Has anyone tried fitting other Jag model seats in an E Type? Let’s say for instance XJS seats? Or any other model?

 

I have...sorta, kinda.
I have series 2 E-Type seats in my Series 1. The reason I went this way is that I wanted seats with a headrest and reclining.
The issue that you may find with other seats, is that the E-Type seats have a seat cushion with the inner forward corner cut out to fit around the center tunnel when moved forward. If the seat you like does not have that corner cut off, I don't think it will work. You will have to modify it or live with very limited forward adjustment.
Let us know if you find more modern seats that fit. Good luck.
3rd degree/

 

I may try the XJS seats, they appear to be fairly narrow and would offer a much stronger recline mechanism than the series 2 seats. Ill report back here afterwards.

 

thorswhisper,
I am not that familiar with the XJS seats or how much they sell for. You might want to consider a pair of seats from GTS. They make some very good seats for sports car and have a couple that are reclining. I have a pair on order with them for another car I am working on. GTS has been around for a long time and are very reputable. This is their website address https://www.classiccarseats.com .
Good luck.
Bill.

 

Mazda MX5 seats are a great and easy option. They also give more headroom. Many people in the UK E Type clubs have fitted them.

Here is a quick note from the Administrator of the E Type Forum (UK)

"Because the S1 cars do not have headrests (the S2/3 ones are not very good from a safety point of view) and if you are rear ended your E-Type driving days will be over as the whiplash damage will be horrendous. The MX5 seats are also more comfortable and have recline adjustment.

I can swap the MX5 seats out of my car and put the originals back in about 15 minutes so best of both world's.

 

dibbyandco,
Mazda MX5 seats sounds very doable. I took a look on ebay and I see there is a very big difference between the early seats and the later models.
What year MX5 seats do you have in your E-Type? Did you have to make brackets? or drill additional holes on the floor of the car to mount the seats?
Please share as much info as you can.
Thanks,
Bill.

 

I don't have mazda seats myself, just know lots who do. You can get special runner fixing kits from Fosseway. Here is a link to there website and the kit
E-Type Mazda MX5 Seat Adapter Kit - Fosseway PerformanceFosseway Performance
Here also is an article they wrote about it:
"

E-TYPE MAZDA MX5 SEAT ADAPTER KIT

E-Type Mazda MX5 Seat Adapter Kit

Jaguar E-Type Mazda MX5 / Miata Seat Installation Kit

It has become increasingly popular to install Mazda MX5 MK1 seats in early British sports cars. (MX5 is also called the Mazda Miata in some markets).

The seats offer a compact and stylish design with a modern level of comfort and adjustment. They provide increased amounts of lateral support and their design also features an ‘anti- submarine seat base which prevents you from sliding forward in the event of a crash.

As you would expect, the Mazda MX5 (Miata) seats can be used to great effect in the Jaguar E-Type and, when trimmed to match the cars interior, they blend in beautifully. Their improved design make those long journeys or spirited cornering so much more enjoyable.

The Fosseway Performance E-Type Mazda MX5 seat adapter kit is designed to make the installation of the Mazda seats straightforward. The brackets allow the use of the original Jaguar seat runners and no modification to the car or runners is required. The kit is compatible with the Mazda MX5 MK1 seats and all Jaguar E-Types excluding the fixed back seats used in the Series 1 3.8.

Note : To install MX5 seats in a Series 3 V12 E-Type using these brackets requires you to drill a single hole in each of your original seat runners to accommodation the front mounting bolt

Each kit contains four, unique adapter brackets (designed to fit the individual requirements each of seat runner location) to give a trouble free installation. The brackets are laser cut and CNC folded for accuracy and are bright zinc coated to avoid corrosion.

Jaguar E-Type Mazda MX5 Seat Adapter Kit

Seat adapter Kit (4 brackets) £79.00 + VAT"

I'm not sure what year of Mazda you require, I think they just about all fit. Fosseway are quite helpful and will tell you if you contact them. I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO FOSSEWAY, but I have bought parts from them and they are reliable.

Good luck!

JUST SEEN: You need Mazda MX5 series 1

 

dibbyandco,
Great bit of information. I have a set of E-Type series 2 seats for my 68 FHC. I have been looking for another pair for the 67 OTS, but now you got me thinking about the MX5 seats. I can find a cheat set of these just to try them out for fit and comfort, and have them recover if I like how they look in the car.
Thanks again for sharing the info.
Bill.

 

Ive also heard (Not confirmed) that the seats from a 2000-2005 Honda S2000 will work as well.

 

I tried the XJS seats as I love the look and they give excellent support. I also wanted to stay “Jaguar” but the seats with the headrests are what EType UK use but they have to be cut 1” narrower and the entire seat altered. EType UK also lowers the seat by changing the floor mount. There are pictures on their website but a call to them said they’d do it for me but their method was proprietary. I’m in California so that wasn’t an option. I have a Fosseway aluminum high torque starter, 6 piston calipers, aluminum alternator and many other Fosseway products on my 74 OTS so I just bought the MX-5 (Miata in the USA) mounts and I’m currently sourcing seats.

 

jwcinsd,
Thanks for sharing the information on the use of the XJS seats. I thought that they were kind of large for the E-Type, but never thought about making them 1" narrower. Depending on the structural design of the seat it would not be very difficult to narrow the seat. Obviously a full recovering would be required. I too prefer to stay "Jaguar" and that is why I sourced series 2 seats for my 68. As dibbyandco mentioned above, the Mazda Miata seats could be a good alternative, and I have looked at some recently. The only thing that bothers me about them is that they are high back and I would prefer to stay with a low back with headrest design that would be closer to the original Jaguar design.
jwcinsd, The way you describe your car it sounds like a great ride. Why don't post some photos and let us all enjoy it. I am doing more or less what you have done with the upgrades. Installing a high torque starter, series two brakes, 5 speed gearbox, modern alternator, series 2 seats, LED upgraded better lighting, and a few other upgrades. Of course any of these could be redone and the car brought back to original fairly easily.
Thanks again for your input. Stay safe,
Bill.

 

Have you learned anything? Wanting to do the same thing.