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Seat Foams and recommended interiors?

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Csarneson

Csarneson

Jedi Hopeful
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I am getting ready to spoil myself this winter and buy a complete interior kit for my BN4. Will be Blue/White Leather. I literally have nothing at this moment except for the steel seat pieces. I've read everything I can on the process and watched quite a few videos as well including Mathew Randell's.

Are there any seat foams that are suitable in their stock configuration without drilling holes in them? My Healey was in pieces, boxes, and jars when I got it so I really don't know what a healey seat is "supposed" to feel like. My preference would be buy the best seat foam I can and not have to immediately start modifying. I have the skills but not the confidence that I will get it right.

Also, I've read lots of opinions on the various interior kits for sale. I've ruled out AH-Spares since their leather prices have recently skyrocketed (30-50%) and they won't tell me why. I talked to a fellow I trust at Conclave who told me horror stories about recently trying to install Moss leather seat kit for the early BN4. I'm probably ruling them out as well. Skinner seems much more expensive than the others. I'm down to Ahead4Healeys and Buckingham at this point unless somebody can give me new info. I plan to do the install and upholstery myself. I'm stubborn that way.

Any advice or guidance would be appreciated.

Chris
 
I got Moss interior and boot kits for my BN2 a few years ago. The seat kits were pretty decent, but I paid a pro to install them; he was 83YO at the time and had been doing auto upholstery since he was 13--having gone into his father's business when dad got sick--and he said it was a real chore (I paid him $500). The Moss seat foams had to be trimmed quite a bit to fit. On that note, people say the foams make you sit too high, and they do, but the foam compacts fairly quickly to a normal ride height, so I'd be reluctant to drill holes in them.

The Moss carpet and boot kits were marginal. The interior pieces didn't have the lined/sewn edges like the quality kits--but I don't think the OEM pieces did either--and they included two left-hand underseat pieces instead of one of each; they made good on it but it took a couple weeks to custom make it because their shop only makes kits (yep, they have an in-house interior dept., or did back then). Moss puts interior kits on sale once a year or so; if I did it again I'd buy the seat kits and look for better carpet kits elsewhere. Their instructions for the boot liner kit were invaluable, but one of their pieces had a corner cut off.
 
If yours is an early longbridge BN4 then search for my posts on using the moss kits. I posted photos of the install and I feel they came out quite nice. Also if yours is the longbridge remember the trunk kits should match the interior color on the early cars. The blue is easy as SEM has a vinyl paint that matches perfectly. You can also find my posts about that.
 
As healeyblue said, there are differences in the early BN4 Healeys. If yours is a Longbridge car, the interior rear panels and the front seat covers will be different, along with many other things. I’d also recommend Heritage, a little more money but totally correct. Good luck!!
 
Skinner is my pick. I used them on my BJ8 and will do again on thr BJ7. More original look. They have correct clear/gold piping.
Marv
 
Regarding the foam, it's not just the way the seats look--it's also the way they feel. I had the interior of my BN1 done by Von Patterson using Heritage materials and I had--and still have--the feeling that I am sitting in the car. MY ex-wife's BN7 had a mediocre interior done by a previous owner and it always seemed to me that I was sitting on the car.
 
Our BJ7 has spent pretty much all of its life (since the early 70s) apart, in storage. The seats look okay, although a bit squashed down (only a bit!).
However, I've got a 3 inch thick chunk of foam of unknown ancestry cut roughly to fit the seat, and used it a year ago when we went out to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens car show in Vancouver (about a 1000 km/620 miles) trip, one way. Hardly had any miles on the Healy this year, and took a run up to the Columbia Ice Fields (just 'because') a few weeks ago, without the additional foam, and my butt was fine (distance about 650 km/400 miles, round trip).
Norman Nock's booklet talks about drilling holes in the foam, but I would suggest that you do your seats/upholstery howsoever you wish, and then consider either the extra chunk of foam if there's not enough padding, or the 'extra chunk with holes drilled', or .... Whatever combination works best with your butt.
Something I would suggest is that you look at adding some shims to change the angle of the seats and the (fixed) seat back). We have some tapered pieces of oak under ours, and they provide a bit more support under the leg as well as a more pleasant angle for the seat back.
And do you want appearance or functionality or imitation modern comfort? Heck, we have Meyers Manx clone dune buggy (with Recaros that really work) with no doors; two Bugeyes with similar seats and side curtains, and our BJ7 with the sophistication of roll-up windows.
 
twas_brillig said:
... We have some tapered pieces of oak under ours, and they provide a bit more support under the leg as well as a more pleasant angle for the seat back. ...
Click to expand...

I'm interested in how you accomplished this. The seat rails, at least the sliding variety--I believe they're standard on drivers' side, optional on passengers (in some models)--have studs on the bottom that go through the floor pans and should be fitted with T-nuts, and the top has studs that extend through the bottom of the seat; six per seat in each case and they're about an inch long. I've replaced the studs before; replacement rails are ridiculously expensive (NOS, maybe). Did you somehow extend the studs on top of the rails?
 
My complete mental error. We have a bugeye being brought to life, and that's the vehicle that we installed the wooden 'wedges' under the seat rails to tilt the seat back rearwards and raise the front edge of the seat a bit. We haven't driven it and haven't tried the wedges on the running one, so can't really comment other than conceptually. Apologies for screwing that one up. Doug
 
I needed a fine adjustment of the height of the front of my seat. Since I have the wooden frame inside the metal base (BN4), I put a paint stirrer under the wooden frame.
 
Marvin Gruber said:
Skinner is my pick. I used them on my BJ8 and will do again on thr BJ7. More original look. They have correct clear/gold piping.
Marv
Click to expand...

I would most definitely agree with Marvin on this. John Skinner in the UK provided me with a complete front & rear BJ8 leather seat kit, including their in-house front seat and back rest foams & door panel kits. Excellent craftsmanship on ALL their products. All were true to originals as per on my car. Front seat foams were a perfect fit, and no trimming was required. I did the job myself, using my old seat foams & covers as templates & guidelines for installation of the new foams & covers & door side panels. AND they provided me with the correct red Karvel carpeting to boot.

I've included a few pics to illustrate.

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ROBERT
 
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