Hi there,

I picked up my Fugitive at the weekend. LOVE IT already :)

One of the main issues I would like to address though is the seating. It currently has fairly upright lowback bucket seats (F/glass shells) and I would like to try and get some that are more laid back - ideally a pair of originals.

The other option is if someone is willing to 'lend' a pair of original seat shells and I can get a mould and some copies made up. I know a really good fibre glassing company near me.

Many thanks,

Bruce.

Nice one fella.......show us some pics :rolleyes: .........ahhh - now how many times have I heard that request on the forum......fugging milions of times!!!.......in the interim what your probably better off doing is packing/wedging up the front of the seat and tilting it back by 10 or 20 degrees or so........I have seen it done several times and it seems to do the trick.......get several lengths of 1" thick wood and you will soon see how much you will need.

failing that go look on the tillet go-kart seat website........but they are F-expensive........otherwise ebay is your friend

Thanks for the tips. Might give tipping the seats back a go. It'll hopefully get my head below the top tubes and also give some support under my thighs & stop me sliding forwards every time I brake.

I take it from your comment that lots of people have tried to get the original seats copied? Has anyone ever had any success?

I have been using a fibre glassing company near me with great success. They make lots of vehicle shells (lots of work for race Elise's, most of the Ferrari/MR2 kit cars etc...) and I know they would be great to use for making seat shells. If someone is willing to lend theirs out....we really could have a good source of making these seats properly. Anyone??

I'll put some pics up of the car very soon :D

I have no idea on the net where to find them, but these bases are about, Billybobs buggy shop, kingfisher kustoms and Mel someone (he's well known, although not by me) who makes beach buggies is a start. Ebay have this sort of thing sometimes aswell. I looked into it a bit so as to buy new, but them got originals re-covered. A set of Recaros might do, cloth is not ideal, but leather ones are about.

Thanks for the help.

I've looked at BillyBob's and Kingfisher and they aren't the same laid-back design as the original UVA ones (well, they don't look that way from what I can see) and would really like to try and find a set of originals.

I'll keep looking, but if in the meantime, anyone does come across a set, please let me know. I'd love to get some moulds made so that these seats could be made for other UVA owners.

I think for now I will go the route of reclining my current seat back to give better headroom and more under-thigh support.

If anyone does fanvcy lending their seats to get some moulds manufactured....PLEASE let me know? :)

I will keep a look out, they do come up. I have the same problem as you would have, I'm 6'4" and any other seat would be just too high.

I believe these are the ones?

http://www.bugpack.com/content.php?id=362

Thanks GTM, they do indeed look like the ones, but I reckon they will end up craaaaazy price once shipping has been added (volumetric weight is a killer!) then import duty etc....

I have found the following suppliers for the seats in the US and the actual purchase price isn't too bad...it's the shipping & import duty that'll make it a non-starter!

Doghouse Repair: http://www.doghouserepair.com/store/item/3663 - No shipping outside of the US!!

Bugs and Buggies: http://www.bugsandbuggies.com/Parts.asp?CN=345&SN=77&GN=5 - Email sent requesting shipping info and costs

Dans Performance: http://www.dansperformanceparts.com/buggy/.../buggyseat1.htm - Email sent requesting shipping info and costs

I'll wait to see how much it comes back with (not holding my breath though??)

Maybe a few of us could club together to buy one then get a mould taken?

(I didn't say that. Honest!)

I know this was few years ago but I only had the one seat with mine and bought another via Kingfisher and two new covers. I think it was £120 all in?

Seats is the big thing holding me up at the moment too - can't get steering column, pedals or seat belt mounts placed until I can sit in there right. I have bought 3 different types of seats so far and none of them are going to work(see pic). They are all too big or upright, even tilting them back still leaves my head right in line with the bars unless I end up almost lying on my back! Funny really as the Fug4 looks like there is a lot of cockpit room but start putting the 'wrong' seats in and it ends up a mess, plus I wanted to use seat runners from a Landy so there is some adjustment for firends etc driving.
I'm getting to the point of buying an ally sheet and folding and welding up a laid back seat to suit. I really wanted something that I don't mind standing on either so cloth seats are right out.
I guess I could cut the back off the fibreglass seats (blue ones in the pic) and alter the angle either by fixing them seperately or making a frame to mount them..

What were the original seats made of - were they fibreglass??

Could be worth looking at Triton seats - either the Low side or Low back.... see here http://www.tritonraceproducts.co.uk/seats.htm it was just the cost that put me off. I've spent nearly £280 on seats that don't fit and didn't want to spend much more - the wife is wondering how many seats I need!!!

Thanks for the comments guys.

I've had a response back from the US - Bugs & Buggies have sent me the following information including shipping prices:

FOR ONE SEAT:

Thank you for your inquiry. Here is your invoice:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invoice Number: 190126 Invoice Date: 8/3/2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QTY Item # Description Price Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 7525 Fiberglass Layback Seat Shell $93.15 $93.15

Sub-Total $93.15
Sales-Tax $0.00
Shipping $0.00
Total* $93.15

*The total above may not include international shipping charges.
(shipping quote is shown below)

UPS Worldwide Saver (1-3 business days - delivery by end of day): $268.30

UPS WorldWide Expedited (2-5 Business Days): $191.28


FOR TWO SEATS

Thank you for your inquiry. Here is your invoice:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invoice Number: 190126 Invoice Date: 7/31/2009
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QTY Item # Description Price Total
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 7525 Fiberglass Layback Seat Shell $93.15 $186.30

