Bob,
I have taken the following from an article we wrote for MGB Driver.
I have left in portions on replacing the seat diaphrams, because as noted by
others, this makes a tremendous difference in the height at which one sits.
We have done the rail adjustment in several Bs and it works fine. It may
sound complicated, but it allows you to move the position of the rails
without drilling new holes in the floor, which is important for us because
we drive our Bs (except for the 74 1/2 GT) year round.
If you both drive the car, it will help if your wife gets in the
habit of sliding the seat back when she gets out of the car- in our case,
Jake is rudely surprised when getting into the car if I do not remember to
do this.
Ann
>From MGB Driver, March/April 1999 (Vol 9 No 2) pp 42-43-
If one of the drivers is shorter than the seat accommodates, push the seat
all the way forward and find out why it cannot be moved further. In our
case, the front inside corner of the driver's seat hit the gearbox tunnel,
and no amount of shoving would move the seat closer to the steering wheel.
Try to estimate how much the seat rails must be moved to the outside to get
adequate travel on the front-and-back sliding adjustment.
Now unbolt the seats: One of the big tricks to unbolting the seats, one we
learned at a technical session, is to push the seat forward to unscrew the
rear mounting bolts, remove the square stop block from the outside rail,
then push the seat backward all the way to get ready access to the front
bolts. Remove the handle for the seat back adjuster, if fitted. Unbolt the
back from the seat. Strip the old upholstery and foam from the frames. The
headrest will release itself if pulled sharply. Check the upholstery clips
and repaint them as necessary. Buy new upholstery clips if they are
weakened from rust. Lubricate the moving parts of the seat back.
Fit a new seat diaphram by clamping the seat bottom frame in a heavy vise.
Pulling the hooks into place is very difficult, so wear safety glasses in
case a hook slips. And check the area behind you so that you will not fall
on the harpoon that was part of your Captain Ahab costume at Halloween in
case your Visegrips slip. Replace the seat foam, and build up the sides
and front of the seat bottom with inch-thick foam purchased at a fabric
shop. This costs about a dollar a square foot, and three square feet will
do both seat bottoms. Repair and replace the used upholstery.
Alternatively, fit new upholstery, remembering that leather is less
expensive than vinyl if you plan to put over a hundred thousand miles on the
car. Or invest in the leather upholstery if you need another reason to
drive your MGB a lot. Bolt the seat backs to the respective seat bottoms.
Run the seat mounting rails over a wire wheel to get the rust off. Assuming
you want to move the seat forward a large amount, drill 17/64 inch holes 3
and 3/8 inches behind the hole at the rear of each seat mounting rail.
Locate a 1/4 inch fender washer 3 and 3/8 inches behind the front holes, and
weld it by the edge so the front mounting hole moves the mounting slides 5/8
inch toward the outside of the car. Lubricate the seat mounting rails with
white lithium grease, and bolt the seats into place. Now the seats will
slide farther front before hitting the gearbox tunnel. If you do not have
access to a welder, adequate brackets could be made from hardware store flat
steel stock, and bolted into place. While it would be simpler to bore a new
set of holes in the floor panel, it is worth remembering that there is a way
to change the seat position without assisting the natural rusting process.
The whole process is worth the effort the first time you drive a long
distance. Your thighs, if you are a taller person, will not get painful and
then numb. Shorter drivers will appreciate being able to completely
disengage the clutch without stretching and straining, not to mention being
able to look over the steering wheel rather than under it.
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