[Healeys] headrest

[Bruce Steele]

I agree with Perry.  Unless your wife is VERY short, a headrest mounted to the seat back will have to be (rough guess) a foot above the top of the seat to be at head level.  There’s a reason you never see that in a modern car; the physics of mounting it that high, assuming the legs are even long enough, are not in your favor to provide any sort of protection—it’s simply too long a lever.  And, as Perry notes, the seat back structure is insubstantial; it’s just a concave piece of sheet metal.  There is no top bar you can drill through as in the video.  

 

Your idea of captive nuts welded onto the seat backs suggests that the whole mounting apparatus would be external to the upholstery.  Again, given the lever effect, and the metal substructure, I would be very concerned that the whole assembly would be, again to use Perry’s term, flimsy.  The only option I can see that would have some structural integrity is to weld tubes onto the back of the seat backs, which would require a completely reupholstering the backs.  

 

If you want headrests, and a more comfortable seat to boot, I’d think it would be a whole lot easier to just replace the seats with ones from a Mazda Miata.  If I recall correctly, Al Fuller did this in one of his Healeys.

 

 

Bruce Steele

Brea, CA

1960 BN7

 

From: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Perry via Healeys
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2019 2:53 PM
To: healeylist <Healeys at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Healeys] headrest

 

Skip

There is next to no substantial structure to support the headrest, especially in a collision situation.  The seat backs are, well you know how strong they are. Lets just say, flimsy.  Maybe a properly constructed and mounted roll bar with a head rest pad would be more appropriate. 

This has its own issues, good and bad, in an accident. 

Perry

 

Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986>  for Windows 10

 

From: skip saunders <mailto:tfsbj7 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2019 5:35 PM
To: healeylist <mailto:Healeys at autox.team.net> 
Subject: [Healeys] headrest

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on buying parts at a discount.   

 

I’ve another question: Has anyone installed headrests in the Healey 3000?.   I’ve a BJ8, my wife would like headrests.    Is there a kit suitable for adding headrests to Healey seats?.... I’m tempted by this arrangement:

 

https://www.extremeterrain.com/corbeau-baja-bench-seat-headrest-black-vinyl-8717-yj-tj-jk.html?utm_content=XT%20Interior%20-%20Seats%7CCorbeau <https://www.extremeterrain.com/corbeau-baja-bench-seat-headrest-black-vinyl-8717-yj-tj-jk.html?utm_content=XT%20Interior%20-%20Seats%7CCorbeau&T5_Var4=J109565&intl=0&utm_campaign=XTW+Wrangler+No+Vehicle+High&dialogtech=ppc&utm_source=google-pla&utm_medium=shopping&T5_Var2=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5MLrBRClARIsAPG0WGwlfZ3zqANKdQb6Xo6n_5IXMBi_Z_NlIHm-bgnpKF8qYkvh2f1ghDsaAoozEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds> &T5_Var4=J109565&intl=0&utm_campaign=XTW+Wrangler+No+Vehicle+High&dialogtech=ppc&utm_source=google-pla&utm_medium=shopping&T5_Var2=shopping&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5MLrBRClARIsAPG0WGwlfZ3zqANKdQb6Xo6n_5IXMBi_Z_NlIHm-bgnpKF8qYkvh2f1ghDsaAoozEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

using guide tubes such as used in this video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq91ZpOVvEY

 

and perhaps using this bracket (or similar home-brew) to establish strength for the bottom of the headrests:

 

https://www.npdlink.com/product/bracket-accessory-sport-seat-headrest-to-fit-on/105113/200167

 

 

My thoughts involve welding captured nuts into the existing metal seat back frame.  Then fabricating a bracket assembly that can be mounted to the seat back into the captured nuts….and have the whole headrest attachment something that can be added/removed as the mood fits the situation…

 

Anyone else have other ideas?....better ideas?.... actual experience?

 

Thanks

-skip-

 

 

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