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MG TD TF 1500 - best car seat heater to install in a td/tf

from personal experience what has been your experience to installing a elec. car seat heater? thanks MICHAEL.
Michael O'Halloran

My dynamo can't even keep up with the lights,wiper and heater fan all at the same time, a seat heater would kill it.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

I'm struck by the many modifications you are interested in doing to your MG. Perhaps a Miata would better fit your bill for more power, better heat, a hard top, etc.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

It's been 50 years since I've driven my TD but I seem to recall that the muffler was directly below the seat and that it got pretty warm inside the cabin anyway. In the States though the passenger gets whatever benefit there is from the exhaust. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I don't think that even Mort has a seat heater !!!! And he has done many, many mods for comfort and performance!!

Steve
SPW Wincze

https://mossmotors.com/blanket-waterproof-gray-mg-logo
George Butz III

What about a heated garage, then the seats will be warm?

Or seats from some modern vehicle, e.g. Nissan Rogue?

Or, drive when it is warmer?

Or, accept that it is a 1950s automobile and did not have much power, has a soft top and other limitations compared to a 2020 car. Even the brakes have limitations too.....
P G Gilvarry

As much as it may be heresy, I did add heating panels to the seats in my 1967 Sunbeam Alpine about 5 years ago when I was rebuilding them. The result has been that I’ve been able to enjoy an additional 2-3 more months of top-down motoring per year in the car, and my wife is more willing to join me on chilly days (a definite plus). I hid the switches up under the dash, making the addition virtually invisible. So, on the whole, I’d say it’s worth it.

As for the TD, I’ve not done it yet, and may not, only because to do so I’d need to rip apart perfectly good leather upholstery and upgrade the electrical system. But if I was doing a restoration of the interior I’d certainly consider it.

For the record, I used the Dorman kit available on Amazon. You can install the panels quite easily and do the job for less than $100 (not including any electrical system upgrades).

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-628-040-Universal-Seat-Heater/dp/B002U6IL9O

My son and I also added a set to his 1990 Miata when we restored it, and he loves them.
Kevin McLemore

You are right Steve but now that you mention it...hmmm
Mort Resnicoff

Here are some photos from during my restoration of the Alpine seats. You can see how the panels are installed. I adhered them to the new Dunlopillow foams with brush-on Weldwood Contact Adhesive and they held nicely. There's also a 'before and after' photo of the seats.

(For some reason the linking of photos using the 'upload' button isn't working for me, so I've included direct links to online photos).

https://i.postimg.cc/wj9dMZH0/IMG-2527.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/15GQ9sx8/IMG-2533.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/nLRx6kyT/IMG-2622.jpg


In this photo you can just barely see the seat rocker switches, just along the top of the radio speaker grille, one on either side, slightly hidden by the bottom dash roll. I used the existing speaker screws to attach them.

https://i.postimg.cc/Z5gnNJRJ/IMG-2603.jpg

Kevin McLemore

This thread was discussed between 19/01/2020 and 20/01/2020

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