my 3A. They were in the first car I ever had, in 1968 (Triumph Herald). I never threw them away because I knew that one day (50 years later.) they would come in useful.

Fitted the 3A perfectly and look the part in a 1950’s car.

If you can find a pair they could well set you back £1500 to £2000…

 

Charlie.

restallSeat.jpg

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On a Mac resizing pictures is very simple. Open the picture in Preview. Use 'adjust size' from the Tools dropdown I usually select 10cm width. If the two boxes below are ticked there is no need to change anything else. Click OK  then select 'save as' from the Edit menu ( you need to hold down the option key to get that ) and select 'jpeg' in the Format box - you can then set the resolution you require using the slider - you don't need anything bigger than 50k for the forum. Rename the file if you want to keep the original and click 'Save'. The smaller file will be saved and you can just drag-and-drop that into your post.  (It takes much less time to do it than to describe the process)

Edited by RobH
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Thanks Rob,

Here are the pictures which give you some idea of the MX5 seats. One of the advantages is the ability to remove the headrests both to fit under the tonneau and be more in period when you want.

Regards.

Des. 

MX5seats.jpg

MX5 seats1.jpg

MX5 seats2.jpg

MX5 seats 4.JPG

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Yes the carpets are all in and so too are the seatbelts, and yes they were tight but as I mentioned I eased the prop shaft tunnel to give them more room also I cut the underlay and glued the carpet to the tunnel. On the outside I made sure the trim was secured tight against the rear quarter. It works well, was a shoehorn job working in millimetres but I think it works well.

Des. 

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3 hours ago, DesNoble said:

Thanks Rob,

Here are the pictures which give you some idea of the MX5 seats. One of the advantages is the ability to remove the headrests both to fit under the tonneau and be more in period when you want.

Regards.

Des. 

MX5seats.jpg

MX5 seats1.jpg

MX5 seats2.jpg

MX5 seats 4.JPG

Lovely looking job Des. Those are the same as my seats and they are a squeeze to fit but they are comfortable for long journeys and look good. 

Rgds Ian 

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Hello,  thanks for all your replies and photos.

What comes across is either the seats are a shoehorn into the car and/or the seats are very narrow.

I`m only average size ( or so i tell the wife ), but i don`t want to buy seats that don`t suit the car or fit !

Food for thought and i`ll keep thinking.

Thanks again and regards Ian.

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24 minutes ago, halford23 said:

Hello,  thanks for all your replies and photos.

What comes across is either the seats are a shoehorn into the car and/or the seats are very narrow.

I`m only average size ( or so i tell the wife ), but i don`t want to buy seats that don`t suit the car or fit !

Food for thought and i`ll keep thinking.

Thanks again and regards Ian.

Ian would suggest that if your UK based the weather AND lockdown means the TR won't be getting a lot (any) use,  hopefully by the summer we will all be back at Malvern enjoying a (socially distanced!) Triumph Weekend, so I would pencil it in then hover around the 2/3 parking area and have a look at who has fitted what and then try and 'blag' a 'sit in' to see what suits you best. 

 

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3 minutes ago, Graham said:

Ian would suggest that if your UK based the weather AND lockdown means the TR won't be getting a lot (any) use,  hopefully by the summer we will all be back at Malvern enjoying a (socially distanced!) Triumph Weekend, so I would pencil it in then hover around the 2/3 parking area and have a look at who has fitted what and then try and 'blag' a 'sit in' to see what suits you best. 

 

+1 good idea

 

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