Alternative Minor seats

Post by **Sidney'61** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 7:33 pm

Hi, to be honest I don't think they're any different as they are the same size as the standard wheels so they fit the same and have the same tires. I think it's just my gearbox that gives an inaccurate speedo reading!
I'm sure somebody else can come along and tell you the differences between the minilites and the standard wheels. I'm not too sure about the effect on this car's handling as to tell you the truth.. I've never driven it!!

Post by **rvwp** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:28 pm

PSL184 wrote:Apparently the most comfortable are Saab 900 seats. Metro seats used to be popular but are a bit wide. Early Rover 200 seats are also a good choice. With any non standard seat you will probably have to make subframes to mount into the car. Newton Commercial sell fully converted Rover seats but a pair are around £500 + vat. I'm looking at fitting some Citroen Saxo seats to mine at the moment. Dimensionally they seem about right and they are a nice sporty suportive style....

Hi, how did you get on with the Citreon Saxo seats, any good. The Newton seats are Vinyl and over £600 a pair and without being able to try them prior to spending the cash, a bit risky. I prefer to fit my own choice of seat and re-upholster to colour match the rest of the interior. Rich

Post by **PSL184** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:39 pm

Hi Rich, I would be inclined to agree with your feelings although Newton's do have an excellent reputation, albeit a bit expensive! I've been doing mechanical jobs recently and I haven't got round to looking at the seats yet although I see no reason why they won't fit in OK I'll post up some pics when I get to that bit

Post by **rvwp** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:58 pm

Hi again, yes I'm sure the Newton seats will be great quality. I am fitting a new interior less seats from Newton (buying from Bull Motif much cheaper). The Wife has an adversion to Vinyl or leather seats, so as the car is really for her to drive I supose I'd better fit cloth faced seats of some sort. One problem I have though is trying to locate a supplier of Cherokee Red Vinyl Leathercloth as used by |Newton Commercials for the backs of the seats when I have my chosen seats re upholsterd. Newton won't sell just Vinyl. Anybody got any ideas on suppliers? Rich

Post by **PSL184** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:19 pm

There is a great little company that I found that specialise in bespoke automotive seating. The Brothers who own it are very passionate about classics too.
Atlantechs
01327 342484
atlantechseating.com

linearaudio · Post by **linearaudio** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:23 pm

rvwp wrote:Hi again, yes I'm sure the Newton seats will be great quality. I am fitting a new interior less seats from Newton (buying from Bull Motif much cheaper). The Wife has an adversion to Vinyl or leather seats, so as the car is really for her to drive I supose I'd better fit cloth faced seats of some sort. One problem I have though is trying to locate a supplier of Cherokee Red Vinyl Leathercloth as used by |Newton Commercials for the backs of the seats when I have my chosen seats re upholsterd. Newton won't sell just Vinyl. Anybody got any ideas on suppliers? Rich

Have you tried looking in yellow pages under upholsterers? Or a friendly car restorer may give you a lead. Where abouts are you?

Post by **markc** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:29 pm

I put the Rover 200 seats in mine so the wife could drive....and she still won't.
I have to admit the Rover 100 seats look a better fit

Post by **ASL642** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:41 pm

Newton cherokee red vinyl is impossible to match! I've been trying for the last 4 years, ever since Newton refused to sell it by the metre.

Post by **PSL184** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:33 am

Well, they must buy it from somewhere....

Post by **rvwp** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:15 pm

regaliaqueen wrote:Newton cherokee red vinyl is impossible to match! I've been trying for the last 4 years, ever since Newton refused to sell it by the metre.

Hi, you seem to have red seats in your traveller with headrest so presumably not standard. What seats have you fitted and does the colour match (or sort of match) the original trim. thanks Rich

Post by **Peetee** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:53 pm

Albert is a 58 with the burgundy leather trim. these seats:

are from a Rover 200BRM and the colour is somewhere in between the leather and cherokee red. They tilt, slide and recline and the drivers is height/angle adjustable and has adjustable lumbar support.
I plan to restitch the seatcovers from the rear to recover the existing back seat to match.
They cost less than £100 in perfect nick. I have seen them on ebay for £175 and would say even at that price they are a good buy.

