MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Original TD Seat Upholstery Pics Please

I’m doing the vinyl trim on the car myself including the door cards, except for the stitching. I had the correct 1/2" hidem made up in England using my vinyl. I’m about to start on the seats. These were covered years ago in vinyl but are not original & therefore are useless as a template. I’ve looked in the BBS archive & also on Chris's site but there is not a lot of detailed info out there. I have quite a few pics of interiors but none show the correct method in any detail. I’ve looked in Chris's gallery but can’t download the pics that would help me. I need to ensure that the guy who stitches the leather together has a VERY clear understanding of exactly how it was done originally.

Is anyone able to post some ORIGINAL TD pics here so that I can pass them on to the upholsterer? Seat bottoms, sides, number of pleats, pleat width, detail at the rear of the seat back, especially around the edges, location of the panel joins, the “ears” on the front edge of the seat back etc. Leather is really expensive (I’ve just purchased one & a half colour matched hides) & I don’t want to pay someone just to have him stuff it up. I’m more than capable of doing that! Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter,
I'm posting a couple of pictures from my files. I should be able to take a few more and get some measurements in the next day or two if no one else gives you what you need before then.
Joe

Joe Olson

picture no. 2

Joe Olson

That's lovely Joe. I was hoping you'd respond. It's the close ups that I really do need of the areas mentioned above. There are about four or five original TD's associated with this BBS that I know of. I'm hoping that their owners will all post here. This would then form a very valuable part of the BBS TD upholstery archive. Thanks again mate. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter-
I've got many photos of seats from my TD (original) as I was taking them apart before re-upholstering them. Too many to post here. Can I email them to you?
Cheers,
Roy
Roy Challberg

Yes please Roy. pjbm at bigpond dot com. Maybe post two or three of the best ones here to help others further down the track. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

A big thanks to Joe for the attached pics. Have needed them for some time.

Also, Roy, I would be pleased if I may be included in an email of your pics. TIA.

Jim Haskins 1953 TD
J M Haskins

Well something changed. My email use to be displayed.

jhaskins2@cox.net


Thanks again!
J M Haskins

Peter and Jim-
Photos sent via email.
Roy
Roy Challberg

Peter and Jim,

I e-mailed you some more pictures. Peter, maybe when you have what you are looking for you can post what you think are the most appropriate pictures to this thread.

Joe
Joe Olson

Thank you Roy & Joe. I'll sort through them & post the best of them here. I'd like to show every aspect of the seat bottoms & backs. I rename those from this site that I keep in my gallery under the owner's name so that when I re-post I'm able to credit them. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Just had a quick look & they are all great! As is always the case they do raise some questions. I'll study them & then post each with a comment or question or two. Thank you guys. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Roy and Joe: If you want to send me your pictures I can add them to the unrestored gallery

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/Pictures/UnRestored/Thumbnails/mgtd_gallery_unrestored.htm
Christopher Couper

Chris,

I sent you the pictures you requested.

I'll bet Peter won't get everything he's looking for until someone takes the seats out of the car to completely photograph and measure them. I'm willing to do it if he asks for it and is patient, as I'm getting slow in my second childhood.

Joe
Joe Olson

Joe that would be way above & beyond! I'm pretty sure I have most of what I need. However some really close, close ups of the edges of the back & the tacks would be great, along with an accurate diameter of the roll that seems to edge the back rest. Also that weird flap at the ends of the backrest is going to take some doing. Got some great pics from Roy, about 25 in all, which also show the internals in various stages of disassembly, in terrific detail. Still digesting. Will post soon. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This one from Roy shows the 23 pleats which I've numbered. Pleat 12 is in the centre. This does not include the "flap" at the sides. Can someone explain the purpose of the pair of stiff rectangular pieces at the bottom? Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

This one from Joe.

