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Rodney Collins
United Kingdom
424 Posts |
 Posted - 06/07/2007 : 09:32:31
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Seeing a topic on bucket seat made me think, when I bought my PA from BW it had bucket seats, I did not drive it very far with the bucket seats as it proved to be leathal on the road. One long trip was enough Witney to Thetford in Norfolk. Anyway what I found with the bucket seats was lack of movement back to front, when they were as far back as possible I was still so close to the steering wheel that it was very difficalt to take tight a bend or turn. When I restored the car I fitted a bench seat ( I gave away the bucket seats, "Doh") which has rake on the back allowing some arm movement. However I am regretting the change as cornering with a bench seat is a combination of keeping the car going in the direction you wish and at the same time keeping yourself in the drivers seat, as going round a fast right hander has the tendency to put you in the passanger seat.
Has anyone found a way of having further rearward movement on bucket seats? As I see it the problem seems to be the fact that the floor has a section that slopes upwards. I did pick up on the previous topic which mentioned puting a block of wood under the front of the seat to give some rake, a bit heath robinson but then I suppose P types are a bit heath robinson. I would like to go back to bucket seats but I will have to find away around the above mentiond problem. Any ideas?
Rodney
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tholden
United Kingdom
1638 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 11:05:16
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Rodney you can only move bucket seats back until they touch the inner rear wheel arch. That is as far as they will go unless you are incredibly thin and have some very narrow seats made ! The point about lifting the front of the seat is that it angles the back and gives you both a little more leg room and a little more support under the thigh by raising the front of the seat squab at the same time. In my view a good pair of bucket seats are far more comfortabel than a bench seat.
The heath robinson arrangement to which you refer is in fact a front support piece with two jointed and angled side members fixed to the floor board upon which the bucket seat is fixed. This arrangement which is used by lots of people does not really show and provides a good solid fixing for the seats. I dont consider it or an MG P type or for that matter any other MG to be heath robinson !
Terry Holden |
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mgptype
United Kingdom
709 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 11:55:47
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Terry
You are spot on about the comfort of bucket seats, I had bench type seats both in the TC and TD and I found I was moving about a lot when cornering. I much prefered the bucket seats that were fitted to all the Austin 7's I owned they were snug and kept you in control. At the moment my bucket seats are being trimmed so I cant comment on fitting them but with sliders fitted I can adjust them easier than the normal peg type fitting. Rodney I was quoted ú900.00 at silverstone to have them trimmed but after ringing many car trimmers I have found a trimmer near Ipswich (Suffolk) who is doing the pair in leather for ú450.00 so if you decide to go with bucket seats I can recommend Steve Gilbert for the frames but shop around for a trimmer as prices varied considerably.
Fred. |
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kimber
United Kingdom
1529 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 13:08:22
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| Rodney, maybe we need to speak as I would prefer a bench seat arrangement in my P-type and currently have buckets. Email me or if you want to phone the no. is 07818 456511. Regds, Andrew. |
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graham holdsworth
United Kingdom
424 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 16:13:54
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Glad to see my original buckets query has been taken up. As I said i've got runners on mine,which is good as my wife needs the seat further forward than me. I may be slow but I could'nt work out Terry's description of blocks. For runners it appears one needs long tapered blocks? Any ideas?
Graham |
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Rodney Collins
United Kingdom
424 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 17:11:52
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Terry made the point that a bucket seat can only go back as far as the wheel arch, has anybody had a bucket seat made with a cutout which allowed the seat to go past the wheel arch. I mean a crescent shape in the side of the seat back.
Rodney |
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Mike
United Kingdom
229 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2007 : 18:03:51
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With a cutout in the bucket seat so that it can go back behind the wheel arch coupled with the cutout for the prop shaft tunnel that changes shape over the diff I would think there will not be much room left for your rear end!
What you need is a four seater body so you can drive sitting in the rear.
M ELLIS |
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Terry Andrews
United Kingdom
546 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2007 : 11:46:53
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Hi Rod,
Terry H and Mike are correct in their comments. I have a picture of the bucket seats that Bob and Chaz Jones have in their L1/2 race car. They have curved them to miss the inner wheel arch and they have a cut-out for the prop tunnel. I have sat in them and they fit my rotund body. I have long legs and short body and the sliders had more adjustment aft than I needed. Email me off line and I will send you some imagesàà which is something we cannot do on this web site.
Regardsà.Terry A
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Bob Stringfield
United Kingdom
854 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 18:04:59
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However did those brave chaps (of both sexes) manage without bucket seats at Brooklands and the like?
If you are moving sideways when cornering then it may be the nature of the seat which is different - stiff foam agaianst accommodating springs, for instance? Mine is fine with a bench, the interchangeable cushions enabling one to be made higher to accommodate the present Mrs. Champ, who is delightfully vertically challenged.
My old Porsche could press one uncomfortably sideways when cornering but I have not found this dynamic level with the PA, despite its competition history, with a bench seat and standard steering wheel. |
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Rodney Collins
United Kingdom
424 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2007 : 10:29:00
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Bob, If you think about it when driving at Brooklands the car were going in an anticlock wise direction (i.e. aways turning left) which is fine because you can brace your right leg againts the side of the car and also your trunk against the door. Try bracing your self when corning fast right! I also think that meny of the cars were fitted with competition seats, i.e. bucket seats.I stand to be corrected on this.
Rodney |
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