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MG MGA - Pain in the butt!

Does anyone use a cushion on the seat for long trips - I am 183 cms (6') - 96 kgs - it sure can be hard on the behind after a long trip. One guy in our club has modified the base of the seat to add more padding but still look original. Are there form fitting cushions available?
Regards
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Mike,

I know what you mean. My roadster has a very hard seat bottom but my coupe is soft and comfortable. I took my TD seats and had a upholstry shop put in my new kits and he stuffed the seat with comfortable type of foam and they held up very well. You moght want to try changing the foam/mesh inside the seat bottoms.

David....
David Honness

I am still reeling from a guy in Alaska telling an Aussie that he doesn't need a wind deflector, just that he should rug up. Now, Mike, you are complaing about a sore rear end! Where has the macho Aussie male disappeared to? (heh, heh!)
Phillip Hughes

Yeah, really, you guys should be glad you have paved roads and aren't driving your cars on dogsled trails like we are!

Ken
k v morton

Yeah like Phillip says suck it up
B WALKER

Mike
When I got my car 4 years ago the seat bottoms we shot. I went to an upholstery shop with the old bottoms and had them make up new cushions out of foam. I made up new seat bottoms and put them together myself. If I remember right we tried a couple of different densities of foam and I decided on one he recomemded that was about middle of the road. Between my Subaru and my wife's Altima the A is the most comfortable car to drive. I had no problems even with my back driving two 9hr days last Sept.
Kris
Kris Sorensen

I think I missed something....

Anyway, I dunno about adding extra cushions to the bottoms, but my mom had to add cushions to the seat back in order to reach the pedals. I clearly remember she had to take me to the hospital when my dad was at work, and she was more upset about having to drive the MG than she was about one of her kids being sick.
Del Rawlins

I share Mikes view about uncomfortable seats. The old term 'bone shaker' was an apt description. Did big healeys have sprung seats, their suspension was pretty hard.? I wonder if anyone has ever dispensed with the foam and put in springs with webbing - did the de luxe have this?
J H Cole

My worst ergonomic problem is that my left knee hits the side curtain fixing nut (which makes my knee start to hurt after a while) and I have to consciously keep from resting my right knee on the shift lever (which makes my leg start to ache after a while). I can't imagine driving this car for more than 100 miles at a time. Still, those 100 miles are glorious! :-)
David Breneman

When I did my seats, I used the Scarborough Faire inners with the Moss outers. I added just a bit of extra padding in the lower back. I have driven this car over 500 miles a day, sometimes a couple days in a row, and was very surprised that it was as comfortable as my Buick. I was however beat up by the end of the day from the wind and noise. I am currently 5'8" and 175 lbs.

David, if you are not too much of an originalist, Have you thought about remaking the fixing nut to a fixing bolt? You could dril and tap the plate and locktite a cut-off bolt to the knob. This would allow you to remove the knob completely while driving but look stock when the knob was in place.

Chuck
C Schaefer

David and Chuck,
I remove the side screen fixing nut and plate completely whenever I use my car in club competitions or long drives as I also end up with a bruised knee otherwise. (We are lucky in Australia - most of our weather is classified as "top-down").
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Hi Mike - looks like the A was designed for frames the size of Chuck and me - I too am 5'8" and around 155 lbs - no trouble with knees catching on anything or padding on the seat - but I do need a small cushion in the small of my back . cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

My seat feels quite firm when you get in, but no problem on longer trips. The first time I ever drove an MGA was on a six hour drive home (with a permanent grin and impervious to pain). However, today I would class the two hour journey that I make quite often as a longer trip.

Also I am 6ft but don't bang my knees. I just sat in the car and couldn't even get my knee within three inches of the sidescreen nut whilst operating the throttle (or brake). Mike, how do you manage that in a RHD car? I'm also well clear of the gear lever. There is the proximaty of the steering wheel to the upper leg, but I can live with that.

The only problem I have is keeping my cap on at speed. I asked for help with that in a previous thread and I think that the general opinion was that I must have an odd shaped head!?

Neil
Neil McGurk

Its funny Neil when I sit in the car it is well clear - after a motorkhana or a sprint I have a sore knee so I remove it now.
With the cap problem we use a lanyard that comes with a ground pass to most sporting events these days. Flick the pass and slip the clip on to the adjusting strap at the back of the cap - drop the lanyard around your neck and pull your cap on in one motion!
Mike
Mike Ellsmore

Mike, sounds less painful than the staple gun I'm using at the moment.
Neil McGurk

The side curtain nut isn't as hard as keeping my right knee off the shift lever. I've developing one really strong inner thigh muscle. :-)
David Breneman

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/conForFoan.php
Del Rawlins

I do not know why we drive these cars if they hurt our bodies so much. My pain is I get a badly twisted right knee as I cannot lean my leg against the door or car panel as its too far away(Australian RHD). I have made a small pad which I screw to the window nut, about 6in wide to support my knee. After about 2hours driving it really pains a lot and lasts the rest of the day. The problem is I place the ball of my foot on the floor between the accelerator and clutch pedal which leaves my foot at a 45deg angle. The pain is my own entire fault but I cannot sit any other way. Im 6 foot tall and 92 kgs so I fit in quite well.
Anyway happy driving to you all.
DJ Lake

DJ, like any loving relationship, you endure the pain because the pleasure is glorious!
David Breneman

I fitted new seat foams in my '56 roadster, but then found I had no clearance under the steeering wheel! (fat legs) Had to remove it from my seat, but left it for the passenger (also known as the "airbag"). Modern material is not the same as the "Dunlopillo" foam fitted originally, as it is much harder. We usually do 400 - 500 mile days, for 4 - 5 days straight, when driving to events in North America.
Am planning on different seat design for my '58 coupe (under reconstruction) to provide better side support and comfort.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Peter a smaller diameter steering wheel helps with the clearance and makes it easier to get in and out.
R J Brown

This thread was discussed between 03/03/2008 and 12/03/2008

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