Headrest slide

[mgbcca]

Here's another one. My '75 MGB has headrests that are supposed to slide up and down in the seat back. Unfortunately, the one on the driver's side does not stay where it is put. There is some kind of friction device inside the sleeve that the headrest support slides in, but there is no pressure on the one on the driver's side. I would guess that there is someting spring-loaded down there and the spring has broken or shifted.

Here's the question. Is there any way to fix this without taking the seat apart?

 

[tony barnhill]

Pretty much: NO...you can try to get the spring out & replace but its a weird shaped piece of metal...I'm suprised any of the old headrests on anybody's cars still work!

 

[mgbcca]

That's what I expected. It sounds like a winter project.

Thanks anyway

 

[Mark Beiser]

Solution: Get an older MGB!

 

[Guest]

If my memory serves me right, it is a piece of flat spring steel maybe 1/8 or 3/16 wide that is coiled up into a spring about 1/4" in diameter and maybe 2 1/2"long that is put through a hole so that the post from the headrest will scrape by it compressing the spring sideways. It is held in there with a piece of tape so that when the head rest is out it won't fall into the inside of your seat.
I have some pictures of the inside of my seats but not the spring. But you can get an idea where it is if you would like to have them. Email me at bobmrbassman@aol.com
Bob

 

[Bruce74B]

I was hoping someone had a simple answer to this one...I have the sam problem AND a seat that won't rake (recline) right. I bought leather for the seats and plan to pull them out this winter and install the leather. I thought that I would be able to fix the headrests and the rake adjustments...PA winters are cold and long so I will have plenty of time to figure it out in January, so expect more info on this tread to come

Bruce

 

[Guest]

I just looked in both of my catalogs and the spring isn't listed.
One of mine was broken in half and the two halves of the spring fell out while I was trying to put mine back together while replacing the covers. You know, when the new top cover was on and I was trying to put the headrest in the spring falls out. Of course, I had to take the cover back off.
I replaced the piece of tape, put there by the factory, with a blob of silicon rubber in each end of the hole and that held both halves in there. (There is also a hole in the middle when the headrest is out that they fall through) The tape would be fine if the spring remained in one piece.

 

[tony barnhill]

You'll probably have to go with a used part....

 

[mgbcca]

Thanks for all the advice. Definitely a job for the winter.