TR2/3/3A Seat kits and seats.

[bnw]

I have the TRF leather seat kit specifically for 1957 TR3. I cannot find decent 57 frames but I can find decent TR3A frames which I believe are slightly different in the seat pan, but not in the back. Can my 57 kit be made to fit the 3A frames, or do I have to keep on looking?

 

[trglory]

Don't think it will work.....the shape is different for both parts. The seat back on the earlier car has more of a curve.

 

[CJD]

Welcome to the search! I looked for seats for 4-1/2 years. Even bought a $300 new pair from Rimmer that were absolute trash...so much so I ran them over with my truck just to get back at them for the trouble they caused.

What happened to your original frames? Usually you at least have decent backs to compare with.

 

[DavidApp]

I got seat bases from KAS in Australia and was pleased with the quality. They also do backs but am not sure if they differentiate between TR2 and TR3A backs.

https://www.kas-kilmartin.com.au/prod03.htm

David

 

[bnw]

What happened to your original frames? Usually you at least have decent backs to compare with.[/QUOTE]

After 7 or 8 years of looking at my seats up on a shelf in my workshop, I finally took them down and discovered they were Bug Eye Sprite seats.

 

[CJD]

Bummer! I had several parts like that...ready to go in for years, only to find out they were wrong. I wish I could say exactly what the seat differences are, but I'm not that knowledgeable. i know the bottoms and tops of the TR2 were different from later seats. The bottoms, although having slight changes, seam to still fit the same springs all the way through production. The early springs were squared at the top where you sit. The seat tops have at least 2 variations in height and shape, but I don't know the cut-off for the difference.

 

[bnw]

TRF says the 58 to 63 frames they sell MAY be adaptable to earlier seats. VB has the covers for 57 but not the frames, same for Moss.

 

[Jim_Stevens]

Are they selling the pivoting bottom again? They were at their last one and needed it as a template...

 

[CJD]

The rub is all in the "MAY". The early frames are broad and more squared at the top, while the later are rounded and a bit narrower. When I considered adapting the later backs to take the early cover I decided it would take considerable trimming and addition of metal to use the early covers on the late frames...all requiring extensive welding to get it done. I had already welded the Rimmer seat frames at the bottom due to poor repro workmanship. So, even with hours of work into them, compounded with the "fixing" that made them unreturnable, I chose to take pleasure in destroying them before attempting to fix them any more. Seats were the largest source of wasted money during my restoration.

I wish there were decent used seats on Ebay, but I also bought 3 seats off Ebay that arrived beyond repair. That was over a 4 year period...they just don't exist as originals anymore.

If I had to do it again, I'd take David's route and order from down under.

 

[bnw]

I emailed the "down under" company to see if they were making the early seats but they never got back to me.

 

[DavidApp]

They took a while to get back to me as well. Sometimes there was a day or two delay between my e mail and their reply. May be a small shop with limited or no office staff.

I was pleased with their workmanship on the parts I got from them. Differed a little from original in a small detail. The seat pan was made from 2 pieces and spot welded together instead of being pressed from one piece.

David

 

[Marvin Gruber]

A good Upholester should be able to cut padding to make the seats covers work on the 3a seat frames.

Marv

 

[bnw]

Marv, do you speak from experience? I may be able to get what appears to be a good set of 58 frames for $250 for the pair. I have to travel almost 14 hours round trip to get them. On second thought, shipping may be less than taking a grand cherokee on the road. Thoughts?

 

[CJD]

Here's the pics that says it all:

This is the early cover on the later style seat back.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

I have four or five sets of seats. I know one set is original red leather out of a 56 TR3. The cushions with the sq'd corners are the only visble differences to me. There is a lot of padding on the backs. Will look them over a little closer tomorrow. Johns bare frames do show a big difference.
Marv

 

[sp53]

1957 or 1958 is a major turning point for these cars. If your car has the wide mouth then you need the newer seats which are way easier to find, just ask John. If you have a late 1957 small mouth, then you could have either seat in John’s picture. There might be a different seat for a 1954 tr2 I just do not know, but as a rule the 55,56, and early 57 are like the tr2 seats in Johns car and are very rare, and I do not think anybody makes them new. Plus, on the early seats, both seats are the same in that one does not tilt. It depends on what you have and how much work looking you want to do if you have the early stuff. It sounds like Marv has set of the early ones.
Anyways I bet somebody is looking for some bug-eyed seats, so you should be able to maybe break even there. I just finished my seats and made my own form kits with cotton batting and foam and it was not difficult. I will post them but first I need to delete my old pics form room. The hardest part is cleaning up the frames and repainting them once you find some.

 

[sp53]

Sorry about the formatting. The forum changed my post because I ran out of room and had some pictures to post also. My computer freaked out.

 

[sp53]

Here is a general way how I rebuild the seats. There is moreto it but not that difficult.
steve

 

[CJD]

Here is a general way how I rebuild the seats. There is moreto it but not that difficult.
steve

Very nice, Steve! The later seat covers look so much more refined than the early ones.

 

[sp53]

Yeh I think so too, plus I think the factory was trying to that. The first time I rebuilt a set I went will horse hair and burlap and actually duplicated what the original ones had. This time I went with 2 inches of foam in the front to get that modern fluffy look that I see on the tr3s today. They are almost too fluffy and have a lot of give. Your sets are what they looked like.

I went with the original type springs this time too because there was a new one that come with the car from 1978! and they were a pain getting into the bag. The springs are too tall and walk side to side, plus I think they will cut right through the burlap with natural movement, so I liberated one of your ideas (the stitching part) and stitched 1/4 composite padding around the springs in 2 pieces because I could not get it to fold over and around; I hope it holds.

steve