Refurbishing MGF & TF Seats. Do you get that sinking feel when sitting in your MGF/TF? Are the seats not providing you with the support they should? Does it take a moment to stand up straight after you get out of the car? It could be that the seats need refurbishing and you can do it yourself.
Background #
The seats found in the F and TF are normally very comfortable and very supportive, a real improvement in design compared to those found in an MGB. The seat design is typical of those fitted to today’s cars and are quite straightforward to disassemble and overhaul.
There are two different styles of seats for the MGF/TF. The Mk1 design is in cars from 1995 until late 1999. The Mk2 design started with model year 2000 Fs and continued in use until the end of TF production. The metal seat base is interchangeable between the Mk1 and Mk2 design but the seat back is different, the Mk2 has an extension at the top.
The Mk2 foam base can be used with Mk1 upholstery with a bit of foam trimming. But a Mk1 foam base will not work properly with Mk2 upholstery. The Mk1 and Mk2 back foams are very different. They are not interchangeable, well not without testing the theory that anything is possible.
Tools Needed #
Here is a handy list of the tools you should have available.
- T50 Torx socket
- Hog ring pliers and hog rings
- Wire cutters (for cutting hog rings)
- Thin punch
- Hammer
- Small prybar
- Door window seal clip fitting tool (optional but very helpful, Rimmer: RX1562)
Safety Step #
Start by disconnecting the battery. Why? You will be disconnecting the seatbelt stalk’s pre-tensioner. This is associated with the SRS. You need to be sure nothing causes an airbag discharge.
Disassembly #
Four torx screws fasten the seat to the floor. I suggest removing the two at the front first. Remove the torx screw holding the seat belt to the seat frame. Reach underneath the seat and disconnect the seatbelt stalk’s SRS wiring connector.
To access two of the four torx screws that fasten the seat base to the back, the precusor step is to remove the back recline handwheel. Do this using a small prybar. Just slowly pry the handwheel from opposite sides. Then the recline mechanism cover needs to be removed. Do this by removing the two plastic dowels using a punch and hammer. Make sure to keep the dowels, you’ll need them during reassembly. Remove the four torx screws and the torx screw holding the seatbelt stalk.
Flip over the base and start removing the upholstery cover at the front edge. The metal flange on the seat base, which the upholstery’s plastic J-clip clips to, has three or four triangular tangs that help secure the J-clip in place. I found the door window seal clip fitting tool, that I had bought when working on my Spitfire, worked perfectly for lifting the edge of the plastic J-clip off the tangs. The two side J-clips come off easily. The rear metal bar also has the tangs holding the plastic J-clip in place. If you happen to break a portion of the J-clip, which is easy to do, it can be repaired. Do this by gluing the parts back together using cyanaoacrylate glue. For a J-clip that is broken beyond repair, you will need to purchase new J-clips from an upholstery supply business.
The upholstery is held to the foam using hog rings. The hog rings are along the sides and one (Mk1) or two (Mk2) centre rows. I used wire cutters to cut the hog rings.
The Mk1 and Mk2 seat backs both use a two piece J-clip to hold the back upholstery panel to the seat front upholstery. You sort of unfold/pull on the back panel to unclip the plastic strip from the front’s J-clip. Remove the headrest escutcheon’s caps by carefully prying upwards.
The Mk 1 seat back foam is two pieces. One piece is directly attached to the lumbar area upholstery with hog rings. When you lift up the centre section you will then see the six hog rings holding the remainder of the upholstery to the seat back frame. Remove these six hog rings and you should be able to pull the upholstery off. The fabric portion of the upholstery may be glued to the foam and may tear. Remove the foam from the upholstery.
To remove the upholstery from a Mk2 seat back frame, start by unclipping two bungee cords from the bottom of the seat frame. Carefully roll the upholstery upwards to expose the hog rings that hold the centre section of the upholstery to the foam and cut/remove the hog rings. Note that the cloth upholstery may be stuck to the foam. On the backside of the foam, unclip the other end off the two bungee cords attached to the wire seat back support structure. Once the upholstery is removed, the foam can be fully removed from the frame.
New foams for the Mk1 or Mk2 seats are no longer available. So if there are rips, tears, or dead/unsupportive foam, you are going to have to repair it by using foam of a similar density.
Refurbishment #
It is best to use a foam intended for automotive use. Also, it is best to use foam on the firmest end of the firm spectrum. I used two types of foam sheet to repair the foams in the seats I was working. I used ½” sheet of the firmest automotive foam I could buy. Also a ¼” sheet of foam that was a bit softer than the ½” foam.
Use the ½” foam to cover and build-up areas that are collapsed by the weight of being sat on. I use the ½” foam in places where I had to cut out a section of torn foam that had ‘dead’ foam around it. Use multiple layers of the ½” foam to make up the thickness required.
I found most of the torn foam on the seat bottom, the side of the foam that was against the metal frame. To repair, cut a piece of the ¼” foam sheet larger than the torn area. Using a good quality spray contact adhesive, spray adhesive into the torn foam, around the torn area and on the ¼” foam piece. Allow the adhesive to dry. Then push the torn foam together and glue a piece of ¼” foam over top. Et voila, the tear is repaired.
Reassembling the seat back works best if you start at the top and roll the upholstery down over the foam.It takes more effort to get the upholstery to fit right at the top on the Mk2 seat than the Mk1. That may be partly due to the Mk2 having cloth upholstery versus the Mk1’s leather upholstery.
Where the Mk1 has the separate centre section on the seat back, its very easy to add an additional layer of foam to the centre foam section for added lumbar support. You may also want to consider adding an air-inflated lumbar support. Position this between the wire seat back support structure and the foam and held in place with zip ties.
To reengage the two-piece J-clip at the bottom of upholstery panels, roll and insert the flat piece into the J-clip and push them together until they ‘clip/snap’ together. You will find this takes some effort because you now have thicker foam to contend with.
A note about the seat base’s foam support system. The seat base is supported by a nylon mesh with a rubber centre section. This may have stretched and no longer support the foam correctly, allowing you to sink too far down. If this is the case, prior to reinstalling the seat base foam and upholstery on the metal seat frame, thread a nylon strap back and forth across the nylon mesh, to give additional support to the seat base and solve the sinking issue.
The seat base reassembly is the reverse of disassembly, but there are a few suggestions. Turn the upholstery inside out and start by reinstalling the centre strip(s) of hog rings first. When reinstalling the upholstery, start at the back of the seat and engage the upholstery’s rear J-clip onto the seat frame first, then the sides and finally the front.
You should now have seats that are much more comfortable and improve the driving experience for years to come.
Other Materials #
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