Alternative seats

[sawmill]

Hello,here are some pics (hopefully) of my recently installed Rover 45 leather seats.My main priority was to be able to change back to the original seats easily therefore it was important not to modify the originals in any way.The only mods required to the car was to bend back the tabs which the original seat back hung on (easily reversible).I reckon I should be able to swap back to the originals in 30 minutes.The brushed nylon was beginning to suffer the effects of uv light and wear and tear so I thought these would do until I can find someone to reupholster the old ones.The front seats are much more comfortable and have a lot more adjustment.I hope you like them.

[marko]

Very nice installation. Do they do the rover 45 seats in dark brown?

[sawmill]

Thankyou.Im not sure if they come in dark brown.These seats were advertised as beige but when I went to collect them they turned out to be grey.As they were in such good condition I had them anyway.I changed the colour with Plastikote,its very good and they do a brown in their range.

[georgethompson730]

That's a very nice retro fit and amazing that seats from such a big car fit, I guessing the rear fit in much the same way as the originals. Do the fronts just bolt straight in?

[sawmill]

George,thanks for your comments.The seats were from a Rover 45,not a very big car,perhaps you were thinking Rover 75? Front seats just needed a couple of very simple brackets welded on and one extra hole drilled on each seat.

[georgethompson730]

I did read 45 but they look so plush I thought you must have ment 75 . I've already had a look on the Bay, is it possible that they are actually the same as the 75 seats?. I can't think Rover did different tooling for seats at the time these cars were being made.
My seats are actually pretty good, but not the most comfortable. Like others I could really do with a new rubber base, or fit Rover 45/75 seats.

[marko]

Are the rover 25 seats the same again?

[markas]

I did read 45 but they look so plush I thought you must have ment 75 . I've already had a look on the Bay, is it possible that they are actually the same as the 75 seats?. I can't think Rover did different tooling for seats at the time these cars were being made.
My seats are actually pretty good, but not the most comfortable. Like others I could really do with a new rubber base, or fit Rover 45/75 seats.

45 and 75 front seats are very similar. 75 rears have small fixed side bolsters making them unsuitable for installing in a Dolomite. The next trick would be to wire up the seat heaters & electric adjusters for the front seats!!

[new to this]

they look a good fit

Dave

[georgethompson730]

Hi Mark,
45s it is then. As for heated seats that would imply using the Dolly in the winter, do people still do that? I wish I had spared mine from a few winters, perhaps it would have saved me so many body repairs.

[sawmill]

Not sure if Rover 25 would be the same size.The front seats were a doddle,the rears had to be chopped down in height and length to fit comfortably.

[toromod]

These look absolutely brilliant - I've replaced my front seats with a pair from a Rover 25/MGZR/ZS in leather with a blue insert which very closely matches the Tahiti Blue colour. Comfort is far far better, I did around 700 miles in January over 3 days (Monte Carlo Heritage Run from John o' Groats to Paisley/Stirling and return journey home) without suffering any numb bum effects! The fronts required 2 new holes drilled to accommodate the seat runners. I have a plain leather rear seat with armrest which fits but will need securing properly, the main problem is trying to match the shallow depth of the base to the existing body contours. I'd be interested to find out how the 45 seats compare in that respect.

[Toledo Man]

It has been done before. It is possible to fit the back seat without modification. It has to be out of the saloon version of the Rover 45 and they should just wedge in. This is something I've considered before.

[sawmill]

Toromod,I had to build up under the rear seat base 100mm to raise the seat to an acceptable level,I used Kingspan insulation contact glued.This extra height meant that the seat back sat halfway up the rear window! Not a good look.To acheive a better fit I cut 80mm off the bottom. I have seen these done where the back seat upright is just wedged into place in fact I tried it myself but it was a very tight fit and left very unsightly creases down the seat back.By cutting them down I think they look far more 'relaxed'.I have got a few pics of the work done if anyone wants to see them.

[SprintMWU773V]

Rover 75 front seats are the same as the 45. Doubt the rears would fit any better out of the box.