TR2/3/3A I think I've got the wrong seats. Now what?

Even though I'm still light years away from finishing, I dragged out the seats that came with my 57. I'm thinking they're possibly AH 3000 from the catalog pictures I've seen, or maybe something else. The covers are decent and the pans are good but the TRF leather seat covers I have will never go on. So how can I find some useable proper seats and who might want mine? Are all the tr3 raw seat frames and cushions the same, or is there a 3, 3A, post 60K difference?

I've been trolling Ebay for 2 years for seats. They are few and far between, and many that show up are rusted through.

The TR2 has 2 solid pans with no tilt. The TR3 seat pans have one solid and one with a tilting back. Otherwise the pans are the same throughout the TR2/3 run. They are available new, but be sure to sit down before you check the price!

I believe there was an additional change when the 3A was introduced. The padding in the back of the seat got much thicker and the pattern of the covering changed. I'm pretty sure the frame itself was different as well, at least the SPC shows different part numbers and I remember the curve of the back piece being different. The correct TR3 seats looked more like the TR2 seats (plus the folding frame on the passenger side, of course).

TRF shows the later frames for a little over $300 each. Sounds like you've got the covering, so you would just need to add springs and padding. Unfortunately the springs are another $250 each, and the padding kit (if you want to use the original natural materials) is yet another $350. But you can do a very creditable job with upholstery foam and cotton batting at much lower cost. There's also an article here https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/archive/index.php/t-45274.html that talks about building springs from batting & foam.

Here's a shot from Mark Macy's web site, showing TR3 seats



And another showing a 3A seat

Too Tall Customs post on ebay quite often. They make the entire seat including frames, with foam seat cushion not springs. They look as original and are considerably less than the major suppliers. I bought theirs and sold my frames on ebay and ended up at about the cost of just seat covers. If the concourse judge takes your car apart, they'll find the difference in the seat. Used correct ones do come up on ebay occasionally, but expect to pay 250-350 for them plus shipping and still have another 400-500 to get covers and inners as needed. The added bonus with the new ones is that the foam seat cushion rides better.

Thanks Randall for the pictures. It looks like I might have the correct frames, just the wrong covers. That tuck in the back throws me, not sure I've seen that anywhere, and both seats pivot. But she single piping on the back could be the same. I guess I'll have to strip one and see how the TRF covers fit. KLYKAMP, I've seen the Ebay seats. But another $700? This is getting old. Thanks guys

You have A/H seats! Either Sprite or big Healey. They will sell on ebay. Best bet is to buy the complete seat set on ebay for $800. You can't build a set for that.

Marv

Your frames are definitely not correct for a Triumph.

I may have found some tr3A seats needing new covers (which I have for my 57.) Does anyone know if the frames are different from 3 to 3A? Or is it just the padding that makes the difference?

John is correct. Those are Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite frames. They were also used on the MK Ii Sprite.
Paul

bnw said:

I may have found some tr3A seats needing new covers (which I have for my 57.) Does anyone know if the frames are different from 3 to 3A? Or is it just the padding that makes the difference?

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The frames are different, not just the padding.

One showed up on eBay this morning...passenger side.

apbos said:

John is correct. Those are Austin Healey Bugeye Sprite frames. They were also used on the MK Ii Sprite.
Paul

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It must be the tuck in the seat back that gives it away.

CJD said:

One showed up on eBay this morning...passenger side.

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I see that, thanks. I'm going to strip one of mine down to see the difference.

The way I can tell right off is the bottom pan of the TR seat is almost a perfect semi-circle at the back. The seats in your picture have a more squared back pan with rounded corners. Also, the seat back on the TR's is almost perfectly round...and once again yours have a straight section at the top. You can see these differences when you compare your seats to the one one Ebay.

Now, the way I know the ebay seat is a passenger seat is that only the passenger seat had the tilting seat back. All TR2/3 driver's seats had a rigid back that was welded to the bottom pan.

That's the basics. The problem areas on the TR3 seats is the bolt holes in the pan crack. Then, every time the car is left in the rain with no hood up, the seat pans fill up with water. The pans eventually rust through. The cracks are very fixable. The rust through...not so much.