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MGB Help needed from new 65 MGB owner

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bighealeysource

bighealeysource

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Help y'all,
I have just purchased a nice restored 65 MGB and looking to change out the incorrect black vinyl seats for the correct
for this car red with black piping leather. Owned a lot of
Brit cars over the years and went to take out the seats and
not as easy as I thought. Is the only way to get the seats
out is by taking the entire seat frame assembly out ? Plus
I have one 1/2 inch bolt that is turning but not loosening
on the right side passenger seat rail so that has me stumped
as it is not accesible from underneath - covered by a frame rail. Any help would be really appreciated or looks like I stay with the black vinyl !
Regards,
Mike
 
It is true that you have to take out the entire frame to get the seats out. The bolt you are having trouble with is covered by a frame rail. You may need to hack off the head of the bolt, or do as some here have, and drilled a hole in the crossmember to get at the capture nut.

Are the current seats in good shape? If so, there may be someone here (like me) that is looking for a good set of seatcovers :smile:
 
Hey Ron,
Semper Fi to you too !!!! I live in Beaufort, home to
Parris Island so have a lot of Devil Dogs as friends.

I wasn't one myself, I was an Air Force puke !

As to the seat covers, they are actually brand new, from
Moss. If I can get them off I am trying to get this car
back to original of red with black piping and red with black
piping on the panels ( actually still have some of the originals) If I can get them off, I will make you a great
deal on them. Don't know about hacking off that bolt head
as think I would have to use plastique to get it off but
worth a try I guess. If I'm successful I will get back
to you about the black vinyl seat covers.

Semper fi,
Mike
 
MIKE!!! A Dremel with a cut-off wheel and patience!!


...just some advice from a fellow USAF puke... :wink:


Sounds as if the PO grabbed anything he found to anchor the seat. 1/4-28 was original. There are aircraft fasteners around to allow you to drill out the bugger'd captured nut and insert a 1/4-28 in its place. It may be necessary to "hole" the cross-member to remove the spinning nut, tho.
 
Hey,
Thanks for the advice about a demel, I've got one so that
sounds like a winner. Next question, I get the front ones
off, how in the world do you get to the rear ones without
being a contortionist. I move the seat as far forward as
it will go and still can't get to them.
Thanks,
Mike
 
there's a small square of metal inside the track (toward the front of the track) that can be unscrewed, it will allow you to slide the seat farther forward. I completely left mine off when I installed my seats.
 
Or use this as an excuse to acquire MORE TOOLS! A 7/16" GearWrench works a treat. :wink:
 
I have to look into these GearWrenches I keep reading about. I see Lowe's carries them. I guess I am going to take a ride out there and pick up a few of the wrenches.
 
I have one tool box that has a few drawers dedicated to gear wrenches...standard and metrics, regular lengths, stubbies, offset head types, don't know how I went so many years without them.
 
I picked up a couple of the gearwrenches today. Just a 7/16, 1/2 and a 9/16 to give them a go. I only used the 1/2 today to put my high note horn on, and it worked pretty well. Time will tell though. But for the price, I find that they will come in handy.
 
I buy my at Sears, made in the USA! I really look for reasons to use my swivel head 7/16th, They don't mark the visible, painted nuts and bolts like valve covers, etc.
 
The Craftsman version of these wrenches are far nicer than the Chinese Gearwrench version and imho are worth every penny. The head flexes and locks into any position which is a feature that will pay for itself in no time. If the extra bit of money isn't a problem, you will thank yourself for the rest of your life for buying them! And I do agree, these are the best tool for removing MGB seats.
 
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