This message appeared in late March (29th) and I felt I need to add my $.02
worth.
I had looked at this conversion last summer in a futile attempt to squeeze two
adults and three of our kids into a 76 MGB and a 71 TR6 so we could head off to
the Roadster Factory summer party. I found some deals at Carlisle (spring) on
rear seats and thought it would make a great conversion. Reality hit as I
started to layout the rear seat cushion and back in relation to my kids(also
added a roll bar which also made it a little more difficult). I planned on rear
seat belts but when I placed my six year old son or either of my daughters ( 9 &
11) it became painfully clear that this was not a conversion I would make.
The problem is that, with the seat cushion and back in place in the back of the
B, everything fits fine but our roadsters have the rear shelf (it is forward of
the rear bulkhead by about 4 inches) and we need it to attach our soft tops to
it. There is a small padded aluminum trim piece on my 76 that runs from B post
to B post. It doesn't take much in the way of imagination to visualize your
young son, daughter or friend sitting in the back seat, buckled and secure, when
a slight rear end collision occurs. Their back (spine) will hinge @ about the
upper shelf panel and I would imagine cause some serious damage. I've seen
enough crash tests and don't need any first hand experience with my family and
friends.
I had a similar reaction to the last issue of British Car Magazine. In the last
issue they had a one or two page article on adapting the MGB GT seats to a
regular B roadster.
Don't mean to preach doom and gloom, but I thought it was time for a reality
check! I'm new to the MG list but have been active on the British Car and
Triumph List and find them full of invaluable info. Common sense should apply
though.
a reply to the original post
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> Just saw the Tuesday post regarding installing a BGT back seat in a B...
> yes, I'm a little behind! Anyway, just to give my two cents, the
>previous
> owner of my '69 B did the same conversion (see my web page for pic's!)
> Apparently all it required was bolting in the seat back and sliding in
the
> seat bottom (no bolts). The seat bottom stays in place when the car is
> moving, but is easily removable when you need to access the battery
> compartments. It isn't a big hassle at all, IMO, so my advice would be
> to leave the battery where it, rather than move it to the boot, in order
> to conserve boot space.
> A couple of notes:
> 1.I have a removable top; I imagine one would have to remove the
folding top every time the back seat needed to be used by a human.
I imagine THIS would be a hassle!
> 2.With the passenger seat all the way up, leg room in the back is
good.
> 3.I had a 5'7" friend sit in the back seat for a couple of miles.
Because the seat sits rather high, he was looking clear over the
windshield. It might accommodate a 4' kid a little better...
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Thanks
Glenn Franco
email at 76644.2655@compuserve.com or GAF3@infoctr.chrysler.com
1971 TR6 (done, but still working on it)
1974 TR6 (hunting for performance parts like a limited slip)
1976 MGB (done, but still working on it)
1985 Jeep Scrambler (frame off fiberglass body restoration in process)
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