MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

TR parts and Triumph parts, TR bits, Triumph Car Spares and accessories are available for TR2, TR3, TR3A, TR4, TR4A, TR5, TR6, TR7, TR8, Spitfire and Stag and other TR models are available from British car spares and parts company LBCarCo.

Triumph TR6 - leg room

I'm looking at a '70 TR6 but cant get the seat back far enough to comfortably fit in. Any suggestions for modifications for six footers? On the car I mean.
Joe Fortin

Joe,
TR6's have just about the best leg room of any British
sports car, however there is a good chance that 33 years have frozen the seat slider. If the owner will
let you pull forward the black handle on the door side of the drivers seat, this pivots the seat forward so
you are looking at the sliders. Give them a good shot of WD40 or other penetrating fluid. Release the slider
catch and move the seat back and forth until you are sure you have reached the full movement.
With the slider working properly the back of the seat
should be within 2-3inches of the rear bulkhead.
There are lots of tall guys in our Triumph club and
I've never heard them mention lack of leg room.
Good luck
Christopher Trace

Joe,
Have a look and see if you have seat belt reels mounted where the original lap belt mounted.
I installed a set of retracting seat belts and had the same problem. I asked on this site and someone told me to install the reel up on the rear deck/wheel arch. I did, and now my seat will go all the way back and my knees are below the bottom of the dash.
Joe Justice
Joe Justice

Hi Joe,
My sliders were all seized up and would not go all the way back when I got my TR..I took them apart and cleand,painted and oiled them and the went back about another 2". I'm 6' 2" and have no problem driving the car, though I would have added another inch or so if I was designing the TR6 !
Charlie
Charlie Ballard

Thanks for your input. The track seems to slide back to a full stop but the back of the seat is at least 8 inches from the rear bulkhead. The release lever also bumps into the frront of the rear wheel well. The current owner has had the seats recovered. Could this be the problem? Would anybody recommend repositioning the seat tracks further back? Again I want to thank you for your timely replies, I have another two days to decide whether I should buy this car knowing that somhow I'll be able to modify the seat.
Joe Fortin

As a verticaly challenged person of 5'11". I only use about 2/3rds back. Check the sliders?

Charlie may be modest? I think he takes up more than 6'2" at least with his size 13 sneakers on :)

Joe Justice could you elaborate a bit more on the reel problem? They should mount as original to be legal? Don't get me wrong. Not unsafe. just trying to keep pace with all the neat little rules of engagement with the gendarms.

Bill



Bill Brayford

Bill and Joe J.
I think it was me Joe that said mount the real on the back shelf. With it mounted on the floor the seat has limited rear travel. It is not a problem with operation and safety when the real is mounted on the shelf. I may be wrong but I think this is how it is suppose to be anyway.
Bill lapbelt unroles from real, up to wheel arch top ,through a swivel loop, across shoulder, to belt lock beside tranny tunnel, across lap to bolt at bottom of B post.
Joe F, recovering the seat will make no difference in travel. There is posibility that the rear catch plate is located to far forward preventing the seat from sliding backward (fully). If you can lift (tilt) the seat forward (not slide) without having to push the seat lock lever (black handle) down, then the plate is not adjusted properly (to far forward). It is highly unlikely that the slider is installed incorrectly. I just thought of something...can the L and R sliders be reversed and would this affect full travel?? Being a vertically challenged person, I do not have a problem...BUT maybe the lock plate can be shortened and this would allow the seat to slide further back than even originally intended. Has anyone done this?
Joe F; I would not pass up the car just because of this....it appears that this problem is resolvable.


We all make the assumption that the car has OE seats and seat sliders.

Enjoy
Rick C
Rick Crawford

I think for Rick it pedal extensions that are coveted!
Don K
DON KELLY

Ha Don
Beleive me, those wood blocks helped, but when I found a pair of platform shoes.....WOW!
I am not sitting on the steering wheel anymore!
(Great things come in small packages:)
Rick Crawford

It seems that I once saw this when someone had incorrectly bolted down the sliders to the floor and the bolt heads interfered with the travel. You have to take the little plates off that the tilt mechanism latches to in order to see this. I am 5'11" and have never felt like legroom was a real problem.
w Holtzclaw

Joe,

I just finished restoring the total interior of my TR6. In doing so I decided to move the seats back against the rear bulkhead and create 10 cm (4 ") additional leg room. I am 1.85 m tall and experienced lack of room near de central dash mount.

I purshased seats with a slightly smaller but better profiled back (Moss catalogue). By re-shaping (denting au !) the inner rear wheel arcs the back of the seats will move right against the rear bulkhead.

I still have to look for an other way to bolt down the center lower safty belt catch, the seat runners are in the way.

I can mail you a picture if you like.

kind regards,
Erik
E. Creyghton

Poor you. I had to put blocks on the pedals so I could reach them. Not to mention the numerous cushions. My heart bleeds.
BC
Bryn

In the search for more legroom, I swapped out the stock TR6 steering wheel for a 13-inch one with a fat padded grip and half-inch dish. The difference in right leg freedom is great, as is the more responsive steering. Highly recommended change for those wanting to travel longer distances without suffering the dreaded pain-in-the-knee syndrome.

Rick O.
Steering like a Disneyland cart
Rick Orthen

This thread was discussed between 06/05/2003 and 16/06/2003

Triumph TR6 index