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Heated Seats

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well it is 27 degrees here this morning and might be 29 when i leave for my morning breakfast run...59 100-6 with no heater and not top! I usually just wear windproof and insulated winter motorcycle gear and a toboggan and insulated gloves....no problem with getting cold especially if the sun is shining! oh I do have a sbc chevy but the healey is well insulated and very little heat transfers to the drivers compartment.
 
Hi All,

Heated seats would be nice with a way to also cool the seats in the Summer. I think it could be done but would require adding the heating coil under the cover and punching holes in the cover (and heating cover (not heating wires)) to allow a small blower to push air through the seat. Didn't the "100S" have vented seats? Any ideas?

I plan on installing a reversing circuit to my bilge blower set within the cold air duct that would pull air into the cabin when on the Healey is moving forward and go in reverse, push air out, when stopped at a traffic light. The blower does help as is but not at all when stopped at traffic lights. Also, my Healey heater provides a fantastic amount of heat so wonder if I would need the heated seats with the top down and tonneau cover 3/4 closed and all hot air exiting around the driver.

Just my thoughts,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
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Thanks, to all for your thoughts & input. It's good to hear that some of you have seat heaters in open cars and find them useful.

ASUMHLY, thanks for the Heritage link, I didn't know they installed seat heaters for free if you provide them when they reupholster your seats. There must be some demand for them to include them in the website. I'm still a long way from interior work but I will be checking with them. Also, though I personally have no desire for GPS, your set-up is sweet - I always appreciate 'stealth' installations.

John Turney, One of the reasons for this thread is that I've been wondering the same thing - no where in my previous research had I seen heaters installed in seats like ours and have been wondering how to deal with the wiring for the back as well as how to be able to lift out the bottoms.

HealeyRick, Thanks for the link to Corbeau heaters. They look like the solution I'm looking for. Looks like a two-piece approach is no issue and seems like they will work well (and have good feedback/reputation too). I will be talking to them.

Finally, to any who think I'm simply unfamiliar what to expect from a Healey, let me offer this. I bought my first Healey a couple of days after Christmas in 1969 in Seattle. My first year after high school and I had just worked a ton of overtime during the Christmas rush that gave me enough dough to finally buy a Healey. Paid $450 for a pretty clapped out '56 BN2 but I was in love with it. I picked it up on a Saturday with grey skies and I put the top down and drove over Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg, down the Canyon Road to Yakima, Back over Chinook Pass to Mt. Rainier and then back to Seattle - it was snowing going over both Cascade passes and raining in Seattle when I got back - I never put the top up and had the best drive of my young life. I have been travelling and playing with Healeys since (including over 15 years racing my BN4) and love cold, crisp fall/winter days for a brisk ride. I've been working on resurrecting this BT7 for the last 6 years (I hit a deer on my way home from work in the dark one night in 1987). I am assembling the chassis/running gear now with he hopes of having a running/driving chassis by spring and installing the body and paint next summer - then the interior, so this thread is basically more planning stage than imminent.

Again, I appreciate the constructive help.
Dave
 
Hi Dave,

Awhile back the heating element on my driver seat of my Acura failed and the reason was a broken wire caused by flexing supply wire. I mention this because when inserting your heating pad under the cover, look to see how the wires lie (including the heating elements) and evaluate, as best you can, how the wires will move within the use of the seat and how dramatic. Keep in mind that, although seat cushion padding and cover will provide support for the heating pad, they will also insulate and lessen the warmth transmitted to your butt. If you increase the resistive power to the heating coil, you will be diminishing the life of the seat padding, cushion, and possibly the cover as well as the heating coil.

If I were to fit a heating pad to my driver's seat, I would place the material-covered heating pad directly under the cover and make sure it was small enough to fit only in the center of the seat (not extend onto the side bolsters). I would punch 2 holes down through the foam cushion and use heavier coiled wires to secure each supply line to a fused connector installed into the metal pan. I would then run the connector to a simple on/off switch to keep power to a minimum. A timed max cycle switch could use in place of the simple on/off switch, but either should be placed in a convenient location with an indicator light to show the heater is active (i.e., in case you leave the car with the heater on).

Just my thoughts,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
 
Bought a couple seat heater elements on eBay when restoring my Sprite and had the upholsterer install them when he installed was making and installing the new seat covers. Really like them on cool mornings or evenings in eastern Tennessee and will most likely get them installed in my BJ7 when I get to that stage. I don't turn them on all that often but they are actually very inexpensive and a nice little luxury to enjoy once in a while.
 
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