OMG! This car is a blast to drive!

Several companies make disc brake coversions..    And yes, disc's are the way to go..

Let me be the first to say welcome to the madness! As Larry said, several companies have disc brake kits available; they range from non-vented Karmann Ghia units (probably the cheapest) to high end vented 944 Porsche conversions. Unless you're running big power and road racing the solid discs will be great.  Seats I can't help you with...

Try the easy solution first - take your wallet out of your back pocket.  It makes more difference than you might think.

What for, Lane?

To see how much money the dude can spare for a brake conversion or so his ass fits better in the seat.

Personally, I prefer to think you were speaking philosophically. 

Yeah, Trowster - whatever that is - Welcome!

Trowster - Welcome to The Madness! Hope to see you at one of our cruises. Until then, here's wishing you many miles of top-down cruising. open roads and wind in your face!

Peace-Out!

Amen to what Larry said---discs really are the way to go.  Two years ago on the way to Tail Of The Dragon I had to make a panic stop after topping a hill on I 40 to find stopped cars

while I was going 75.  Damned exciting event, I'll tell you.  With drums in the rear it z9ig-zaged and took it's sweet time to come to a stop while I'm making button holes in the seat!

I don't want another experience like that again even with discs on all 4 but if it does happen I know it will stop straight  and quickly.

I got the C.B. Performance rear disc conversion and they have worked perfectly.  I was told that it is mandatory to observe the torque values for a good installation.  I anm 100% satisfied with the set up.

These cars need all the help you can give 'em in the safety department and disca are great to have front as well as rear.

Yes he is right and I did remove my wallet however it didnt help much. My seat cushion is 14" wide in front and 9" in back. Way to narrow for both me and my wife.

Lane, your Speedster picture has similar color scheme as mine. Is there somewhere I may look at pictures of yours? Thanks.

Peace!

I remember looking at a custom 356 C Speedster, built by Dink Farmer in Clear Lake.

It had a bench seat in it.

I'm surprised nobody has installed one in a replica.

Mark, show us a photo of your seats. There are options. Vintage makes a "comfort" seat, a slab seat with no bolsters. And Intermeccanica makes a roadster seat which looks just like the seats in a 356. I believe Carey Hines has a source for those as well.

My seat.

Looks like a standard Speedster seat to me.  They are very comfortable, depending on the width of the butt that is planted in them.

I would guess that almost all adult butts are wider than 9" !

I can post some pics a bit later.

Re. the wallet comment: I was talking about for seat space.  When I drive my car for any period of time I take it out of my back pocket.  That extra inch makes a lot of difference - at least for me.

Yes I know. I was just messing with you. I am a 38" waist. I just measured my butt. It is 14" across. I need a wider seat!

I'm a 32-33 waist, so I guess that's why I find these seats extremely comfortable.  I actually prefer them to the Recaro seats I had in my Roadster.

I have a CMC and I thought the CMC seats would be to narrow for my butt.

I still wanted the traditional Speedster seat look. I bought some seats from JPS. They are wider in the back. Maybe you can find someone near you with these seats to try.

I just noticed that our locations don't seem to be displayed on the left as they were on the previous site.

Here are a couple of pics, Trowster.  Trust me, I've got tons more.  Heck this car is why I bought a new camera.

Lane, I really like the photo of your car and the Healey(is it?).

The two cars against that background is awesome.

I have to admit that I love my Intermeccanica seats.  Henry makes them a bit wider for us older/wider folks.  Awesome seat, but on the pricy side.

I checked Vintage site but I only saw bucket seats. I like the "comfort" seat idea. Where may I find them?

Early vintage Miata seats fit old CMC (80's vintage) original seat slider rails well and are super comfortable.  I am sort of a "wide body" in my wide body CMC too.  Happy hunting.

Trowster, togetherness is a wonderful thing.

But there should be another seat on the passenger side of your Speedster. If your wife sits there and you sit in the driver's seat, there should be a lot more room for both of you.

Re: disc brakes.  I have drums in the rear.  Last fall, I drove Jack Crosby's car with 4-wheel discs & wow, what a difference!  This is my third summer & I'm now down to my nice to have sorting.  I plan to have Carey install rear discs this winter.

Perhaps what you should consider rather than traditional Speedster seats are the "roadster" seats that are found in many of the Speedsters that I have seen.  I had them in my VS and also have them in my SAS cabriolet.  These seats are very butt friendly and accommodate all but the largest plus-sized behinds. 

John is right on this one.  The traditional Roadster seats are very butt friendly - lots of room and support.

http://intermeccanica.com/athi...ur-vehicles/roadster

Johnny and Trebor

I know a little about these cars, but when you start talking about seat styles, I'm lost.  So please post a picture of a "traditional roadster" seat.  Is that one at the bottom of the Intermeccanica link?

Yes, the shot at the bottom of the tan seats is of Roadster seats.

Oh ya!! Now those are some seats! Anybody have a set for sale?

OK.  So pretty much like the Vintage "comfort" seats with a headrest.

Troswter,  you might get lucky and find a used set of Intermeccanica seats; they would be expensive new.  John Estes might have a used set.  Henry's standing joke when people ask him what is the difference between a Speedster and Roadster is " A Speedster uses Two cows and a Roadster uses Three"  Henry uses the best Italian Leather on the Market. The Roadster seats were as comfortable if not more than my Boxster on our trip to Carlisle.  Not as much lateral support but on long trips they are simply the best. 

Sweet! How do I get in touch w/ John Estes?

Get a set of 914 seats and cut the tops off. You'll be good to go...

Partly good answer.   But do this;  get a set of 914 seats and use just the bottom cushions and sell everything else. The cushions  fit right into a VS seat bucket and are sooo comfortable.  Switch the seat covers from the old seat cushions onto the 914 ones.  Easy peasy and a great fix for those of you with wide butts.  I guess like me.

Ron O - Yup, that's a '56 Austin Healey 100 BN2.  It belongs to Mike Lempert, my friend that makes the steering wheels.  I believe that picture is the July shot on this year's calendar.  I took it last September at the Biltmore in Asheville.

One thing to consider about the Roadster seats is that they sit up a it higher than Speedster seats.  You might find yourself looking out over the top of the 2" lower Speedster windshield.

Lane:

I have a Mike Lempert wheel for the MGB that I am restoring.  Your buddy does good work!

Send me some pics of the car, Bob.  I've always been an MG lover, and I see you posting on MGExperience sometimes.