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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Arie De Best - MGF Seats

Arie
Just got myself some MGF seats for my 1500. Looking through the archives, I decided to adopt your method of two straps welded to the seat rails, with the front raised, thereby utilising the existing holes.
Is the rear strip a specific distance from the back edge of the seat rail, assuming the holes in the metal strip are central.
PS anyones input is welcome
Regards
Nigel
Nigel Axtell

Until Arie comes along, can you explain a bit more what you mean?

This is what I did to mine.


Lawrence Slater

Lawrence
Looking at your picture, I assume that the top is the seat back. What is the distance from the top of the seat runner to the centre line of the hole on the bracket.
Looking at the picture of Aries, the strip/bracket is closer to the back of the seat rail
Hope that explains it a bit clearer



Nigel Axtell

Unfortunately the seats are bolted in the car now, and I didn't record the measurements. But you can work it out from here.

I left the original front feet on the seat runners. The YELLOW dots are the centre of the holes in the original front feet.

The RED circles, are the exact hole positions of the existing seat mounting holes in the midget floor. So as you can see, I just extended them inwards to enable me to bolt through to the original seat mountings.

Thus. On the Midget floor pan, measure from the centre of the front mounting hole, back to the centre of the rear mounting hole.

Take that measurement and measure from the YELLOW dot, back along the MGF seat runner, and that is where I welded the extension piece and drilled the RED hole. Repeat on the other side.

The WHITE cross hatch. I cut this length off both sides. The reason will show in my next picture. NOTE NOTE NOTE!!!!

Cutting off the rear end of the runner, !!!!!ALLOWS THE BALL BEARINGS IN THE RUNNER MECHANISM TO FALL OUT.!!!!!!

SO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T UPEND THE SEAT UNTIL YOU WELD A PLATE OVER THE END!!!!


Lawrence Slater

"Cutting off the rear end of the runner, !!!!!ALLOWS THE BALL BEARINGS IN THE RUNNER MECHANISM TO FALL OUT.!!!!!!"

How did you discover that? ;o)
Dave O'Neill 2

When I got my Midget, the rear of the floor pan had a large split in it. That was caused by the original Midget seat not being bolted down properly, and the seat tilted, allowing the runner to dig into the floor pan. The load wasn't spread.

In this picture of the MGF seat, with the seat hiked up at the front, at the same level as the existing foot, and with the original **rear** MGF feet cut off, you can see that the seat runner digs into the floor, and the load of the sitter and seat isn't spread to well.

ALSO. Using the front foot to align with the existing Midget floor pan seat bolt hole, meant that the MGF seat runner was hitting the rear of the foor pan upright, and I couldn't quite get the seat into position.

So I cut off the rear of the runner. AND WELDED UP THE END TO STOP MY BALLS FALLING OUT. ;).

Yup. I had to hunt for my balls Dave. LOL.




Lawrence Slater

Actually, I should correct that. I didn't weld a plate over the end. If you do that, you can't run the seat forwards properly, because the inner part of the runner, hits the plate.

What I did was to reinstate the *crimp* that was on the end of the runner that I cut off.

It's that crimp, that keeps the balls in.

See here in this pic before I cut the end off. Red arrow points at the crimp.

I welded a blob at the inside ends. And to this day, my balls are still in place. :).


Lawrence Slater

Here's where I welded blobs.


Lawrence Slater

Lawrence
I see what you have done by using the front as the reference point & measuring back. I think looking in the archives, some have cut the front feet off, the brackets/strip are then set back further, this then probably negates cutting the back end of the runners. I think that's what Arie has done. So when the front feet are cut off you have no reference point so to speak.
Nigel Axtell

Yep, I guess. But I wanted the front elevated, so why not use the existing feet to do it? They seem to be the perfect height at the front.
Lawrence Slater

If it were me...

Id combine both lawerance and nigels 1st photos posted

Both the best of both worlds, ease, durability and strength.

Prop

Prop and the Blackhole Midget

I didn't do any cutting of the runners, or any welding on of different brackets etc.

At the back, I bolted through the runners direct into the floor, using the rearmost slot in the bottom of the runner. The inner runner lined up with the existing floor channel. For the other I drilled the floor and used large (2")washers above and below the floor pan to spread the load.

At the front I just kept the two runner "feet" and bolted through those into the floor. I blanked off the 2 redundant floor holes with rubber plugs. Why make life complicated?

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but you need to swap the seats over, left for right and vice-versa.
Guy W

I, however, threw away all of the adjuster stuff. The seats bolt straight to the floor, with some brackets that run side to side, about 2 inches higher at the front. I'll see if I can find a pic, but will be taking the seats out soon so can take more pics then.
Rob Armstrong

I wanted to keep the floor virgin, in respect of holes, since I'm going to take the MGF seats out and put Midget seats back in again when I sell it. The MGF seats will go in my Sprite.

Although that might change if I can get a decent pair of black leather -- cheap -- for the Sprite.
Lawrence Slater

I cut the rear legs off the TF seats I had and welded two flat bars across. By positioning them carefully you can drill through and use the existing seat mounting holes in the floor. The rear bar is flat, the front one is raised by about an inch. See photo.



Mike Howlett

So how much better are MGF seats than Midget originals?
I ask because mine need new foam bases and am wondering whether used MGF seats are a better bet?
Jeremy Tickle

I've got MGF seats and find them so comfortable. We spent 10 days last year in France including visiting Le Mans Classic. The trip back was over 12 hours driving with a 5 hour rest on the boat at about half way. Absolutely no ache's or pains on the whole journey, and I'm no spring chicken.

The seats hold you very securely and it definitely feels faster. You feel more in tune with the car.

I've got a roll over bar and will be removing it this year. The seatbelt keeps getting trapped between the bar and seat back. It also prevents the backrest going back enough so my seat is more upright than I would like.

MG TF seats are slightly narrower but higher at the back.

Thoroughly recommended.

Rob
Rob aka MG Moneypit

I went from tired Midget seats to X1-9 seats to mgtf seats, each an improvement over the previous.

I've just managed to fit a bar in, have to cut the back legs down a bit to get it in.

Mine are mounted exactly as Mike's are, but with the exception that I've got no runners in at all, and let the seat base out slightly to get even lower.

Multiple trips of 2+ hours dispatched easily. Biggest one was 7 hours in one go, and still fine. They are really good. Much more bucketty and low. Driving a standard one now feels like I'm sat on top of it (and I can't steer cos my leg hits the wheel...
Rob Armstrong

Thanks Rob & Rob, looks like a resounding win to MGF seats then.
Time to look out a pair on fleabay.
Jeremy Tickle

" -- and let the seat base out slightly to get even lower."

Note that. You do seem to sit *ON* them, rather than in them.
Lawrence Slater

Ah Mike, great picture, that's exactly what I want to do. I notice you've left the front feet on.
Nigel Axtell

Jeremy - I have a pair I converted to use on the midget but ended up not fitting them. They're in very good condition and show little signs of wear.I'd be happy to sell them and arrange a courier if you want to make an offer?

graeme


graeme jackson

Graeme

I dont know why, but that photo made me laugh

Great photo

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

This thread was discussed between 18/03/2015 and 24/03/2015

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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