Cabrio seats

[mjcole]

Hi,

Can some one tell me what seats, or where I can get seats for my Marlin Cabrio. Javelin have finished trading and Terry at Marlin is no longer able to supply.
The communities help is appreciated.

Regards
Mike

[lizbillings]

Re: Cabrio seats

Hi Mike. Doug bought some seats for his Cabrio at Stoneleigh last year. They are made by Interiors Foam Ltd who used to be Richfield Vehicle Seating. Address Unit 4b Botany Park, Botany Ave, Mansfield, Notts. www.interiors.tk email [email protected]
However there is a snag. The reclining knob sticks out too far at the side of the seat but they can narrow the seat and alter the knob mounting. These do not have a tilt facility and they are quite expensive. They can cover in all sorts of colours. If you come to Stoneleigh you can look at Doug's and I am sure you will find Interiors Foam in one of the halls.

[dave_kitson]

Re: Cabrio seats

I think Dougs seats are the Lowback Narrow Recliner RX1380, width at base according to their literature is 47cm, which is tight.
Another possibility is Corbeau Sportsman Recliner, width 41.5cm, which should be easier, but check first as this may exclude the knob. Corbeau Seats Ltd, Wainwright Close, Chuchfields Ind Est, St Leonards-on-Sea, E Sussex TN38 9PP; tel 01424 854499; www.corbeau-seats.co.uk .
If you don't mind trawling the scrap yards look for Bedford Rascal/Suzuki Carry vans, which I believe have seats which are narrow enough. May need recovering of course.
Finally, this definitely works as I've done it! Suzuki Cappuccino seats. Bit of a rare beast, but rust quickly and often get broken up for parts. I got a pair from eBay for 50 quid, which needed recovering, you may get lucky and get some in good nick. Only come in black vinyl as far as I know, but look good, are comfortable, and have full slide/tilt/lift facilities.
Hope this helps!

[danny_nelson]

Re: Cabrio seats

Corbeau Sportsman Recliner seats were used in the first Cabrios and before that in Berlinettas. Any of the seats from production cars can be stripped and altered and recovered and I feel that this would be a better option .

[mjcole]

Re: Cabrio seats

Hi,
Thanks to you all for your replies.
I like the look of the \"Corbeau Sportsman Recliner\" and judging from their literature the Knob is shown flush within the seat width.
I will be attending the Stoneleigh show and hope to speak to you there.
Regards
Mike

[tim hawkesworth]

Re: Cabrio seats

Mike,
Good to see that your query has produced so many options and given you plenty of food for thought.
As you are going to Stoneleigh why not pop along to the Marlin Owners Club marquee and join the Club? you will find its members have a wealth of knowledge and if you join at the show then there is no joining fee; just £15-00 for a colour bi monthly magazine, discounts on insurance and from some suppliers as well as this forum which M.O.C. provides.

[lizbillings]

Re: Cabrio seats

Mike. I suggest you come to the Marlin Owners stand and try sitting in some of the cars. Comfort on some of the seats is not so good. Try before you buy! Liz

[lizbillings]

Re: Cabrio seats

Mike. I suggest you come to the Marlin Owners stand and try sitting in some of the cars. Comfort on some of the seats is not so good. Try before you buy! Liz

[mjcole]

Re: Cabrio seats

Liz. Thank you for the suggestion of trying before you buy. I realise there are many options and finding the right one can be a daunting task.
I modified a pair of "Ford Sierra" seats when I first built the car which are now past their best.

Tim. Thanks also to you for your invitation to join the club perhaps we will meet up at Stoneleigh.

Regards to you both.
Mike

[cabrioman]

Re: Cabrio seats

Hi Dave

Interested to hear you have used Cappucino seats, did you have them recovered locally, how did they turn out.

I have a set which I am intending to use, I know they fit, all be it a tad tight, but I was interested to know how you found them in use compared to the early Marlin seats with the adustable headrests.

Cheers

John

[dave_kitson]

Re: Cabrio seats

Early seats with adjustable headrests felt good to start with but were not very comfortable on long journeys. Later seats with integral headrests were much more comfortable, once modified to lift the front edge and give more thigh support. However the adjusting mechanism was rubbish as far as I could see!
I think overall the Cappuccino seats are the best. If yours are in ok condition, you may want to delay recovering as it ain't cheap, due to complexity of the stitching, etc. I opted for recovering the centre sections of mine in grey vinyl and changing the direction of the detail stitching, and leaving the rest black. Some of the black vinyl was also replaced due to rot. So only a partial recover and in vinyl, and it still cost 300 quid. If you want a full recover in leather, it will be a lot more!
However, I can fully recommend the company who did it, excellent job, quickly completed and kept to quoted price. They are Auto-trim, 13, East Squire Mane, Bradford (Garry on 01274 480106). I used them more than once, and a friend has recently had his old TVR retrimmed by them too.

[cabrioman]

Re: Cabrio seats

Must say the Cappuccino seats do feel the best if you just sit in them, ie not tested over long distances. Mine are in as new condition apart from a seam split on the drivers seat so I may go with your suggestion and suck and see before I commit to the recover.

Thanks for the input Dave.

John