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Seat frame alignment with seat back

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RestoreThemAll

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I am reupholstering my seats. Where is the seat back supposed to sit on the bottom seat frame? I was thinking on the three tabs. It doesn't. Sits on the corners. See attached pic. Neither seat back sits very well on its bottom frame. Is that normal? Do folks add rubber or other type bumpers? Am I making sense?

Dale
 

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  • Passenger seat bottom frame.jpg
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The seat bottoms sit on the bottom flange of the seat frame. The 3 tabs are the support the bottom of the seat back. Sometimes it is necessary to bend the tabs up or down to get them to contact the bottom of the seat back.
 
I can't tell from your photo but I wonder if the seat frame has been modified to allow the seat back to recline more than normal. Does it look like the two tabs that hold the bolts that the back pivots forward on have been extended? If that's the case, the seat back will not follow the contour of the frame and will not sit squarely on the 3 tabs. Can you post a photo of the side tabs?
 
The seat back doesn't hit the tabs at all. I don't think its been modified. I'll take more pictures tonight.

Dale
 
I bent the bottom frame tabs up a little. One needs to be welded or brazed, as it's broken loose. I also bent the bottom of the back rest edge down a little to meet the tabs. I'm not fully confident that the thin sheet metal will stay put and not bend back. Not sure how to reinforce as the leather clips have to fit over. Ideas on that? See attached

I also notice that one of the holes that the seat back pivots go through is oblong. I'll need to fix that.
 

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  • Pass Seat bottom frame and back POSTED.jpg
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Oblong holes for the pivots could contribute to the problem that you describe. As someone else suggested, if the pivot tabs have been extended to allow the seat to recline more, that also could create issues. What is the distance from the top of the lower frame to the top of your pivot hole?
 
I didn't get a pic but we did take a measurement. 1/2" from the top of the frame to the center of the threaded stud that goes through the seat back ears. Does that make sense? Does it answer the question, if the mounting tabs have been altered?
 
I think your frame has not been modified and is the way it came from the factory. The modification I added to my frame would have yielded a measurement of about 1-1/2".
That simple addition to those tabs tilts the rear seat back about 2" and makes the driving position much more comfortable, at least for me. Also in the stock position,I was looking out the windscreen just barely below the top rail. Now my view is several inches below the rail. It's a mod that is worth considering.
 
Thanks Rob. In my 20s I was 5'11 & 3/4". Now I'm closer to 5'11'' and shrinking. How tall are you in comparison? I may not need the height reduction but the tilt could be nice.
 
I was 6'3" when I bought the car in 1963. Down a inch at least now. But the real benefit is the more relaxed sitting position. Many other owners have done this conversion.
 
RestoreThemAll said:
Thanks Rob. In my 20s I was 5'11 & 3/4". Now I'm closer to 5'11'' and shrinking. How tall are you in comparison? I may not need the height reduction but the tilt could be nice.
Click to expand...

All my life, high school onwards, 5' 11-3/4"......now after meeting the Scriptural Requirements of three score and ten, I am a tad under 5'9".

One of these days I'll be too short to get on rides at the amusement park.
 
Three score and two, and retiring this year. I'll never really retire but I will finish the Healey along with a list of other stuff!
 
RestoreThemAll said:
I didn't get a pic but we did take a measurement. 1/2" from the top of the frame to the center of the threaded stud that goes through the seat back ears. Does that make sense? Does it answer the question, if the mounting tabs have been altered?
Click to expand...
It does not appear altered - maybe stretched a little, but still close to spec. Long-shot thought here, but is it possible that you have seat backs from an earlier Healey, possibly from an early BN4? The early BN4 and the BN1 and BN2 used a different seat base.
 
The attached pic of the AHSPares seat diagram confirm that I have the correct parts.

The 3 pieces don't fit well. Look at seat pan. It doesn't drop down into the bottom frame.

I checked out the other seat that hasn't been taken apart yet. The fit is even worse.

I guess I'll have to modify all to make it all fit the best that it will. Am I the only one to find this problem?
 

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  • AHSpares Seat diagram.pdf
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  • 20200223_185432.jpg
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  • 20200223_185505.jpg
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Look how nicely Randy's seats fit together. Mine won't fit that nice even before adding the thickness of leather.
 

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  • IMG_0504.jpg
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I discovered some of the problems.
I was looking at pics from Moss and AHSpares. On the new ones the back rest is straight looking from the center top to bottom. Mine had a slight curve at the last inch or so in an 8-inch area of the middle. Probably from years of use and abuse. A little creative tin knocking flattened it out which also pulled it down and back. It now rests very close to the tabs on the bottom where it’s supposed to.
In addition, I noted that the ½” lip on the bottom of the seat back that sits on the tabs is a little weakened by wear, rust, and someone creative tin knocking. I will add some extra support to that lip probably with some sheet metal 2” wide (tabs are1” wide), bent at a nearly right angle on the inside, epoxied in. Does anyone foresee a problem with that plan?
I also plan to glue on thin rubber bumpers on the frame tabs and the bottom lip of the seat back. Sound like a good plan?
On the seat pan that wouldn’t fit down into the bottom frame,I noticed that in the front where the pan is at a perfect right angle looking top to bottom in the AHSpare pic, mine bulged out some on both sides. Again, alittle more tin knocking and it fits into the frame now.
 
If I understand correctly, the thin rubber bumpers will make the back sit up more vertically. Most people seem to prefer that it lean back. I have some washers under the front of my seat pan to make the seat lean back a bit.
 
I've decided not to tilt my seat back. The rubber bumpers would be like 1/16" thick. I could add a washer under the front mount to offset the rubber.
 
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