Seats

macloft · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007, 05:59 AM

Anybody know of, or have, MX5 or RX7 seats for sale (at a reasonable (?) price). I need some seats to fit my Harrison. At least a drivers seat so I can set up the pedals, steering column, dash etc. I live in Brisbane.
Thanks

400TT · #2 (**permalink**) 06-03-2007, 04:16 PM

These are getting hard to find now.

MX5 seats have never really been available from wreckers. You would think that there are enough MX5's around for them to turn up at the wreckers. The main source was Jap Importers. Have you called them all? Back in the days when we discovered them, they were cheap and abundant at importers, but Cobra owners have since made them scarce.

Another good source for seats a while back was MX5 club up here. There was a few available gathering dust at members houses.

Also remember with MX5 seats that you need to fit the drivers seat to passengers side and vice versa.

I never chased RX7 seats, but following the rules above should source them.

RX7 seats are a bit wider and I expect the side bolsters will push against the tunnel etc, making them a bit uncomfortable. I know our Prez, Warren got his RX7 seats in his DRB upholstered and got the side cut down a little to solve this problem. Don't the RX7 seats have harness holes, just can't quite remember.

You can always think outside the square. Try to find another small sports car that would have suitable seats. That's how we found the MX5 seats. Lotus Elise maybe?

stephen low · #3 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 02:41 AM

Not sure how well designed the Harrison cockpit is but on the GF even a stock MX5 seat fits just. If you forgoe tils adjustment you might get a tad more space to manouvre but then what's the point of using the seat.

Narrowed my MX5 seats by 50mm to get them in and the fit is ok for me but someone with longer legs will struggle. I think there are pics in my gallery of the narrowed base.

Best advice I got after the seat purchase was to find a seat style small enough but made up in a way that would allow refabrication. Else you buy the std. fixed back small buckets on offer by a few of the kit crews. Just make sure they are ADR compliant and include a compliant headrest!

Cheers

macloft · #4 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 04:02 AM

Hi Craig
Why does the passenger seat get used as the drivers seat. I have today found an Importer in Brisbane that has MX5 seats.

My wife wants to drive and she is short (keep all the receipts up on the top shelf) so I need to be able to adjust the seat.

Stephen there is not a picture in your gallery showing a narrowed seat base.
Thanks guys

400TT · #5 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macloft

Hi Craig
Why does the passenger seat get used as the drivers seat. I have today found an Importer in Brisbane that has MX5 seats.

Both seats slide so no problems there. They just fit better the other way around with tilt etc. When you get them, it will be obvious. Plus you get the nice bonus of the better condition(less used) passenger seat being put into the drivers side.

MX5 seats are a nice way to go. It's great having seats that slide, recline and even flop forward for access behind/under the seat.

In a Harrison you can fit MX5 seats in with no modifications, even get them to slide forward enough for partners.

RX7 seats will need side bolsters modified to fit properly and I expect it would be difficult to get them to slide any reasonable distance.

Oops, hang on, Harrison now have wider tunnel, don't expect that would cause problems with the seat...is yours late enough to have the wide tunnel?

stephen low · #6 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 06:51 AM

Macloft

Now have pics. of one of my modified seats in my gallery.

Have a close look at the seat pan, in the mx5 the three large holes you see are actually six in a std. seat, ie I cut the pans and overlapped these holes. This narrowed each seat by some 50mm. You can see the tack welds along the join between upper and lower pans and this is repeated on the other side so it wont break.

There is also a pic. showing the trimmed narrowed seat in the car and a good shot out of the car to indicate that the seat just looks like the normal mx5 seat. This point is important as strictly I have now altered the seats from design and they should be tested to proved they still meet the ADRs.

Craig is right in that positioning the tilt towards the tunnel actually gives you some room to position the seat better. The GF has a quirky floor plan and wierd rear wall and rear guard shape all of which interfere with the fit. I even refibreglassed parts of both guards to maximise fitting room.

Your kit might be better.

Cheers

400TT · #7 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephen low

This point is important as strictly I have now altered the seats from design and they should be tested to proved they still meet the ADRs.

I know Don from Snake Bite knows all about ADR seat testing. From what I have heard it's not hard to get approval and not expensive either.

stephen low · #8 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 07:06 AM

So do I - don't tell the engineer!!!

That's why I was keen on using a good trimmer to simply shrink and replicate the original look of the seats.

Use of a tape measure or looking at the base would tell someone that knew what they were looking at. I don't plan on unbolting seats so engineer shouldn't be the wiser. But now I know, Doug's a fall back option if needed!!

Cheers

Churchy · #9 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 04:36 PM

Hey Macloft,

It may not help much, but there is a company in Sydney called MX5 mania, they are up Hornsby way (Northern suburbs). They seem to know everything and everybody in the MX5 world and may be able to point you in the right direction for someone in Brisbane. I got my seats form there at a really good price.

Sorry but I don't know the phone number.

Cheers

Luke Gillett · #10 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 04:51 PM

Hi Churchy,
Out of curiosity, how well do the MX5 seats fit into the CR body??

I've got a couple of seats already and in order to push them back as far as possible, I will need to cut a small section out of the rear wheel arch where it comes into the cockpit. Would this still be the case with the MX5 seats?

Being 6ft2 I'm keen to get as much leg room as possbile

Luke....

Churchy · #11 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 08:08 PM

Hi Luke,

Arrr , the seat fitting. One other CR owner told me all about the MX5 seats. Basically you put the passenger side seat in the drivers side and vica versa. It enables you to gain extra movement on the rails, it also allows you to mount the seats closer to the gearbox tunnel and this gets more room at the wheel arch. I am building the car with a mate and he is 6' 1" and I'm 4" 22"

, so we need to adjust driving positions.

In the mock up so far (the drivers side nutsert came out). We get heaps of adjustment and it seems (just sitting making broom broom noises) that it will be OK for us both. I have some pictures in my gallery and these give a bit of an idea. I can take more if you wish.

400TT · #12 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luke Gillett

I've got a couple of seats already and in order to push them back as far as possible, I will need to cut a small section out of the rear wheel arch where it comes into the cockpit. Would this still be the case with the MX5 seats?

How tall are you?

The base section at the rear of the MX5 seat is recessed in further than the back(upright) section. So from the rear they angle up nicely from the base to the top. I know this profile enabled us push the seat back further than we would have been able to normally. Don't know how the CR cockpit looks, but this profile certainly helped in a Harrison. We also did a cut & shut job on the rear wall in our Harrison to get the seat back to the stage where it basically fouls on the rear cockpit rolled edge of the body. We did this for my brother who is over 6'. I'm only 5'10" and would have had no problems fitting without the rear wall modifications.