P Hehir

They "sit" on the floor (hinges) and provide a gap or pocket so the seat bottoms can be free to slide forward and back.
JA Benjamin

Thanks Jim & for your email Joe. I'll be replacing the ply backing board for the seat back & I wonder if anyone has gone to the trouble of producing a drawing of this piece of ply with all of the relevant holes & fixings identified, along with figured dimensions for the various items that are attached to this board. Obviously these will include the items in the pic below from Roy, as well as the overall length, width & thickness, the position of the 3 clips to secure the jack handle, the 2 breather holes & the size of the U shaped cutout. I have some of these dimensions that I took from an original board that was replaced in a recently restored Sydney TD. Unfortunately the original board no longer exists. The row of four objects in Roy's pic are presumably to secure the factory supplied half tonneau? Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Just found a drawing from Jim B buried in my archive showing the ply seat back details. See attached. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

The following pics are from Joe Olson. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Pic 2

P Hehir

Pic 3

P Hehir

Pic 4

P Hehir

Pic 5

P Hehir

Pic 6

P Hehir

Pic 7

P Hehir

Pic 8

P Hehir

Pic 9

P Hehir

Pic 10

P Hehir

Pic 11

P Hehir

Pic 12

P Hehir

Pic 13

P Hehir

Pic 14

P Hehir

Pic 15

P Hehir

Thanks Joe. They have been a big help. I'll post Roy's in a day or two. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Can anyone tell me the thickness of the ply seat back? I'm guessing about 15 to 18mm (or 5/8" or 3/4") though it may not need to be that thick. I have the external dimensions & most of the other locations for the various fixings.

I'd also like to hear from owners who reupholstered their seats & actually managed to get the pleats to line up. It seems the seat base position is determined by the location of the fixings in the floor & the position of the slides screwed to the base. The relationship with the back is fixed by the positions of both the seat base hinges & the backrest hinge sleeve. As I have a new bespoke floor, how best to proceed from scratch to ensure the pleats ultimately line up when installed? Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I believe it was 3/8 (6mm). I used Baltic Birch.
There is an added strip along the top.


Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Looking through my notes, I find it may have been 1/2".
Here is some Info I have.

Quote
"Jim,

I am in the middle of the same job on my '53 TD. I have been driving the car for a year with most of the seat upholstery in place, but not the vinyl cover on the back of the seat back. I may make some changes before I finish the job because my top frame also rests a little too close to the seat back edges. I replaced the original seatback plywood, so I can take measurements off of the factory piece. Overall the one-half inch thick plywood is 39&1/4" wide by 21&1/2" high. There is a bevel on the lower back of each side that is about 9&5/8" high. There are two holes about 1&7/16" diameter (I cut mine 1&1/2) that are centered 10&11/16 from each side and 10&1/2" from the top. There is a wood strip along the inside of the top edge that is 1&3/4" wide by 5/8" thick that runs the full 39&1/4" width. The top inside edge of this strip is beveled about 3/16" downward toward the front. The cut-out for the transmission tunnel starts 16&5/8" in from each side at the bottom. The cut-out is 4&3/4" tall. The curve on the top of the cut-out is about a 3" radius. Horst Schach's book has a good section on doing the upholstery along with Dave's web site. A sketch would be a lot less confusing than the measurements I have listed, but I don't know how to upload one.

Regards,

Bobby L."

End Quot

I went down to the garage and I have both some Baltic Birch in 3/8 and 1/2 although I don't remember getting both.
I know the set bottoms are 3/8.
I measured, as best as I can, with the upholstery on, the seat back and it appears to be 1/2.

I would go with 1/2 ply.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Great stuff Jim. Wonder if Bobby L or somebody else has a pic or two of the original piece showing the various bevels & plant on's. If 1/2" is sturdy enough then that'll do me. No point carrying unnecessary weight. As the days roll by I seem to be taking care of that!

The detail in the pic on the left shows some hidem binding which I'm not clear on. The 4 T nuts are for the seat bracket? What about the tonneau rail above that? Is that fixed in the same manner? As I'm starting from scratch perhaps I should use T nuts for the crank fixings as well? All original pics welcomed. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter:
I do not believe the binding was original, BUT, once you put the upholstery cover on the back you will either be left with visible staples or you will want to use binding.

