I have a set of brown leather Miata's and a couple set's of Chevy Sprint Turbo Recaro's (I think they are recaro's anyways) I also have a black Recaro I got off of Craigslist for $15 (small rip) - The Recaro's are all cloth. Will be learning to do upholstry soon no doubt - my mom has all the equipment so I'll be learning with here. Will either reskin the brn leather in red leather or dye it up. The bonus of the Miata seats are small speaker's in the headrests. Key in a noisey car I believe. The other bonus is that the speakers I pulled out were high end aftermarket too.

Suggestion Ron - join Locost USA and watch for people parting out Miata's near you - the favorited donor car. I apparently spend more time acquiring parts than actually working on my Mini... sad.

Malsal, thanks for the info. This is why I hang out here and ask a lot of questions!  I have a few months to look for just the right thing. Thanks. 

Ron, it has been my experience with two sets of aftermarket Chinese made seats from the UK site that the ones you referenced came from they look a lot better than they actually are, they do not wear well at all and you need a 30 inch waist to fit in them they are basically JUNK. Now with that being said i have not bought an expensive set just average run of the mill double the price when you get them here seats, the second set i sold on before i even installed them due to the very poor quality (same ones you like). Stick with a factory seat out of another car that will fit/work you will be out less money and a lot happier when you look at them a year from now, and yes i was trying to acheive the same look as you are.

Mainly what I am looking for is something like these: something that won't stand out to much from stock. Yes, I know I'm being picky.

//www.ebay.com/itm/150755804655?item=150755804655&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:B:WNA:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr

 

heh, thanks - I have two kids, 10 and 13 that both fit back there comfortably once the squeeze past the Rover seats.  Part of why I am looking at doing this is to make this a little easier for them.  It's only occasional, but if I want to take the car to work (amazing bay side 15 mile ride) I need to make room for one kid in the back.

Why, is there something back there you need? I'd say access is about the same as the regular seats, which means your 5 year old wouldn't have a problem getting back there. Or maybe a bit worse since the top of the seat contacts the windshield before it gets all the way forward. But then access to the rear seat has never been a primary reason for driving this car. If I really need to do something back there I just pop the seat out. Don't have a picture handy.

Red Riley, do you have a pic of them tilted forward?  I want to see how the access is to the back

This is usually a good source for Miata seats: www.flyinmiata.com/salvage

Pretty sure all the Miata seats had integral headrests, but I suppose you could sawzall them off and wrap duct tape over the hole. Or not.

Thanks for the replies only trouble is that my wife won't let me take the seats out of our MX5 !!!! would you believe it ???

Has anyone ever taken off the top part of the seat to get the effect of not having a highback seat or is it part of the structural integrity?

...or you could use Bini seats, nice and comfy.  Still tilt forward and recline and raise up and down, they just don't slide fore and aft.

//photobucket.com/grayminiseatinstall

 

I like the subframe Red Riley shows.  I had RX-7 seats in my Cooper S in the early eighties and did a similar conversion.

I presently have some Acura seats in a MK III, and made a similar subframe, however, the driver's side sits way too high, and the only way to really make the seat work in the car will be to channel the crossmember to drop the rails below the height of the crossmember.  This would be for the more adjustable driver's seat, the passenger seat is simpler and can go nicely atop the crossmember.

Now that I'm old and stuff and think about safety, I would much prefer the seat to be very well anchored to the floor as opposed to having a subframe that can tilt like an old school stock mini seat. 

Here's another way to skin that cat. John at MiniTec made these up for me. Take the stock Miata slider brackets, weld a flat bar across at the front with a pair of drilled tabs. A piece of square tube across the back with a pair of long nuts welded on to provide adjustment for "leg" bolts. Once it's bolted onto the seat with some short cap head socket bolts, it pops onto the stock seat brackets and functions exactly like the stock seat, with working slider and tilt.

There's more than one way to skin this cat, so not knowing to whom you're directing your question, I'll start. I'm sure others will chime in with their own experinece and recommendation. As stated earlier in my post, I wanted my seats to sit low in the car and to afford more up front leg room, while sacrificing rear seat access and leg room.

The way the seats were installed in the Miata had the leading edges of the floor tracks with a 90 degree bend downward. That's where they bolted into a raised floor element of the Miata. I simply flattened that bend so I could mount the tracks directly to the floor pan, behind the Mini cross member. This required fours holes to be drilled in the floor pan for each seat. To that, I added 1/2" high x 1.5" wide wood shims under the tracks in a transverse direction in order to gain a small amount of additional height. The seat bolts run thru these shims and they have large fender washers at the bottom. In my installation, the seats do not slide fore and aft but they do recline without fouling the rear bins.

Yes MX5 (miata) seats are great , do you have details on how you mount them ?

I don't think he was too keen on the idea of riding in my mini the whole way down! Not even sure if he will be around, I think there is a big Triumph meet somewhere???  I do like the idea of being down there, and just getting up and going.

I have some Miata seats in good condition available if anyone is looking to buy some.

Also have some okay ones that would be great for re-upholstery.

Ron...I removed a pair of black cloth Miata seats from my Mini when I switced to Cobra's. I have no intention of letting them go, but if you'd swing down this way and come to my house the day before I shove off for Mini53, we could install one of the seats in your car for the trip. It would however, require drilling four holes in your floor pan. The way I reworked the floor tracks, they sit nice and low and behind the cross member. You'd be welcome to to crash here for the night and we'd head out at 6am Wednesday. We could remove the seat on the return trip.

PS: I won't tell Pops what you said about your passengers comfort, or lack thereof.

Miata, Yep.

What jedduh01 said!

OT: I've had Miata's in saloons and Mokes. Actually they fit well in the Moke but you have to reverse the handing (left seat on the right side) as the natural chamfer of the seat pad fits nicely inside the moke's pontoons.

Martin.

IMO - Probably the easiest / cheapest / best fit. that would be  comfortable with a high back for support would be Miata Seats.

All years of miatas are the same thru 90 - 06  newer seats get leather and such. if you get cloth Vendors sell leather kits, if you wanted to go fancy and convert for style points.

They of course have a high back  Not agressive but supportive sides.Narrow fit for good mini application. Plenty of other mini owners go this route. Ive sat in a few mini's with Miata seats and think they would be Awesome!

Im sure you could even get a pair  early - black  cloth for about  100$  - use it for your purpose., Sell off in the future for same ammount.

Good source would be SCCA Boards - Craigslist... Miata's all the time are being dismantled for Club Racing, with that the seats are throw away items.