MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - seat too high

I was able to replace the webbing and foams on my seat for my gt. I was able to reuse the oringinal covers until finances alow for new. The problem I now have is that being 6'3" and with new seat foams, I find myself bending over to look out of the windshield! Has anyone cut some of the foam pad off of the base cushion with any success? Thanks
Thomas Strombeck

At 6'-2", I'm anticipating the same problem when I get around to redoing my seats. A friend just redid his seats and I have a hell of a time getting in it with the top up. My head's up against the frame. Of course I usually have the top down, but I get enough wise-cracks as it is about my head sticking above the screen. My plan is to use an electric carving knife to remove an inch or two from the bottom of the seat bottom foams.

Good luck.

TTFN
Derek Nicholson

my problem when I first got a mgbgt with shot seats was that I was sitting to low. I'm 5'8". Turned out the webbing was shot and the foam was dropping down. Perhaps you could reweb the seat bottoms to let the foam pad drop down a bit.
Barry
Barry Parkinson

You can always remove the wooden packing strips from underneath the seat runners. THat would save you half an inch. You may want to put something thin in their place to keep the runners flat so the seat adjuster works more easily.
Steve Simmons

Have you considered surgery?
Dan Robinson



Dan, according to all the emails I get, surgery isn't necessary! 8^)


Derek Nicholson

Yes, but if you use their methods, you may have even more trouble getting in the car!
Steve Simmons

A smaller steering wheel leaves enough room.
Derek Nicholson

1) Remove windshield
2) Wear Snoopy goggles

Seriously, also being 5' 8" I had a situation similar to Barry's. Between the shot diaphrams and large diameter steering wheel I was having to look under the steering wheel - ended up making diaphrams from HDP and raising the seat height with allthread and 1/4 - 20 couplings (1/4 - 28 is correct thread, I think).

I'd try lowering the seat rails.
Glenn

I'm just under 5'9" with 7,500 miles on my seats. The top of my head definately sticks up above the windshield. My eyeline is about an inch below the top rail. If I skip a haircut my hair does touch the hood when it's up.
Steve Simmons

Thomas - I had the same problem with the new seat foams that I got from Moss. I took the seats back to the guy that did the upholstry installation and he checked the foam against the old ones take out and found the the new stuff was about 1 inch taller (measured in an area that had not been beat down). He shaved an inch off of the height of the foams and they have been just fine.
Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

I just re-used my old foams with a new diapragm , they looked fine and were fine . I have heard before that the new foams are too deep ,removing some is the fix.
S Best

I also had to shave off about 1".
In the archieves on this subject, I recall someone had a good tip, instead of shaving off the foam, make 1" wide X 1" deep cuts in the bottom, in a sort of checkerboard pattern, maybe about 6-9 cuts, should help the compression...
Robert Dougherty

My seats are well worn and saggy, and I'm scared to renovate them because I sit quite high enough already. The screen on the B really isn't tall enough, but wouldn't look right if it were taller. I know when the RV8 was first tested by journalists on its release over here, everyone complained that although the seats were really nice, they put the driver's eyeline on a level with the top of the screen frame. I think shaving the foam down is the only answer.

Mike
Mike Howlett

I used the checkerboard method described above. It worked well and it's easy to stuff foam back in if you take too much from an area. I think I used a 1.5" hole saw on a drill to speed things. The tighter webbing was also to blame for the increase in height but can be sorted with a couple of links of chain between the frame and the hook.
Steve Postins

This thread was discussed between 11/04/2004 and 13/04/2004

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.