Seat Question/Advice needed

A new Hornet owner here with a serious need for advice.
We obtained some mini cooper front seats to replace the originals in our Hornet, for a number of reasons we needed seats that would recline. So we arranged for a retrim and in order to get them back asap agreed a like for like exchange. However we have ended up with metro seats that we have been assured will fit but to be honest we can't see how. We tried fitting the drivers seat and it just seemed all wrong. Should they fit?

It may be that they figured the Metro seats would replace the Mini ones you traded them, not realizing that the weren't being fitted in a Mini. I suspect that the mounting on the Metro (and the Mini seats you traded) is different from the original ones out of the Hornet, although not having a Metro at hand to look at I'm not certain. You will probably have to have some brackets made to adapt them or swap in the seat mounting bits from a Metro.

I'm not sure that there are any metro seats that will fit directly into a mini / hornet / elf.

Metro seats have runners and bolt onto tbe floor. The back of the seat tilts foward to get into the back of the car.

Mini etc seats are bolted to the crossmember at the front and the whole seat tips forward to get access to the back.

I think you're going to need your original seats back, or at least a Mini rather than Metro set.

Yes, my point was that they would not be a direct replacement and would need some modifications to make them work, if at all. I've got Mazda MX5 seats in mine, but it took welding some custom brackets to make them work.

Hunt for the correct seats. You will be happier in the end. Just my 2 cents.

Red Riley wrote:Yes, my point was that they would not be a direct replacement and would need some modifications to make them work, if at all. I've got Mazda MX5 seats in mine, but it took welding some custom brackets to make them work.

Brian I noticed yours are attached to the original seat bracket with an extention bar. I'm amazed you have kept the sliding mechanism or have you done away with that?

TONYELF wrote:
Brian I noticed yours are attached to the original seat bracket with an extention bar. I'm amazed you have kept the sliding mechanism or have you done away with that?

All of the Mazda sliding seat frame is still there. It's just bolted onto a flat ladder-type frame with legs at the back to replicate the mounting points of the standard seat. I've been asked so many times, so I'm preparing to clean the car up and I'll take some pictures while the seats are out.