My '59 Beetle seat rails (on the original floorpans!) measure 14 3/4" between
the sides, and 15 1/2" on the outer edges of the flat rails, consistent from
front to rear.
I'm fairly certain that the rails stayed the same as long as they had them.
The earliest Bugs had the wingnut hold-downs, while the later "Rabbit-style"
3-point rails with the 'center hump' are obviously different mountings
altogether.
Those crappy, unsafe (too thin!) Brazilian seat rails can be drilled on thier
spot welded floor flanges and removed. You could then weld them back on in the
right position, but I'd recommend replacing them with either original good used
ones or new thicker ones that are now available separately.
Sorry, if that's not what you wanted to hear right now..........
HTH,
Mike B.
----- Original Message -----
From: Bert Knupp
To: 'Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List'
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 11:17 AM
Subject: [vintagvw] Poor-fitting seat rails
Volks,
When my local VW fixer welded in new floor pans in my 1970 Type 1, the pans
included seat rails. They seem to be very firmly welded onto the pan. I'm
guessing the pans are Brazilian, but there's no evidence.
But the seats just barely fit -- they'll go on maybe four to five inches or
so, then they bind up. And I can't find where they're binding -- no scraped
paint, visible gouging, etc., even where I've used a rubber mallet to
"persuade" them farther into the rails. (That's only gained me a couple of
inches -- barely enough to get mny knees under the steering wheel).
The seats are rebuilt and seemingly in great condition. The rails are
nicely lubricated. Their rail grippers are straight and smooth, and the
seats worked well on their previous floor (they're both German original). I
don't want to start "relieving" my seats with a Dremel grinder or hacksaw
except as a last resort.
The inner flanges of the floor rails are 15.25" (387 mm) apart at the front
and 15.375" (390.5 mm) apart at the rear. The seats look as if they should
fit throughout that range -- but they don't. I suspect I'll need my trusty
sledge hammer, but I don't want to just begin whacking until something bends
-- or breaks. I need a target measurement.
QUESTIONS: Who knows the correct factory measurement for the distance
between the inner lips of the floor flanges on a 1970 Type 1? Or the outer
dimension, for that matter? Who has some experience to share before I start
any violence? Is there any "usual problem" that aftermarket floor seat
rails seem to present, or is it just random poor quality in Brazil? I don't
have a welding rig and would prefer to avoid that route if possible. But
even then, I would need the correct dimensions to shoot for.
I hate when this happens.
Thanks,
Bert Knupp in Music City USA
|__n__
(_____)º
(Ô\_|_/Ô)
ü ° ° ü
Polizeikäfer '70
PS - Pictures are posted on my FaceBook album. The exterior is beginning to
look good now.
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