Sub-Total $186.30
Sales-Tax $0.00
Shipping $0.00
Total* $186.30

*The total above may not include international shipping charges.
(shipping quote is shown below)

UPS Worldwide Express (1-3 business days - morning delivery): $267.95

UPS Worldwide Saver (1-3 business days - delivery by end of day): $258.41

UPS WorldWide Expedited (2-5 Business Days): $184.28


What I can't understand is how the shipping price for a single seat is more than for two seats?? :unsure:

What that pricing boils down to in UK£ is this:

Single seat inc. shipping - £167.00
Two seats inc. shipping - £218.00

That makes it £109 per seat based on two seats whish isn't too bad really.....but then you have to add import duties which will probably make it around £140 per seat

Makes you want to give up.... :blink:

Yeah, I know what you mean. I had to get some five to four stud adaptors for my GP Buggy sent from the US and the shipping and duties bumped up the price so much it was eye watering!!
The prices are pretty close to what the cost of the Triton seats are (check out the link in my other reply).
One set of the seats I have was really quite cheap - I have a pair very similar to the blue ones in the pic. The guy makes them to order for about £85/pair if I remember right. I did wonder how much extra it would be for him to make a mould to change the seat back angle to get it to suit a UVA but all my enthusiasm and drive on the FUG stalled a bit when my beach buggy engine went pop on it's second outing.... fun being stranded on the A303 for 4 hours :angry: Anyway another one is in and sort of running so I can get back onto the Fug4 again.
Basically I think for the Fugitives you need something like the Tillet W3 Race Car Seat because they are a really reclined (http://www.tillett.co.uk/car-racing-seat.asp) but at £145 each they are so darned expensive.
If you make any headway on it before me I'd be interested to know how you sort it out - likewise i'll try and post any progress I make on here aswell.

Hello,

Maybe this can help ? It looks very similar to the original seats. Also in the USA. And more then 10 available.

ebay-number : 360170740707

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...RK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

That does look like the actual seat UVA used.

Thanks,

They are the same seats as the ones I listed above from Bugs & Buggies/Dans Performance/Doghouse Repairs which are also $95 each.

Finding the seats in the US isn't the problem - the big killer is the shipping cost from the states because they are such a large item. The weight isn't an issue, it's the volumetric weight that makes them so damn expensive to ship over!

If enough people were interested in getting some seats made up over here, I'd happily pay to ship one over to use as a mould because it doesn't look like anyone in the UK is willing to lend theirs for a mould.

There would have to be a reasonable number of people wanting seats though to make it worth while though becuase I'd need to spread the cost of the shipping & mould making over a few seats to make it cheaper per seat.

If not, the only real option for me is to just order two seats from the states and pay the high premium (£110 per seat plus any import duties!)....but at least I'll have my seats.

Anyone interested in doing a group buy from the US?? Might get the shipping price down per seat that way?? It's getting the cost balance between importing a number of seats vs importing one seat and having a mould taken from it!

All ideas welcome??

** UPDATE**
Getting fed up trying to find seats I have done some digging at lunchtime on the good old internet

Check out the East Coast Buggies website http://www.eastcoastbuggies.co.uk/index.php?id=8 as they have USA style seats and they are £70 a pair if their site prices are correct, they also do covers and can mould the seats in colours inc. metalflake
The picture below is from the Gallery - manx gallery section shows the seats and they look good.




I think I might have found another avenue to try if you are interested...

What about the seats from http://www.jkcomposites.com/
If you go to the Seven Dimensions section I thought that the Stiker looks very good - quite laid back, like a seven seat naturally is (and a UVA?) though the height still seems to be the sticking point.
I might attempt to mod my seats this weekend so I'll let you know how I get on - if it goes badly then I may week be going halves on the shipping costs!!

I think someone has said it before but have you tried kingfisher customs. I only had one seat when I got my fug. They supplied me another and as far as I can see its the same as the original one that came with the car.

ZedOne I think I may have made a bit of progress on the seats front. I have had an email from the guy at East Coast Buggies as below which sounds promising

Hi James

I'll get some measurements tomorrow , The seats are quite laid back , They
are moulded from the seats available for Rail buggies in the US , so they
probably are what you're looking for .

If you buy some and they're not right , I'll refund you , you'll just lose
postage .

Thanks , Rob

He also said that the prices are correct so they are £70/pair but he would do 4 for £120, they sell covers seperately I think they are £90 a pair - have a look at the link detailed in my previous post.

I'll post the measurements up on the site once I have them so you can all make your minds up plus pictures if he sends them. I am really tempted to go for a pair once I've measured them up as I am really struggling to find something that fits at a good price. If anyone else wants to go in on it then i can have them sent to me and courier them on at cost.

Hi ZedOne,sounds like you may already be sorted with some seats,but if your interested i have got two seats with vinyl covers.One is genuine UVA with cover,the other is home made (moulded off original seat) in white gelcoat also with cover as original UVA which i had made locally(i have got patterns to make covers with somewhere i think but they could be anywhere).The non original seat is thinner than UVA seat but it had been used in my off-road racing fugitive as a passenger seat.Both seats and covers have slots in them for 4 point harnesses.I'll never use them again so they might as well go,hope this may be some help to you,or maybe anyone else?

Hi sorry me again,just looked at the seats from East Coast Manx and i think you'll find they are not as laid back as UVA's.They are made for beach buggys as per the picture and most people fit wedges to tip the front up(i know because i've got em in my beach buggy)if your not too far from me (i live near Ipswich,Suffolk) you could have a look at both before committing to either.

Many thanks BuggyBoy,

PM sent :D