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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fitting MGF seats?

Hi, I am wondering what is the best way for bolting MGF seats in a midget? I asume I use the MGF runners, if so the front is straight forward to bolt in but does anyone have any advice/pictures on how to adapt the rear fixing points?

Thanks
Kevin
K Grice

I used the inner front and inner rear on each seat to bolt directly through the reinforcing channel in the floor, using the same fixing positions as the standard runners. I drilled a new hole for the outer rear fixing, as it is about 1 1/2" wider than the originals. Others have made a little adapter plate but why bother when it takes 30 seconds to drill a new hole and plug the old one with a rubber grommet. You know that you need to swap the seats right for left to give clearance for the rake adjusting knob don't you?

Guy
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

Is it a easy as that?

There's loads of sets on ebay at present, full leather for sub £150.

I must invest in a pair!
K Williams

Right, am I being stupid here, do I need to cut off the existing mounting points on the seat and bolt directly through the runner? Picture of seat runners/mounting points enclosed.
Thanks


K Grice

Kevin,
I left the two lugs at the front as they lift the seat to just the right angle for me. I cut off the lugs at the rear with an angle grinder and then bolted straight through the bottom of the U shaped channel. Yes, its as easy as that! Oh, and I removed the seat belt tensioner as I retain belts attached to the car structure rather than the seats. My full leather ones were under £10. :-)

Guy
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

I've just been fitting a pair to get the welding and drilling out of the way befoe I paint the car. I left the two front brackets in place as per Guy's instructions but after I cut the rear brackets off I welded a strip of 25mm x 5mm steel between the two runners then drilled that to fit the original holes in the floor. Took about an hour and a half to do both seats. They've since been steam cleaned and put up in the loft till they're needed. £100 off ebay. bargain!.

I'll be spraying the cockpit and back end in POR15 tomorrow before I weld the rear wings on. The end (of the bodywork) is almost in sight.

Graeme


graeme jackson

As above, it is that easy. Cut off the back lug and drill some holes.

We had to use an adaptor place as anything that doesn't attach to the original mounting holes needs certification over here. The adaptor bolted to the runner on top of it then we drilled up through the original holes into the adaptor for the attachment to the floor.

But without that constraint it is even easier.

Like Guy, we have found the seat angle is best if the front of the seat is about an inch off the floor (which just happens to be the height of the MGF front bracket)
Paul Walbran

I wanted to use the original seatholes in my midgetfloor.
Like Graeme ive welded a strip of steel on the rear of the runners to connect them.
As teh runners on a mgf are more appart then the original runners i needed a strip to drill the original holes in.

The same at the front, I also welded in a metal strip and cut of the original mgf brackets.
But like Guy and Paul say its important to keep the front atleast 1 inch higher so i did on the replacement bracket/strip.


Arie de Best

That lift in the front of the seat is really important for supporting your legs.
I even had extra padding put in the front of the seat for extra support for my legs.


Arie de Best

The seat now is high enough to let the runners-handle slide over the crosmember so the seat can slide forward as much as possible.
This gives easy exesses to the space behind the seats, flipping the backrest isnt that easy anymore then on the original seats.
Arie de Best

Arie

Does your head clear the roof? :-)
Paul Walbran

Arie,
I hadn't realised that you were using three thicknesses of alluminium packing pieces under the seats. I think that is a bit unnecessary.
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

Be warned, it is not as straight forward to replace Midget seats with MGF ones. Firstly with mine none of the existing mounting holes came close to the mgf's all at least 1.5 inches out, secondly the MGF's inner mounting points miss the reinforcing strip underneath, they fall transmission tunnel side of this strip, and thirdly they don't fit properly with a roll bar. The head rest clears the roll bar but the back of the seat just above either driver or passenger outside shoulder fouls against the upright of the roll bar, this gives an uncomfortable sitting position. To get comfortable you have to have the seat forward to allow the back to be tilted, this then makes entering and exiting the car extremely difficult. The only way around this is to remove the roll bar, allowing the seat to be pushed further back. Needless to say that I have the MGF seats stacked at the back of the garage (money well spent)and I've gone for safety (left the roll bar in) over comfort.

Apologies for the rant.

