Mazda MX5 Seats in the MGB GT
Hello,
Has anyone ever driven or sat in an MGB GT fitted with Mazda MX5 seats?
I'm considering fitting these seats to my LE GT but i'm concerned about the legroom under the steering wheel with me being so tall.
The main reason for changing the seats is that, as far as i'm aware, the original 'deck-chair' replacement seat covers are no longer available, NOS covers are probably extinct by now and it's very rare that decent 2nd hand seats crop up for sale. As my seats are in reasonable condition I thought it would be a good idea to preserve them in case I want to restore the car to original factory spec in the future.
Also the MX5 seats will be more comfortable, offer more lateral support, can be fitted without modifying anything on the car and can be purchased quite cheaply. It's just the legroom that concerns me.
I did put BMW seats in my Jubilee & I am 6'1".
Karens old seats were getting knackered so I had them re furbished. They cost a bit but they are more comfortable than my sofa
Thanks for your response Bob. Which BMW model did you source the seats from and were they an easy fit?
I wonder if i'm being a bit over cautious about preserving the original seats - from what I can see sensible upgrades seem to enhance the value of MGB's over originality.
I got them from one of the smaller types of BMW off Ebay. They were quite firm & wider than an MG seat. They were easy to fit but I had to drill two holes at the rear of the runners though.
http://www.pjm-motors.com did Karens seats. £600 but worth it for the sake of my bum.
I kept the original seats from my UK-LE roadster and bought in the UK a set of MGB seats with leather upholstery new from a supplier, the origals I stored in a box.
Second for another B I was lookignfor Mazda MX5 Mk1 seats, those fits best with some mods., in the US you can buy an undercarriage so they will fit in the standard holes in the bottem of the car and can slide. I advise you to do a check/research on the american forum MG Experience (free) and do some seaches on that one, a lot of B's with MX5/Miata seats in the US.
I'm active on that forum also for many years under the same handle as onhere.
Thanks Rob, you're right - there's lots of information on the American forums. I've found the company that makes the adapter plates, it is:- http://www.crateparts.com/mgbseatkits.html
And thanks again Bob, I would love to get the seats refurbished by PJM but I simply can't afford it at the moment.
Having looked at some Mk I MX-5 seats yesterday I think they will be perfect and I reckon they will sit slightly lower than the standard seats so i'll have a bit more legroom under the steering wheel. The later 'Tombstone' seats have speakers in the headrests, so if I opt for those ones I might even be able to listen to music at speeds above 50 mph!
Now starts the fun of trying to source some decent seats at a reasonable price.
Hi, good you found the weblink to that provider, I had it for years, but lost it when my daughter used my computer only once, If you check the "intructions" on that website you see that they recommend the so called NA model seats. I know the long ones with the speakers (had a mazda miata a few years back) but I would go for the older ones upto 1998. I thought I once read somewhere that the left seat goes on the right side v.v. but not sure about that.
The undercirriage set costs USD 140.00 + sending, what about import duties/taxes/VAT ?
I live in Holland andwould pay probably about UKP 50 to the tax people on top of that.
Thanks again Rob, I think you're right - the earlier seats with the separate headrests would look best.
I've also read about swapping the seats side for side, apparently they fit better if you swap them round but it's not essential.
The undercarriage sets are rather expensive when you add on the import duties so I'll probably have a go at fabricating my own in the first instance. If not I might do a drawing and see how much it would cost to get them laser cut in the UK.
Cheers - Ross
Yesterday I was bidding on a local website for a set NA seats in black leather incl. original undercarriage in perfect condition, it went for over Euro 400,00.
I was not near my laptop in the afternoon so I missed it, in case I wanted to go that high anyway.
Here NA seats are getting hard to get, most sets are re-upholstered and sold with new leather for around Euro 700,00 but you have to turn-in an old useable set.
So with that information it will be more expensive as I want to spent.
Might be that recovering old original MGB seats end up cheaper as Mazada seats + US undercarriage.
And I guess original MGB seats are hight appriciated when you sell your car lateron.
well now.... I have fitted Mk1 MX5 seats (with integral headrests with speakers) and they are great. Comfy, supportive and no issues getting under the steering wheel and I ma best part of 6' Will try and get some photos posted or if you are down Kent way come take a look...