project OTS seats (p.2) new pictures 22.02.2009 primer coat

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 11:43 pm

hi everybody,

i'm steve from belgium ,
and about a week ago , i "found" a e-type '61 convertible in the yard of a neighbour.
it's in a terrible condition , laying there for about 15-20 years .
my neighbour isn't the owner but a mate of him is , he imported the car and alot of parts for it , but never started the actual restoration .
it's a shame to see a car like that with about 90percent of the pieces lying in a container next to it .
i asked if i could buy and/or restore the car for/from him .
he doesn' t want that , he's 69 years old and doesn't have any children ...but still...

now my question is , i'm totally in love with the bucket seats and i want to place them in my car (a vw golf 1 '83) .
can i buy some replica's ? do they exist ? or do i have to search for the real deal ? (it's the model with the "arc"-like back)

sorry for the bad english

thx

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:20 pm

Welcome Steve,

Shame about the OTS being left to rot. Any chance you could find the car number (located on a plate in the engine compartment near the R/H bulkhead) so you can record it on XKEdata? http://www.xkedata.com/ Actually the car is probably worth very little - 7,000 - 10,000 Euros - because the restoration costs will be around 70,000+ Euros.

As for the S1 3.8 bucket seats you really need to try a set before buying them. Jaguar replaced the original buckets with better seats for the S1 4.2 because everyone complained about how uncomfortable they were after a few miles. The buckets from the open car have a different shape back from the fixed head version. Not sure how much money you want to spend but RS Panels sell a set of S1 3.8 alloy seat frames for ?780 but allow a further ?850 to have them trimmed. You will then need to figure out how to mount them in your car. The original Jaguar seat slides are available from SNG Barratt at a cost of about ?150/pair. You may find a set of seats on eBay but expect bidding to be strong and they will still need restoring. Probably cheaper to buy a set of modern retro style Cobra or Corbeau buckets: The Corbeau GT4 retro seat sells for ?175 and the Cobra Classic for ?40 each. http://www.motorspeed.com/store_main.as ... ory_id=105

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 12:28 pm

the cost will be way less i think, almost every part that you need he is in container next to it : al the body work , motor parts , interior , lights, logo's.......... a new top...
that's what really makes it a shame , everythings there but just has to be mounted...

its not really for the comfort , they just look so ****** great
and i have experience with placing other seats (that don't fit) in the car

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:00 pm

Steve

The main restoration cost will be the labour. Restoring the bodywork alone can cost up to ?30,000 then add ?10,000 for paint, engine/gearbox/diff rebuild is ?5,000 and the interior re-trim ?5,000. If the parts have not been stored perfectly many will have deteriorated past use in the last 15 years but someone may want to take the project on.

Keep an eye on eBay if you are determined to have a set of the early buckets. The FHC version has got a wider back rest and flatter top. The OTS version has a narrow pointed back rest to allow the convertible top to be lowered without fouling it. Either would meet your requirements I guess, which may make your search easier.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:08 pm

to make sure it's the same seat we're talking about

thanks mate for the great info

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:34 pm

Yes that is the OTS seat. The FHC seat looks like this:

The back rest is wider and flatter at the top although some FHC's left the factory with OTS style seats, but not the other way around. The complaints centred around the seam in the middle of the backrest which dug into people's spines. The angle of the squab/backrest was also found to be too acute for most.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:01 pm

Heuer wrote:Yes that is the OTS seat. The FHC seat looks like this:

The back rest is wider and flatter at the top although some FHC's left the factory with OTS style seats, but not the other way around. The complaints centred around the seam in the middle of the backrest which dug into people's spines. The angle of the squab/backrest was also found to be too acute for most.

they look the same to me :D
but i'm no expert
better search for the fhc models then ...

i find it special that in the last week i learned so much about the e-type serie 1 , and i'm no jaguar-fanatic

thx

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 5:18 pm

Best to look at the seats from the back - this is a FHC seat, wide and flat topped:

Even better out of the car:
FHC

OTS

Pictures courtesy of Suffolk & Turley.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 8:22 pm

ots still looks beter :D
because it's not for a e-type i could chance the top to look like an ots

the bigger challenge will be finding a set
those seats look great btw

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 12:39 am

hi everybody,
soon after i ended my topic here , i got an e-mail from a some-one .
he read this topic , and he had a set of seat (frames) :one restored and one to be restored , i think they are ots's
he told me his price and i agreed

the restored one

my question is : were do i find the rest? :D

i asume i need some wood-work and foam for it ? and the leather of course
can i find a plan so i can cut the wood work myself (on a cnc machine)?

greets

Post by **Heuer** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 11:02 am

Steve

Well done! You have a number of options for trimming and all the necessary parts are readily available. First option is to get the seats trimmed professionally - Suffolk & Turley or MCT can do the work for you including restoring the second frame. Their contact details are in the 'Recommended Specialists' thread. Second option is to buy the necessary trimming materials and have the work done locally or by yourself. Both Suffolk & Turley or MCT supply complete seat kits as does John Skinner Ltd and BAS (USA & Canada) - check their web sites for prices.

Trimming the Jaguar seats properly is a skilled job so worth doing some research first. Give Eric Suffolk (S&T) or Mick Turley (MCT) a call and get an understanding of what is involved.

Post by **1954Etype** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 7:12 pm

Steve, both Mick and Eric do superb jobs - I have seen some seats trimmed by BAS in Wales and they looked great too. You might want to compare prices.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:39 am

thanx guys,
just 1 little problem
i live in belgium :D i'm a minimum 3 hours from GB :D
i'm gonna search for the right stuff , order online , do it myself .
just the leather is going to be done by a pro. also make a little ajustment on the backrest , so that the" spine-crushing thingy" is gone
i'm amazed that i'm going to get these , in so little time
this will be my last mod. on the car for some months . because of the money thats going in to it .

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:28 pm

when i search for the parts they always ask the type of car : engine type,ect...
is there a big difference between otc seats or al they al the same ?

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 10:19 am

Steve

Just tell everyone it is a 1963 S1 3.8 OTS and you will be OK. Don't bother to go into details about your Golf or you will cause confusion. The S1 4.2 litre cars produced from 1965 had different seats.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:41 pm

Heuer wrote:Steve

Just tell everyone it is a 1963 S1 3.8 OTS and you will be OK. Don't bother to go into details about your Golf or you will cause confusion. The S1 4.2 litre cars produced from 1965 had different seats.

t

i know what you mean , but when order a part( ex. the woodwork) it will fit any ots seat ? i don't really care what model it comes from, i just don't want to order wrong parts

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 1:42 pm

The phrase "1963 S1 3.8 ltr Roadster" contains all the information required. Only one type of seat was fitted to the open model, and are the one's you have, so there should be no confusion. As you can see from the photos the seat back for the FHC (closed car) were wider. e.g.: http://www.jaguar-trim.co.uk/html/jagua ... ter_38.htm see number 20 'Seat re-trim kit - bucket seat' - thats the one for you. You will also need 'seat foam kit - cushion', 'seat foam kit - backrest' and the 'seat wood set' as I think the re-trim kit is just the leather. You may come across the term 'flat floor' but the seats are exactly the same as yours.

Another good site here: http://www.aldridge.co.uk/home/index.cfm?id=3 complete with prices. Total cost for two seats - ?717 including VAT. They even sell the metal seat shells at ?167 each if one of yours is too far gone.
Select 'Jaguar', select 'E-Type Roadster 3.8', select 'Seats' to get to correct screen.

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:25 pm

wow it would be cheaper to buy the frames at aldridge ,they ask about the same then i paid for the bad one :? :?
thanks for the info , it's hard to this with google

btw the surfolk and surley site doesn't work any more, when i click the link i'm on a baking site

Post by **Heuer** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:37 pm

Thanks. Suffolk & Turley link fixed (should have been .co.uk rather than .com)

racers_elite · Post by **racers_elite** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:33 pm

they're here :D :D :D :D
first i'm going to finish the "good" one.
re-check the iron, re-weld when needed.
smooth out the surface ,some corners and hole's.
then it's going to be spray-painted

then i'm gonna start on the "bad" one
it's pretty crispy (rust)
so a lot more work on that one,

i'm going to post some pictures
of the project

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project OTS seats (p.2) new pictures 22.02.2009 primer coat

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