Post by **rvwp** » Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:02 am

Peetee wrote:Albert is a 58 with the burgundy leather trim. these seats:

are from a Rover 200BRM and the colour is somewhere in between the leather and cherokee red. They tilt, slide and recline and the drivers is height/angle adjustable and has adjustable lumbar support.
I plan to restitch the seatcovers from the rear to recover the existing back seat to match.
They cost less than £100 in perfect nick. I have seen them on ebay for £175 and would say even at that price they are a good buy.

Hi, the Rover 200BRM look a good seat option. Can't say that I am familiar with the car. Did you need a sub frame? How is the access to the back and rear passenger leg room? Any breakers in your area? Thanks Rich, Weymouth

Post by **Peetee** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:06 pm

PM sent

Post by **MortisMinor** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:21 pm

RVWP: do thoase seats have an aftermarket seat cover?, or were they fitted to rover 200's?. Im guessing aftermarket but whant to be sure.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:14 pm

Hi, the Rover 200BRM look a good seat option. Can't say that I am familiar with the car.

try:
http://www.roverbrm.org/

As mentioned before - it's a very rare car! It was never marketed properly so nobody ever heard of it and in the end they had to drop the price to sell them, despite it being a great car.
The 'BRM' name goes back to 1960's formula 1 - I'm not old enough to remember that but the name was still known in the 70's

Post by **Sidney'61** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:08 pm

The reason it didn't sell very well was because it came with that bright orange front grille. Frankly I think it looks ridiculous.

Post by **MGFmad** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:36 pm

Sidney'61 wrote:The reason it didn't sell very well was because it came with that bright orange front grille. Frankly I think it looks ridiculous.

I never understood that odd colour scheme - they sold so much better when re-launched as the MG ZR.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:39 pm

I never understood that odd colour scheme

BMW refused to let Rover use the MG name on the hot hatches, so the only thing they could come up with was BRM thanks to a tie up in the 60's. Brooklands green with orange grill was BRM colours...

After BMW bailed out, the MG ZR/ZS/ZT revived Rover for a while but too little too late.

Post by **Peetee** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 6:37 pm

As promised, a picture of the frame. This is the one at the rear of the seat.

To be honest it should be a bit more heavy duty than this, but it should give you a starting point. All the brackets were removed from the base of the seat runners first. The front frame is 55mm high and bolts to the existing floor captive nuts, the rears are 85mm high and face backwards and new holes were drilled in the floor. 50mm reinforcement plates sit under the floor.
The left rear leg has to sit inboard (see photo) because of the curvature of the transmition tunnel. All the bracket feet are hidden by slits in the carpet. It makes bolting the seats down a real challenge but it's worth it.

Post by **rvwp** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:33 am

Peetee wrote:As promised, a picture of the frame. This is the one at the rear of the seat.

To be honest it should be a bit more heavy duty than this, but it should give you a starting point. All the brackets were removed from the base of the seat runners first. The front frame is 55mm high and bolts to the existing floor captive nuts, the rears are 85mm high and face backwards and new holes were drilled in the floor. 50mm reinforcement plates sit under the floor.
The left rear leg has to sit inboard (see photo) because of the curvature of the transmition tunnel. All the bracket feet are hidden by slits in the carpet. It makes bolting the seats down a real challenge but it's worth it.

Thanks for that. However I've just bought a pair of Light Tan Saab 9000 electically operated an heated seats in excellent condition. I've taken the easy route and purchased a pair of seat bases from JHL. I am going to re colour the seats to match the rest of the trim. I am assured by a company called The Furniture Clinic that the product they supply will colour change leather from even black to cream!! Let you know how I get on, regards Rich