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Seat Diaphragm

Stephen

Silver Level Sponsor
Does anyone have pictures of how they installed the diaphragms from SS using his supplied hooks
thanks in advance
Stephen
 

Gary T

Gold Level Sponsor
I do not have photo, but if I recall, I used a vice grip plier to force the strap across and hook into the other side.
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
I rebuilt my seats in 2016 and took some photos, but this is the only one I have that's specifically of the installed diaphragm. Hope it helps.

I will say this, it was a SOB to get on. Took needle-nose vice grips, the help of my wife to hold the seat, and several new (very) bad words.

IMG-2558.jpg


Before and after pics. The wire out the one side of the rebuilt seat is for the heated panels I added. They really help extend the top-down season for the car.

IMG-2533.jpg


The seat heating panels were a generic Dorman kit bought off Amazon.

IMG-2527.jpg
 
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Stephen

Silver Level Sponsor
Thanks Puff 4
They look good
it looks like I have to drill under main rail frame bar into the square L frame. Yes and get a strong grand son to hold back
thanks Gary T as well
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
Thanks Puff 4
They look good
it looks like I have to drill under main rail frame bar into the square L frame. Yes and get a strong grand son to hold back
thanks Gary T as well

I don't think you should need to drill anything. I used the existing holes from the old diaphragm.
 

Stephen

Silver Level Sponsor
my car came from down under and the seat did not have a diaphragm it was different, had very heavy material with metal inserts that had pop rivets
on the side in the middle was heavy rubber loops with rubber strips and springs not sure how to send picture but there are no matching holes
 

Alpine 1789

SAOCA President
Diamond Level Sponsor
my car came from down under and the seat did not have a diaphragm it was different, had very heavy material with metal inserts that had pop rivets on the side in the middle was heavy rubber loops with rubber strips and springs not sure how to send picture but there are no matching holes
I am pretty sure the diaphragm was only used on the SV seats. It sounds like you have SIV or earlier ones. Take a look at the seat strap kit on page 23 in the SS catalogue: http://www.rootes.com/catalog3color.pdf#page=1. Joe Parlanti's article on rebuilding his Mk1 seats might also be helpful: http://www.tigersunited.com/techtips/ParlantiSeats/JoeParlantiSeatsPt1.asp
 

Stephen

Silver Level Sponsor
Seat are the ones Joe has on his page with wood plugs up front to support cushions.
so I don't know if seat are from older model or late but that's them
So I know now I have to make a top piece to support cushios
Thank you
Jim
 
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jumpinjan

Bronze Level Sponsor
When you rebuild the seats, you need to check the seat back frame for an adverse twist that is caused by uneven forces from the "single" recliner lever. The Tiger seat backs are the worst. I tried to just straightened them by bending, that didn't work. Finally, I had to cut the frame, straighten it, and weld it. Now they are straight.
Jan
 

Stephen

Silver Level Sponsor
Thank Jan
I did have to straighten and weld passenger side plus 2 other cracks in welds i found,I haven't pulled apart drivers side yet
As I said before not sure if seats are original to the car its a late model GT
 

Gordon Holsinger

Diamond Level Sponsor
Thank Jan
I did have to straighten and weld passenger side plus 2 other cracks in welds i found,I haven't pulled apart drivers side yet
As I said before not sure if seats are original to the car its a late model GT
The diaphragms are a PITA to install I made a loop from steel wire an had my stepson hold the seat while I pulled and used language that would embarrass a sailor or a Marine!
 

65beam

Donation Time
When you rebuild the seats, you need to check the seat back frame for an adverse twist that is caused by uneven forces from the "single" recliner lever. The Tiger seat backs are the worst. I tried to just straightened them by bending, that didn't work. Finally, I had to cut the frame, straighten it, and weld it. Now they are straight.
Jan
Another common problem with the frames of seats with the loose flap back is that the frame tube tends to crack where the upright tube goes thru the top of the frame. This usually happens on the side opposite the recliner lever. This shows the left seat frame of my series 4 after Doug did repairs and painted it. We had the same problem with both seats.107_0206.JPG 107_0205.JPG
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
You can truly can see the light aircraft origins of the Alpine seats by their design. They really are nicely designed, despite their inherent issues.

If you compare the innards of nearly all the rest of the other LBC seats they are very, very different indeed. For example, these from a TR3:

TR_Pans.JPG


And these from an Austin Healey:

Austin-Healey-100-4-Original-Used-Seat-Frame-Set.jpg
 

alpine_64

Donation Time
That said Kevin, the series I/ II frames pre microcell as supplier are quite heavy and more akin to other period brit cars
 

puff4

Platinum Level Sponsor
Agreed, Mike. But I really love the later series seats... the most comfortable I've ever had in a LBC, and I've had 47 of them over the years.
 

65beam

Donation Time
Agreed, Mike. But I really love the later series seats... the most comfortable I've ever had in a LBC, and I've had 47 of them over the years.
I prefer the loose flap seat used in the Series 4 over the seat used in the Series 5. You actually set farther back in the seat and have more support than the Series 5. One of the worst seats I ever had was the MGA seats.
 

mikephillips

Donation Time

I'd also suggest in the seat bottoms welding some pieces across the corners to join the sides to the front/rear rails. I did that to mine to hopefully help resist twisting/racking since the frames are fastened to the car at the fronts and loose at the backs. My hope is that this will help resist recracking too as you get in and out of the car and the pushing/pulling the frame undergoes.

Weird this somehow ended up attached initially to a different thread I hadn't even read...
 
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