Kevin
K Grice

Kevin

it depends on the rollbar, ours has MGF seats which go right back and also clear the rollbar (just)

You are right about the alignment of the holes. That's why some drill new ones, others strap the MGF runners and then bolt those to the original holes.

But it is easy.
Paul Walbran

I assume MG TF seats are exactly the same fixings as MGF seats. Is that right?
Mike Howlett

Kevin,
Did you swap the seats over, left for right and right for left? The MGF seats I have slotted in perfectly, and the inner MGF runner aligned exactly onto the floor strengthener. I don't have a roll bar though so that the headrest clearance isn't an issue with mine.

Guy
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

Paul, I have a standard roll bar which bolts to just aove the rear bulk head and then on top of the wheel arch just behind the seatbelt bolt.

Guy, yes I have swapped them over, but there is no chance of them lining up with the floor strengthener, I to can get them to fit nicely without the roll bar in, with a similar alignment to your picture. I have to decide whether I want to go without the roll bar or not.
Thanks
Kevin
K Grice

Here is a photo of our rollbar from the front - it just clears the seats. It is mounted on the ledge at the front of the inner wheel arch, and right up against the side of the cockpit. It allows the seat to be pushed full back and then the back raked quite a bit - at which stage the seat is in firm contact with the rollbar.


Paul Walbran

Paul & Guy LOL!!!

Kevin, i also figured that the rollbar doesnt go with how i have my mgfseats.
But chose for the seats and will go for an addapted/custommade rollbar later on.
Ive been driving 10.000km a year for 12 years now without rollover bar and survived untill today, unless youre going racing I would put in the mgfseats if I where you and worry about the rolloverbar later.
Arie de Best

<<Ive been driving 10.000km a year for 12 years now without rollover bar and survived until today>>

So what happened today then?
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

I ran into an exgirlfriend... there are just no safty devices for that! :)
Arie de Best

In England with a standardish powered Spridget driving only on the roads I don't think a rollover bar is necessary

If anyone feels they need/want one then that's fine

I've done 6-20,000 miles a year in "sports" cars without rollover bars

As always - all in my personal opinion and driving style
Nigel Atkins

Nigel,
I think that roll bars are a totally useless accessory for posers - until you roll over that is.
I don't have one either!

Today I nearly got wiped out by an oncoming BMW who, on a 2 mile dead straight length of the A73, and after following behind another vehicle for some while, then decided to overtake when less than 100 yards from me. I had to do a full 4-wheel smoking tyre emergency stop from, um, quite fast, to avoid what would have been a terminal head-on. I doubt if a roll bar would have helped in any way at all! Incidentally, standard brakes do work well when properly adjusted!

Guy
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

I have never had to enjoy the use of a seat belt or air bag in modern vehicles, however it does not mean they are a waste of time.
Nige I hope you never have to use any safety device on any vehicle, like any PPE it is a last line of defence.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob, t'was a joke.

All safety equipment is useless, until needed. A bit like a spanner really

Guy
Guy Oneandahalf Sprites

My comments were aimed at Nigel, I understood your comments exactly Guy :)
Although I enjoy the look of my roll over bar as well. :)
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

just resurrecting this,
I've been offered a pair of MGF all leather seats for £30, it seems like a bargain

This thread is a bit old so just checking in if anyone had any views on fitting - is it still something you'd recommend (79 1500 BTW)
timmyk

Absolutely, fit them if you are not bothered with originality. The later TF seats are slightly narrower and higher than earlier seats. I fitted earlier F seats and they are very comfortable.
MG Moneypit

Yes, they are easy to fit. One thing, swap them over, driver and passenger sides which gives access to the control knob for the seat back adjuster.
Mine cost £8 something for the pair ( £10 less the loose change found down the seat back!) but that was some years ago.
GuyW

I've got TF seats in my Sprite and they are very comfortable, especially on long distance work. Also my wife, who is very petite can now see over the scuttle. 😂
b higginson

Back in my fading memory somewhere, I think someone had an issue with the MGF seats in a Midget where they created some kind of suck from the higher headrests that bought exhaust fumes into the car--I guess it would depend on the angle/direction of the tailpipe--
just something to keep in mind
willy
William Revit

This thread was discussed between 01/10/2010 and 26/04/2019

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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