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Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:32 pm

My seats are shot and I was hoping for something a little more comfy. I just put in new pans and wanted to get the tracks welded down before I take it over to the powder coater. Any suggestions or thoughts. I am a rather large chested guy and don't want something with the side wings that are too restrictive. They don't have to be new, I am open to anything comfortable that looks good.

Thanks
MC

Wed Jan 10, 2007 11:58 pm

I used a pair of gray 92 Subaru seats and welded them to the bottom portion of some Thing type seats. The lap belt and slider is incorporated right in the Suby seat it self, then I used the roll bar for the shoulder belt.

you could use any modern seat, have someone build / weld a base and forget about the tracks since most modern seats bolt directly to the floor. I would do this, but figured if I sold it someone might want it stock again.

A person sent me a picture of what he said were 71-72 Beetle high back seats when I was considering this because they have the same old time tracks as the Thing, so thats a possibility, but make sure about this because I did not end up buying them.

I suppose you could also get the modern 73+ Beetle / Ghia tracks welded in, instead of the wierd Thing ones, and use any three point VW seat stock or aftermarket.
http://www.vw-resource.com/seats.html#mounts

Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:16 am

My 1971 military 181 had a set of highback VW seats in it from a previous owner, as he bought the 181 from the German Military and used it for hunting. The seats were very comfy, and used the stock sliders. I have since replaced with the correct lowback seats.

So yes, a set of VW highback seats from another VW model will fit the Thing runners with no problem, as long as the seats are not from a 73 or higher Beetle, as these Beetles had a different runner setup.

I still have the seats if your interested. They are black, and in perfect shape.

Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:55 am

My '73 came with seats out of an old Wolfsburg or GLI Jetta. They're nicely bolstered leather seats. It's a great improvement over stock.

If there's a good junkyard in your area, go for it. Check old Mustangs, Thunderbirds and BMW 318is models for their stock seats - Recaros. Even if they're a bit natty, recovering them is inexpensive and you'll get a great seat.

Thu Jan 11, 2007 1:02 pm

I'm going for these: http://prpseats.com/seat-gallery.html

Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:03 pm

scat pro-car seats..........PERIOD!

dog

Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:51 pm

I just scored a perfect set of BMW 323i seats on Ebay for 175 bucks, they were flawless. I will run power to them to hook up the 6 way adjustments. The guy was local so I got to pick them up, no shipping or tax. Turned out to be a good day!

Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:11 pm

I was looking to install some racing seats like what they have on e-bay. I am a little hesitant to buy seats that I have not tried out. Has anyone installed any racing seats lately?

I am probably going to do that next year when I have her repainted and some body work done. This summer’s project is new windows and top, along with a good amount of interior things.

Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:19 pm

scottienoel wrote: I was looking to install some racing seats like what they have on e-bay. I am a little hesitant to buy seats that I have not tried out. Has anyone installed any racing seats lately?
When I bought my Thing it had Corbeau Baja seats in it. They had been mounted to a stock seat lower frame. There were issues.

First, the seating position was very low. So low that it made driving with my left arm on top of the door uncomfortable.

Entry/egress was also a problem. The Baja seats are narrower than stock, with a high bolster. Because the seats were narrower (read farther away from the door), and the seat bottom was lower than the lower edge of the door opening, getting out of the car felt like climbing out of a hole. Unless you feel you really need the lateral support, I'd be very leery of racing seats, unless the seat bottom is relatively flat. Perhaps a custom seat frame might have helped with the height, but not the distance to the door. My advice is to find a Thing with seats similar to what you're considering, and sit in it.

P.S. This thread really needs some pictures.

Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:16 am

Thanks Cap! I never thought about the height issue.

Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:37 am

I put Racecraft suspension seats in mine, front and rear...they look great, and are SO comfortable. They have sides, but I'm a big guy and fit no problem. Check them out here:

http://tinyurl.com/36xahc

Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:43 am

scamutz wrote: Check them out here:
http://tinyurl.com/36xahc
Um, can't get there from here.

Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:59 pm

Captain Spalding wrote: scamutz wrote: Check them out here:
http://tinyurl.com/36xahc
Um, can't get there from here.

I got redirected to http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...1072013954

Sat Jan 27, 2007 3:54 pm

Ferretkona wrote: Captain Spalding wrote: scamutz wrote: Check them out here:
http://tinyurl.com/36xahc
Um, can't get there from here.

I got redirected to http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...1072013954

For those of us not logged into MySpace, we get redirected to the home page. Can someone repost the pic somewhere accessible without a log in?

Sat Jan 27, 2007 4:37 pm

Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:21 am

Nice! The color is great!