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MG MGB Technical - Seat Covers - '73 BGT.

'73 BGT fully bare-metalled and painted Glacier White; new carpets and Webasto installed;so I'm looking for replacement seat covers - the original cloth finish to seat and squab, with the double-stitched pattern - but I'm looking for black, to follow the colour scheme.
I've seen some incredible prices on a couple of websites, so I'm hoping someone knows of a more reasonably-priced source? With thanks ... John.
J P Hall

These any good?

http://mgbhive.co.uk/product/mgb-cloth-seat-covers-oe-spec-choice-of-colours/
Dave O'Neill 2

I haven't heard anything bad about any of the aftermarket trim suppliers. I Personally used Brown & Gammons who were very helpful & good value, but also Mirror Trim as well. A Google search will bring a plethora of suppliers & then it's up to you to find the best value.You say you have new carpets....does that supplier also do seat trim?
Pat Gregory

PJM in Market Drayton, Shropshire have all the original patterns but will make any pattern you choose!
Allan Reeling

After a lot of research having been disappointed with the covers I got 26 years ago, last year I opted for these http://www.leacyclassics.com/sc117a.html from Leacy as I was able to examine them in advance. Value is one thing you can judge online, quality isn't. They were black cloth-faced - originally for a 73 etc. GT, but fitted to my roadster for summer comfort.
Paul Hunt

Dave, Pat, Allan, Paul - thanks for taking the time. Being so far away, it's appreciated.
The B-Hive covers look correct; 175 English pounds for the pair is certainly one of the better prices, but I admit to still being a bit "stitched up" here, pardon the pun. This is not the whole seat, it is just the cloth-and-vinyl covers.I will tonight look up the comparative prices (covers only) from Leacy, Mirror trim, PJM, and the Club. The Moss price was 197 pounds the pair.
My upholsterer is tailor-making the carpets using the originals as the template; so yes, one thing I'm thinking about is getting him to separate the cloth faces of the seat covers, lining them for strength on the inside, and then reproducing the vinyl non-contact sections.
The upholsterer is quite happy to make up foam to replace the originals; I have noted comments in the archives about new foam placing the ride-height too high, so will do a trial-fit.
Thanks again for your input - I'll post my findings over the next few days. Regards, John Hall.
J P Hall

So it didn't take me so long to compare the prices : excluding VAT as I'm in the Colonies - in round figures -

Owners Club : 200 pounds
Moss : 198 pounds
Mirror Trim : 194 pounds
PJM : 190 pounds
MGB Hive : 175 pounds
Leacy : 125 pounds(but currently out of stock!)

Quite a range of prices. It's impossible to say how the quality would compare; at least one place says the kits are made on-site, but I suspect most would be outsourced.
Regards, John.
J P Hall

PJM did all my interior including seats for my midget and it was very good.

They make all their own stuff and are very helpful to deal with - a smallish family type company.

R.
richard boobier

Ditto Richard's post.
Allan Reeling

Further to the above, I'm also wondering what everyone thinks about replacing the foam. Both the seats and the squabs "look" fine, but after all, are 42 years old. The thickness of each foam piece is comparable to its counterpart, although the driver's side seat is about an inch thinner, obviously from compression over the years. Whilst I could have that piece filled a bit, I'm sure it would be wiser to go for new foam specially made up by the usual providers - BUT - does anyone have a view as to the quality/longevity of the modern reproductions? My originals have the date stamp visible, so I'm confident they are the originals. Thanks for your thoughts ... John.
J P Hall

I got all new including foam & it was just as well, the foam looked fine but collapsed into pieces the moment the tension of the seat covers was removed. I was finding bits of foam for weeks. The new covers will certainly compress the new foam squab, so I wouldn't be overly concerned with height,and after sitting in for a while I found the squabs do settle.


Pat Gregory

I've reused my 42 year-old foams twice now. I've sat in a car with new foams and ended up significantly higher, thighs brushing the wheel and head against the Webasto surround - very uncomfortable. If you find you have to fit new I recommend a test sit in the car. Most people find they have to cut an inch or so off the bottom. If you keep it you can always refit it later.

As far as the backs go I've always felt the centre of my back wasn't supported as much as I would like, so I put some gaffer tape round the frame - foam on top, card behind, and that's made a big difference.


Paul Hunt

Agree completely re. using new foams, thanks for the feedback. So far, no joy from MGBHive - they apparently don't post to Australia; also having trouble with the Moss and Leacy websites; might have to try ringing them up and speaking to a real person! In which case I'll also try PJM, as they seem to have impressed others. Regards, John.
J P Hall

End result: settled on new correct covers from MGOC; As I'm also replacing the backing boards,will look into Paul's suggestion for augmenting the back support. We're also going to build in a little bit more lumbar support to the back foams; local upholsterer has confirmed that the 43-year-old foams are in perfect condition (retained their spring, etc) except for the outer bolster on each seat, which he will replace. Very cost-effective! (Note: the foams themselves are cheap out of England, but the 100 pounds PLUS in postage made it ridiculous.)

Hope this is of interest to others. Kind regards, John Hall.
J P Hall

John,

We sourced our kit from The Roadster Factory (TR-First) here in the States, and they are good quality. Very nice carpet sets as well.

http://trf.zeni.net/MGB-GC/232.php

Regards,

Larry C.
Larry C '74 B/GT

This thread was discussed between 05/10/2015 and 24/10/2015

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