Fitting leather seats from another marque

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dvdocon

New Member
I've mentioned in the past that I'm looking for some new seats for my Rover, in particular the front two seats. What seats from other marques would fit? I have seen some from an MGF for sale, which look similar, would they fit without too much buggering about (I need the car for work every day, bar Sunday) or what other suggestions do you have, mine are currently Black flat Pleat leather. There is a picture of a lovely set of seats from a Jag. on Corazons project thread which got me thinking. My drivers seat is pretty much beyond economic repair & the passenger seat needs the seams re-stitching on the base.
 
I do have a nice pair of Jag seats that I've been intending to test fit in the project P6, not for any special reason, just that they're taking up room in the garage. Given a couple of days I might get around to it...
 
I'd heard that Rover 75 seats fit quite nicely (maybe they're the same as MGF ones?), but I've not seen any to confirm this.
 
Interiors seem to come up on ebay fairly regularly. Unless you want the additional support a more modern seat might offer I see only negatives in fitting, matching the rest of the interior and originality. The P6 is also pretty narrow by modern standards.

You can restore some incredibly grotty looking seats surprisingly easily as long as the leather isn't actually split. Stitching can be done in situ by someone who knows how to handle one of those curved upholstery needles.
 
I've seen Rover 800 seats fitted to a couple of P6's. The fronts appear to go in without much issue at all. I have seen the rears squashed in as well, but they don't look very natural. To be honest, I'm of the opinion of others - get a decent second hand P6 set. They really were one of the best seats of the period. Streets ahead of the rivals.
 
Agree with Michael below. I have a long back that is prone to problems. The seat in my everday car (Merc 220) play my coccyx up terrible. I have sat some seriously long distances in the P6 with no back problems at all.

I think the original flat leather P6 seats are very comfortable indeed.
 
Thanks guys, it's not that I do not like the originals, on the contrary, I would prefer those. I have tried bidding on some, without success, they seem to be in great demand, even quite ratty ones. The passenger seat is repairable, as it is only the stitching that's gone, but the drivers seat has been attacked by Jack The Ripper, it's slashed to buggery, & will need new leather, which I presume will be tres expensive n'est ce pas? I did see some Rover 75 seats as well, they did look pretty good, but had different colour piping. I wouldn't want to fit the rears, as mine are not too bad, & the design of the 75's seats is not too different to mine. The only thing that occurred to me about the MG ones was that the seats would likely hinge forward, which I wouldn't want. A decent series 2 drivers seat would solve the problem, if anyone's got one lying around, even if it's not in great shape, as long as it's repairable.
 
BTW. Redrover, do the 800 seats have a similar design to ours, or are they totally different? as I would consider them if they are similar. Cheers
 
dvdocon said:
BTW. Redrover, do the 800 seats have a similar design to ours, or are they totally different? as I would consider them if they are similar. Cheers
Click to expand...

I honestly don't know, but I would assume the runners were similarly spaced, so the most you'd need to do is drill some new holes in the runners to get studs through into the P6 mounds. In terms of overall dimensions, they appeared to fit fine in the car. I couldn't vouch for how close they come to the B-pillar at the shoulder area. With modern seats normally being much taller than classic seats, and with P6 being notoriously narrow at the shoulder line, I'd want to measure everything up first. But I'd honestly be happy with a set of originals. As rp61973 says, the original flat pleats are supremely comfortable, but you can get box pleats very easily in the right places. Place a advert on here in the wanted section, or join the P6 Club facebook group and ask there https://www.facebook.com/groups/roverp6club/

You should find something easily enough.

Michael
 
I think the problem is the rear of the squab. IIRC Rover changed the design of the early flatpleat adding a notch to allow recoil seatbelts to be fitted.

I'm still after a buckskin flatpleat passenger seat...

Until you find a better option, you might still get reasonable service from your existing cover if you remove it and reinforce where it is torn it with nylon webbing and use furniture clinic crack filler and a colour over the top. It's quite a bit of work though.

Stitching by hand isn't too bad where the seams come undone as you already of course have the holes as a guide.

Post a picture so we can assess the damage.
 
Thanks for the offer Willy, but I really need a whole drivers seat, unless you've got one stashed away somewhere.
Redrover, I'll look at some pictures of 800 seats, if they are anything like the 75 seats, then they are at least similar in design to what is already there, except the pleats look wider.
Bill, those seats look good, but differ too much in design, would be ok if it was a two seater! Thanks for the thought though.
I think I will put another mention in the "wanted" section & join the facebook group first, in the hope of getting an original. Thanks for the advice everyone, & if you hear about a suitable seat going, please let me know.
 
PeterZRH, I have seen some flat pleat seat for sale on ebay, not sure if they are Buckskin, but they are light in colour, but listed as Box Pleat! They have been through at least once with no bids, might be worth a look. I did post some pictures on my "project page" for PDT389L, but the drivers seat has gone from bad to worse, having my substantial derriere plonked on it a few times each day hasn't helped, I guess! The leather seems quite stiff still, even though I have put oodles of leather cream on it numerous times, even letting it soak in overnight a few times. I will persist with this& hopefully it will eventually soften a bit!
 
It seems that getting hold of seats is not that easy after all, as despite putting a mention on here & on the facebook page mentioned, no-one has come forward with anything. To be honest, I get the distinct impression that whilst there are some very open & helpful people in the P6 fraternity, particularly on here, there are others who seem as cliquey as a womans knitting club. Ultimately, we are all trying to keep our old cars on the road, & improve them to the best of our ability, within our own constraints of time & budget. I can't say that I'm surprised that one or two members have left the forum recently.
 
How about one of the Rover breakers? Perhaps Joseph or Red Hat could assist? I ended up cannibalising a passenger seat to make a good driver's seat, so this is possibly a better option.

There are some P6 owners out there who would be more at home at the Knitters Arms, but I find many on this forum are absolute mustard when it comes to advice and assistance.
 
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