Seat Cover Kit - to fit original DOHC Manx Norton Seat Pans - 1951-58(ish)

Product no.: 0870 RacSeat2

Not in stock

£162.80
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These DOHC Manx Norton type seat cover kits are professionallly hand manufactured in the UK - using a genuine 1950's Manx Norton Seat pan and cover as templates.  The kit consists of the hand stitched cover, with correct red beading and accurate black vinyl, Foam kit, pop rivets and some drawing templates taken from original DOHC Manx Norton seat pan. 

The starting point for this kit was an original DOHC Manx Norton racing seat - which I purchased at a Stanford Hall Founders day relay - and is a fantastic time capsule seat.  It is very rare to find original, unmolested seasts, the autojumbler selling it told me it had belonged to an old retired friend who raced Norton's in the 1950's, and this had sat in his shed since then.  I would estimate it is of the type fitted in the early - mid 1950's and is almost identical to the one fitted to my own 1955 DOHC Manx Norton.

Unfortunately, the original seat cover was too far gone to be used - but did provide a great template for it to be replicated by a UK based specialist vehichle upholsterer, who has done a great job of replicating the cover just as the original.  The kit also includes good quality upholstery foam panels, again, taken from the original (poor condition) originals.

The cover kit also includes wide head pop rivets, which is how the original covers were secured.  The accompanyning photographs shows the original Norton seat pan, with new pop rivets fitted - which should give customers buying this kit the approximate positions of the rivets - if they do not have a seat pan of their own and have to fabricate one.  Note though - in the photograph, our recovered seat use normal pop rivets - the kits will include the proper wide head pop rivets, which are more correct for seat covers.

Finally, I decided against having made the complete seat unit - as fabricating the pan with the distinctive 'bowl' shape rear hump, fitted to earlier DOHC Manx Norton's, was prohibitive.  However, I did try and replicate the dimensions of the original seat pan - and have included these dimensions on A3 paper drawings, supplied with the kit, which should give anyone wishing to create a similar pan a good start.  Again, I have included photographs of the original seat pan here.  You will note that original seat pans had a curved front area, where the DOHC oil tank filler would be.  I would think this would be very difficult to replicate - but instead could be fitted with automotive rubber window beading or similar on the seat pan sheet, which would substitute to stop the cover getting frayed in that area.

Kit consists of the following (as per second photograph):

1. Seat cover ready to fit, complete with red beading and original finish (crocodile like) vinyl coverng, exact replica of original Norton item

2. 2 x Heavyweight foam pieces for base and seat hump - dimensions copied from original (but dissolving) Norton items

3. 2 x Grey lightweight foam pieces.  One fits over seat pan and sides (to stop chaffing on side - as per originals, almost totally disentegrated)

4. Wide pan rivets x 40 - similar quantity to original, and wide pan type to avoid splitting cover - see photos of my own finished cover on original base pan

5. 2 x Autocad drawings on A3 Paper - giving approximate dimensions of original Norton seat pan - in case you do not have original pan and want to fabricate one for this cover kit yourself.  Note original pan was in steel, not alloy

6. CD with approximately 20 photographs of original seat before cover removed, base pan once cover removed and in primer and complete - to assist with fabricating a pan, along with the drawings.  These are higher resolution than the listing shown here 

Final point.  I only have limited numbers of this kit (at time of writing - May 2020 -  6 kits, of which one already reserved) - and although not cheap, the upholsterer has regretfully told me he does not wish to do any more in the future, as they just took too much time and effort to make (he works for professional race car teams upholstering their seats as his main business) - so once this batch has gone, that will be it! - Therefore, as I do not have alternatives at the moment ..  . if you really want a nice quality kit based on the original . . . reserve one now, I cannot see me doing all this again!

 

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