My car is a RHD '67 Spitfire Mk3 with non-reclining lowback frames like
earlier Spitfires.
Halfway through my seat reupholstery job, the pros who are handling hit a
snag... The frame where the back joins the basket was broken on one side.
No problem. The upholsterer welded the break (free of charge!) and told me
to come pick up the seats at 2pm today.
When I arrived to pick up the seats, there was a new, more serious problem.
The seat back was way out of whack (which it also was before the weld was
mended). It seems that one side of the seat back splays out quite a bit
wider than the other side.
I took the frame to my local Brit mechanic, who seemed to think that he
could pound the seat back into reasonable shape in an hour and a half and
weld a supporting panel in to make sure the seat didn't flatten out again
(at $68 an hour) But even with proper curvature, it would appear that the
seat back is anything but symmetrical. There simply seems to be more
surface area on one side of center. On my passenger seat, the back is
narrower and measured out straight. Indeed, the reupholstery of that one
turned out splendid, with the exception of a vertical pucker near the top
center where the seat cover was folded in half and squished in the box that
it came in. The upholsterer seemed to think that this crease would work
itself out in time.
I've since tracked down a replacement seat from a fellow parting out his '64
Mk2. But my question is this: Are the lowback seat backs supposed to be
slightly asymmetrical to begin with? Is there such a thing as a right hand
and left hand seat? Up until now, I thought the seats were interchangeable,
but now I'm beginning to wonder...
Best wishes,
Jeff in San Diego
http://www.ohms.com/spitfire/projects.shtml
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