The 'E' Type Forum

I am interested to know if there is a way to recognise if a seat is LH or RH
Ref BD15530 and BD15529
I can post pictures of my seats tomorrow if necessary

Think the lh and rh are the same. Can't tell mine apart. J

Some pictures

Yep...look like mine although. Ahem...a bit rustier. I can't be absolutely certain but I don't think the seat buckets as pictured, are handed. The runners are handed or at least the one with the adjustable rachet is, but as they bolt to the seat and to the floor it means either seat will fit either side...at least they do in my car #860523. Happy wire brushing!!!

Thank you

A pleasure. Hope you get yours sorted and fitted.

Can see no difference between the two seats. Have actually done away with the runners for the drivers seat and bolted it direct to the floor to get more head room + cranked up the front with spacers on the bolts.
And to Julian I say our respective cars are not too far away. Mine is 860541. I wonder if they'd recognise each other?! Nick J Ludlow

This is what we know so far about the seats: viewtopic.php?t=2006&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=144

Specifically:
"All cars were initially fitted with the same style of seat having a narrow back and 10? rake angle to allow the convertible roof to be lowered without fouling. The August 1961 SPC shows the L/H and R/H seat assemblies as #BD15530 and #BD15529 (i.e they are handed, left and right) for both FHC and OTS. At some point a second style of seat was introduced specifically for the FHC which featured a more comfortable wider back in keeping with its 'Grand Touring' credentials. The June 1963 SPC shows the new seat frames as #BD24175 (FHC) and #BD20820 (OTS), they are not handed and have a rake angle of 20?. I can find no reference to this change in the Spares Bulletins but the change is likely to have coincided with the dished bulkhead in June 1962. The seat slides also changed at about this time from #BD18958 locking slide RH, #BD18959 locking slide LH, #BD18960 plain slide to #BD22810, #BD22811, #BD22812 respectively. The later versions allowed more travel to take advantage of the dished bulkhead. Change was at car numbers 860581/886093/850527/877356."

Measure the rake angle which should tell you if the seats are handed.

Heuer wrote:
Measure the rake angle which should tell you if the seats are handed.

It is about 10?

Good info from NickJ. Good wheeze dispensing with the runners...there ain't much movement anyhow!!!

Not sure of the rake angle of mine but at a glance the seats look identical although someone has scrawled r/h and l/ h underneath. They are interchangeable.

And to Nick...yes...very close! Mine was born May 8th 1962 so I guess yours would have been around then too? Sadly Ludlow is a bit of a poke from Herts or I'd pop over. If you are venturing to Bicester our cars can meet?

We had a delightful local JDC member (very sadly no longer with us). He had a lovely SS1 but formerly owned 860522....the one before mine.

No trace on xke data though....anyone out there have 860522?

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860160 has been built January 1962