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MG MG Y Type - Front Seat Frames and Covers

Hi Again,

I currently have three front seat frames - the pair which were fitted to my car and a spare.
Each one has the seat sliding mechanism catch fitted to the left hand side of the frame.
Mr Lawrence in LTBYs records that this mechanism was fitted to the OUTER leg of each seat.
So it appears that I have three passenger seats - I guess that drivers seats were the first to fail and be scrapped.
Before I start drilling extra holes in my seat frames will someone please confirm that Mr Lawrence is correct.

On a connected subject (and yes I am 'anal')....
I notice that the direction of the pleats in the front seat cover varies.
I have one seat where the pleats are overlapped to the right and two seats where they are overlapped to the left.
I had thought that this 'handing' was intentional but now it seems that I have three passenger seats one would expect them to have the same pleating, and they dont.

Has anyone else noticed this - or should I just get out more.

Regards

Rob
Rob King

Hi Rob

Yes, David Lawrence is 100% correct, and you have 3 left hand seats there.

It is possible that if there was an overlapping handing but as I no longer have any original seats in their original covers I cannot comment on that and will leave that so someone else.

Paul
Paul Barrow

If you look carefully at the frames you will notice that they "lean outwards". Put them in a row and viewed from front or rear the difference will be clear.

When I got Y5888 the seats were switched left and. The top of the backrests almost touched in that configuration. Now that they are in the original position there is the usual space between them.
Willem vd Veer

Thanks Willem, now I know how I got a slip disc all those years ago! Bryan
B Mellem

Thanks Paul and Willem,

Willem if you are right I am not going to be able to use two left handed frames to make a pair.....

I am not in a position to try the
frames in the car (and wont be for some time)

Im glad you brought this to my attention before I spent several hundred pounds on re-upholstery.

Was anyone else aware of this difference between left and right seats? can anyone confirm Willems findings?

Regards

Rob
Rob King

I have heard this but had forgotten it and have never taken the seats out of the car to test the theory or see if it is just Willem's seats.

Anyone else noticed anything?

Paul
Paul Barrow

I don't think it is only my seats.

The seats don't have to be in the car to check the "outward lean"; any flat surface should do.

Whilst checking the pleat direction, I'll try to make a picture of the seats tonight in which it shows (if the seats come out easily that is).
Willem vd Veer

Hi Rob
If you have three frames with the sliding mechanism on the left side you most certainly have three left hand seats as Paul said.
However I have tested Willems theory by switching my original seats from left to right to check for a difference. They do indeed show a difference and lean out slightly at the top, but by a very small amount. Refer to the attached pictures. The distance between the backrests differ only by less than 10 mm. I feel that the difference would not make them unsuitable for conversion from left to right by shifting the slide mechanism to the opposite side.
I suspect (and it's only a theory) that they were not originally made to lean out at the top and that instead the lean is a result of wear over the years. If you take into account that most of the pressure exerted to the seat when one enters the vehicle would be to the outer edge, the possible effect would be to distort the seat frame towards the door. The fact that there is no discerable difference in the height of the seat frame from the floor would support this theory.
With regards to your question regarding the direction of the pleating, my guess is that there is no right or wrong, but for the record my righthand seat is pleated to the left and the left seat is pleated to the right. (Both are original upholstery)
Not sure if I have solved any problems or just muddied the water some more.
Terry
Y2866

T J Ciantar

And another picture
Terry

T J Ciantar

Obviously the outward lean is much more pronounced on my car. I switched the seats last night (will post pictures later) and the difference is huge.

On closer inspection the passenger seat seems to be warped more than the driver seat; I didn't succeed totally to fit the passenger seat on the (RH)driver side because of the warping of the frame.

So judging by my situation and Terry's it does vary and we may conclude that, with a repositioned catch, the frames are interchangeable if straight? Maybe more of us can try 'the switch'?

All the pleats on the original upholstered front and rear seats and backrests are overlapped on the left (that's where they folded the leather).
Willem vd Veer

picture 1 in original position

Willem vd Veer

picture 2 with seats swapped, I did not succeed to fit the passenger seat (on the left in the picture) properly, but it is clear that they are much more together.

Willem vd Veer

As a matter of interest I have checked the pleating on the rear seat cushion and backrest and find that both mirror the direction of the front seat, that is the left side of the rear seat cushion and backrest are pleated to the right and the pleats on the right side of the rear seat are pleated to the left. Was it the choice of the individual Upholsterer or was it just hit or miss. Who knows?
A couple of years ago while on an outing with the Y, I returned to the parked car to find an elderly english tourist showing a lot of interest in the interior of the car. It turns out he was an ex upholsterer who worked in the workshop that produced the seats for the Y Type. He was wondering if these were seets he had actually worked on as he was an employee at the time my car was built. His thouths on the matter would be quite interesting today. Unfortunately I didn't get his details.
T J Ciantar

Hi Terry and Willem,

I am very grateful for the trouble you have both gone to in order to highlight the potential problems of swapping frames about.

I have checked my three frames in various side by side combinations and, with the seat rails set the same distance apart, I can find no more than 10mm difference between the sides of the seat backs.

I suggest that a previous owner of Willem's car was a heavy guy who enjoyed left turns on full lock and at speed ?

Terry, your 'pleat pattern' makes sense and I think I will adopt the same.

Thanks again guys

Rob
Rob King

This thread was discussed between 08/09/2011 and 19/09/2011

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