Fiero seats to MG install

Bolting Fiero Seats into Another Car

* Be advised that the information provided here and on MrMikes.com in general does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed. The views and opinions of authors expressed on MrMikes.com do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Government Department of Transportation, the automotive manufacturer, or any requirements and/or standards of any country. See an authorized service department for information concerning warranties and liabilities and their relation to modifications performed by persons not authorized by the manufacturing corporation. MrMikes.com is not affiliated with any manufacturing corporation. Use of this information signifies your agreement to the terms of use.

MrMikes general information on bolting Fiero seats into another kind of car:

1. The seat tracks act as an intermediary between the floor of the car and the bottom of the seat.

2. It is very important that the bottom of the track is securely bolted to the floor of the car and the top of the track is securely bolted to the bottom of the seat. (Please do not use screws and pieces of wood)

Depending on the shape of your car's floor and the design of your car's seats tracks you may want to:
(A) Alter the top of your car's original seat tracks to fit the bottom of the Fiero seat.
(B) Alter the bottom of the Fiero tracks to fit the floor of your car.

A. Often the floor of your car is not flat and the original tracks have been made to provide a flat plane for the seat to sit on, in which case it is better to use your car’s original tracks. Your tracks will have the proper holes to bolt the tracks to the floor of your car; the floor of the car is reinforced where the tracks bolt on.
The Fiero seat is a sheet metal design. The bolt holes on the bottom of the Fiero seat for the tracks are backed with copper ‘doughnuts’ to accept the track bolts. As a rule it is easier to alter the top of your tracks than the bottom of the Fiero seat.

B. If your car’s floor is flat (like the Fiero) you can use the Fiero tracks. The Fiero tracks have rear flanged ‘feet’ that can be modified to align with your car's floor mounts. The front feet of the Fiero tracks have a simple centered hole.

3. The bolt pattern dimension on the bottom of the Fiero seat is:
14 inches front-to-rear and 13 3/8 inches side-to-side

(Click to see larger)

4. Remove your original (non-Fiero) seats & tracks from the car by un-bolting the tracks from the floor of the car,,,
remove your tracks from the bottom of your seats,,,
measure the mounting points (bolt holes) on the bottom of your seat. ‘track-to-bottom of seat' .
As a rule General Motors cars often use the same track mounting point dimensions, if so you are in luck. If the side-to-side dimension is correct you may be able to drill front-to-rear hole(s) in the top of the tracks to accept the Fiero seat. If not you will probably need to weld metal plates (maybe two, maybe four) to the top of the tracks and drill holes to accept the Fiero seat.

5. Lastly: The frame of a car seat typically sits higher in the front (under your knees) and lower in the rear, this angle is called ‘Rake’. Be aware of this when modifying the tracks as you will find a flat & level car seat uncomfortable to sit in, and will cause you to ‘submarine’ under the lap seatbelt in the event of a crash. Rake can be added by using spacers and longer 'track-to-bottom-of-seat' bolts.

Fitting Fiero seats into your MGB

by Martyn Harvey

Canadian MGBV8 Register

When I decided to fit Fiero seats to my ‘79 MGB I wanted to avoid drilling the floorpan.

This is how I accomplished the task:

· I switched the seats so that the Fiero driver’s seat became the MGB passenger seat and the Fiero passenger seat became the MGB driver’s seat. This placed the seat back recliner mechanism against the transmission tunnel which allows the seat back spring to do it’s job of raising the seat back to an upright position.

· I discarded the plastic shrouding since there is no room for it in this application.

· Next I removed the tracks from the bottom of the seats.

· Next I removed the two rear “feet” from the seat tracks and replaced them with a pair of front “feet” from a spare Fiero seat.
[ see * note below ]

· Before fitting these “feet” to the tracks, I modified them (bent them) to the appropriate height (i.e. I bent them to match the profile of the original rear “feet”).

· I refitted these modified “feet” in the correct location on the tracks. This location can be easily found by using a wooden rail (found under the original MGB seat tracks) as a template. The “feet” can be fastened to the tracks using self-tapping automotive screws (hex-head).

· The holes in the “feet”were now aligned with the captive nuts on the floor pan in a front to rear direction. However, when the tracks were re-fastened to the seat base I found that the holes required enlarging in a side-to-side direction in order for the bolts to align with the captive nuts.

· When bolting the seat to the floor, I used large flat washers (with a small inside diameter) on the securing bolts.

· I also placed spacers under the front “feet” to raise the seat slightly to provide support under my thighs. These were made from aluminum bar drilled to allow the seat bolt to pass through.

· If you are using the headrest speakers, the wiring code is as follows:

n dark blue is R+

n light blue is R-

n brown is L+

n yellow is L-

n remember to get the connector from the donor car when you get your seats.

By following these steps your Fiero seats will fit snugly into your MGB, recline properly and fit onto the original floor pan captive nuts.

The final touch, of course, is to fit leather seat upholstery from MrMikes !

* A note from another MrMikes customer:

From: Steven
To: MrMike
Subject: Fiero seat tracks for MG

Hi MrMike,
The leather kit you sent me worked out well, and I am getting ready to install the seats in my MGB.
The article by Martyn Harvey about fitting Fiero seats in an MGB discusses using an extra set of Fiero tracks and substituting the two rear "feet" with two front "feet" so that the captive nuts in the floor of the MGB line up for ease of installation.
* I simply welded a small plate on the back "feet" of the Fiero runners with a fresh hole drilled.
This was easier and I think a better fit.

Thanks,
Steven
Minneapolis, MN