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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Seat frame repair

Hi All,

What do we think, is this respirable with a bit of welding?

Drivers seat... Yes I'm a bit covid heavy, which probably contributed to the break.

Stay safe. Mark.




Mark '74 Midget

Hi Mark,
don't feel too bad about excess poundage from lockdowns as the driver's seat is always the weakest as it's always the one that is used.

I know nothing of welding but I'd think about getting the two broken ends circular again so the break lines up well then using some sort of inset (pipe, rolled metal sheet) as an alignment aid and a reinforcer and to spread future stress over a longer bit/area of the frame. You could then weld the frame, or if the insert is strong enough drill and roll pin or screw, or plug weld, both ends to act as a (internal) joiner.

All OTT I'm sure, others will probably say just weld it.

Whilst the seat is out if you want more support and/or sit higher you could also renew or refurb the diaphragm.
Nigel Atkins

Hi Mark,
I did a very similar repair to a friends early MGB seat which is very similar.

I have to agree with Nigel (for once !) it is best to insert a piece of steel bar to reinforce the tube junction.

What I did was strip the seat covering and seperated the back from the base(if possible). Then got the tubes back to as near round as possible and cleaned out with a round file - the tubes did not seem very round to start ISTR and the steel did not look particularly decent stuff.

I machined a steel bar (could just file one to size) to act as a 'slug' to slide up the tubes to join the two pieces together, however I couldn't get the seat tubes to spring open very much without wrecking the seat to get it in - so made it slide up one tube, pull the tubes together and slide it down into position.
ISTR I drilled a hole to allow a screwdriver to lever it back down into postion (which was welded over eventually).

I prepped the tube ends for welding by grinding a small bevel and to ensure the weld penetrated into the slug to make sure it stays in place.
I think without a backing bar the weld would likely break as its a highly stressed area.

In the end his local garage did the welding as my gas bottle was on loan but it worked well and I recovered the seat and refitted - he was well pleased. He sold the car about a year later but no issues reported.

R.
richard b

Yup - easy fix. Seat frames can be pretty highly stressed and breaks like that are not uncommon. I've done several over the years, most recently on a Subaru about three or four years ago.
As others have said an internal reinforcement is ideal. (This used to be called a "foreigner" by the way).
On the Subaru seat that wasn't possible because it fractured through a bend in the tube, so I braced it externally with three carefully shaped webs cut out of 6mm plate.
Either solution is fine.
One thing though - I've never MIG welded one. The Subaru frame was done with MMA, but previously I brazed them with Oxy-Acetylene, for whatever that's worth.
None of them broke again to the best of my knowledge.
Good luck, but worst case scenario would be a replacement, which is unlikely to be too spendy for a used frame.
Greybeard

Grey, haven't heard foreigner for a while now, We used to call them dicks but now they're inserts- the whole bloody world has gone too politically correct
As we say ,if it's metal it'll fix, but Mark if you're going to weld him up ,don't go cooling it out with water or an air hose, just let it cool out on it's own
Cheers
willy

Had your jab yet-----------
William Revit

All, many thanks for the quick replies. The internal diameter looks to about 7/16" so I'll get hold of a short piece to strengthen and help align during welding.

Does anyone know if the seat back foams are really handed? B-hive have lefthand foam on eBay for £45 which may work for me.

I had refurbish both seats not long ago, but the driver's side foam has badly ripped due to the frame failure.

Mark
Mark '74 Midget

It might be worth a call to B-Hive. Their prices seem to be cheaper if you buy direct.
Dave O'Neill 2

Mark,
at those prices I'd repair the foam.

Only yesterday I was helping my wife "reupholster" a footstool and to glued the foam and "batting" to the wood frame I used some stuff that'd been in my shed, that gets too hot in summer and too cold in winter, for many years. I was surprised to find it worked very well except for instantly sticking rather than the 1-3 minutes to become tacky as on the can.

The can was Wickes (other supplies are available) Flooring Spray Adhesive, "for foam backed carpets, underfelt and can be used for spot fixing carpet tiles".

No doubt there's a proper upholstery foam adhesive available too as the new back cushions look like they have bits of foam glued on them.
Nigel Atkins

Thanks again for the replies, I'll have a look at repairing the foam first, most of the problem is with the very thin strip that wraps around the frame on the near side edge. I guess getting in and out causes more wear in that side.
My mistake earlier with the inside diameter, trying to read a Vernier and making the kids breakfast at the same time. It's nearer 7/8".
Mark '74 Midget

Just to close the thread.

As suggested I reinforced with a internal steel tube, then had the break welded up.

Thanks for all the help.

Mark




Mark '74 Midget

Well done Mark, and thanks for reporting back, I don't think you'll need to worry about that issue on that seat again.
Nigel Atkins

Nice job Mark.
Greybeard

This thread was discussed between 27/03/2021 and 20/04/2021

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