I am almost sure I took pictures, but I cant find them.
I think they were on my old cell phone. I will boot it up tomorrow and try again. They should have been on the Workstation as I was and am set up for automatic download from the cell to the PC.

If you use a modern T-nut also affix it to the back with either small flat head nails or flat head screws. The t-nuts with the prongs do not do a good job of anchoring into the plywood.
I lost one or two while finding them through the upholstery.

I would use the kind of nut that is brass and has an outer wood screw thread and an inner Machine screw threaded hole. I used them on the t-nut holes I managed to push out.

Yes the Tonneau bar uses t-nuts or screw anchors. There is little room for error with the Tonneau bar. Its best to lay the bar on the back and mark the holes from it. It goes on the vary top, where the stiffening plank is.

The anchors are very hard to find once the upholstery is installed.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Jim. Thanks for the heads up on the T nuts. I used the brass inserts on my lock & striker mods when I eliminated all of the wood screws there, so I'm already a fan. Didn't even consider using them on the seat back but I'll certainly go with them in preference to the T nuts. 6 mm are readily available here in brass & are very close to 2 BA. See pic. They screw in nicely using the double nut & socket approach. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Ok Peter.
I did a lot of searching. I found a backup of my old Motorola phone on my network personal ICloud.
Here is what I do have on the Original seat back.
Apparently I do not have a full photo, at least I have not found one.
OI will look on my old computer however all of that should have been transferred to my ICloud.
The first is the area around the tunnel. With and without covering.
On the left frame you can see the brackets where the back board fits into the bottom hinges. Two holes are to let the air in and out as you add or remove pressure.
These were covered, on the inside with burlap to keep critters out.
I would suggest metal screening.


Another picture to come.

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Here are another two frames.

Left shows the area around an air hole.
Right shows the area around the bracket.

My corners were all beat and crumbly so I guess I did not take pictures.

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

Peter,
I don't think it has been mentioned, but if you put the T-nut on the side of the ply OPPOSITE of the part to be mounted, the screws will pull on the T-nut and keep it in place. The outline will also not show through the vinyl.
Lew3

Hi Lew. Yeah I agree however I believe Jim did that but encountered problems with a couple of them when he inadvertently pushed a couple forward, which then fell out & into the seat, while he was offering up the screws. I'm going to stick with the brass inserts as they have a smaller footprint & are pretty much idiot proof. However it is important to note that care needs to be taken to ensure the brass insert is screwed into the timber vertically. They do tend to want to go in, out of plumb. Just a note on securing the vinyl seat back. Originally tacks were used as has been noted. One restorer here used blued tacks & painted the heads the colour of the trim. Seems like a good approach.

The only other thing yet to be mentioned are the four items spaced out across the door back towards the bottom. They are shown in Roy's pic below. I guess these are posts for the half tonneau lift a dots? Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

I can't believe it was three years ago when I started gathering info for the seats and I'm just about ready to have the covers for them made here. Can someone measure the diameter of the head of the pan heads in the location shown in the attached pic? I have located a source of stainless, slotted pan head, metric machine screws here in Sydney which I'm using with the brass inserts. As only the head will be seen this diameter will determine the size of the machine screw and brass insert. The minimum quantity I can buy is a box of 100, so if anyone wants some let me know. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread as it has answered almost all of my questions. Much appreciated. Cheers
Peter TD 5801


P Hehir

Is the back vinyl held down with any adhesive? The material over the holes looks to be snug against the wood.
Bruce Cunha

Still hanging out for the diameter of the original heads.

I assume the slots and Phillips were the same size? Can't help you with the seat back adhesive question Bruce though it always struck me as strange that there was nothing - like some sort of mesh adhered to the rear of the ply - covering the original holes, just to keep the critters out. I've lost count of the number of restoration episodes I've seen where the mice had moved in. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

This thread was discussed between 27/07/2016 and 13/05/2019

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG TD TF 1500 BBS now