TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:18 am

I saw a 2/3 middle seat for sale on the weekend, and I'm wanting to know if it would be correct for my 54' Kombi. I didn't have my Camera with me, but here is some details.

-Correct pebbled black vinyl.
-4 legs, evenly spaced.
-Large "coil" type springs
-No grab handle, no armrest.
-The backrest looked quite thin, and very straight.

Any thoughts or pictures of what one should look like?

... yes I did a search, and looked at Barndoor.dk. 4 legs don't seem to be very common.

Thanks!

Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:40 am

Sounds like it could be, but without pictures it will be hard to tell for certain. Does your bus have the seat mounting points in the right location to accept a 2/3 middle seat?

Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:49 am

It might have... The floor looks a bit like an archeology project.

It sat for a lot of years without a sunroof cover, so the floors are a little worse for wear.

I was thinking that if the seat was correct, I would just install seat mounts for the seat.

Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:17 pm

Looks like it took a full width middle seat originally. I think I can see the forward bracket right by the cargo door edge.

Mon Dec 17, 2007 1:21 pm

campingbox wrote: Looks like it took a full width middle seat originally. I think I can see the forward bracket right by the cargo door edge.

You could be a VW archeologist then......

Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:39 pm

As dean of students at the Institute of Modern Barndoors, I agree with Professor and Archeologist Eh Greg. Not very common for buses of those years to come with short middle seats. I have seen them in early BD's. This fossil needs to be excavated at HAZ-RAFF Restorations! Eh Greg, aren't you visiting this fine institute soon??

Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:13 pm

Here are a few pics, maybe this will help.... If it is for a 54' should it not have a grab handle?

Any thoughts?

Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:53 pm

Concept1 wrote: Here are a few pics, maybe this will help.... If it is for a 54' should it not have a grab handle?

Any thoughts?
where are you located? where did you find the seat?

it looks like it could be one of those seats that was made outside germany. Portugul has some odd middle seats. maybe other countries also.

Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:34 pm

it looks the part to me. just quickly looked at my 6 leg frame and the build looks the same. the spring section is put together slightly different but not far off. im not sure when they changed some of that stuff. i think i would believe it to be real deal. pretty cool.

Sun Jan 13, 2008 7:46 pm

i had a seat from portugal and it looked very similar. does it have a wood frame?

Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:40 pm

I'm located in Canada. The seat came from a VW collector here, who had it for 15+ years.

No part of the frame seems to be wood. There is a pressed cardboard insert on the rear facing part under the vinyl, that looks like door panel material.

Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:53 pm

I am thinking that might be a '50 or '51 kombi seat.

since the seat is not in one of the weird CKD or local manufacture markets, it is more than likely of german origin. the backrest appears to be rounded at the top corners, which would leave no provision for grab handles which you see on '52+ seats. it has no wood, and the backrest doesn't appear to be removeable like the portuguese seats.

that is a monster middle seat. super rare. including this seat, I only know of 5 pre-'59 2/3 middle seats. 3 of those seats are '56-'58 standard seats, one is a '51 standard seat, and this '50-'51 kombi seat.

here is a picture of the '51 standard seat:

Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:23 am

So now this begs the question.... what am I going to do with this ultra-rare 50-51' middle seat?

What kind of money is it worth, roughly?

I already bought it, and it won't really work for me. Anyone need one? I'd be willing to work a deal on a 6 leg if someone has one just laying around.

Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:39 am

Concept1 wrote: So now this begs the question.... what am I going to do with this ultra-rare 50-51' middle seat?

What kind of money is it worth, roughly?

I already bought it, and it won't really work for me. Anyone need one? I'd be willing to work a deal on a 6 leg if someone has one just laying around.
it is really hard to put a value on an item that rare. there is a very limited number of buses that could use the seat.

I would say the value is roughly the same as a six leg seat in compareable condition (insane $$) I would recomend holding out for a trade of an original upholstery six-leg seat or a nice reupholstered six-leg seat depending on what level you are building your bus to. it will probably be easier to trade that seat for the right one than to find a loose six-leg for sale.

I wonder what seat Bubba's '50 kombi came with originally....

Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:05 pm

Is that seat upholstered correctly for a 50-51 short middle seat? I thought they all had the ribbed seat material? I must admit I'm not sure how many kombis I've seen with that style seat though

Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:10 pm

Scotty wrote: Is that seat upholstered correctly for a 50-51 short middle seat? I thought they all had the ribbed seat material? I must admit I'm not sure how many kombis I've seen with that style seat though
do you mean the pleats?

kombi seats don't have pleats like microbuses do.

middle seat identification:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=107848

Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:28 pm

Yeah I meant the pleats. I know that kombis have plain seat covers (my 52 is a kombi), but for some reason I had it in my head that all the super early buses with a short middle seat had pleated covers. I think it's because I've never seen a kombi seat for that age bus, the only ones I've seen have been standards like AB 51

Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:20 pm

i think one of the better ways to determine the year would be to have Drew check on the spring section of his 51 . or i suppose any earlier bus seat for that matter i guess. these are the springs on my 54 seat .i dont have a post BD 6 leg to look at for changes but this short seat could also be post BD seeing that it doesnt have the cross springs attatching the main springs in this photo.

edit!! then again, after thinking/rereading Linds point of the rounded top corners sound more logical for the earlier seat.

Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:35 pm

keep it and bring to this years ECAMAS trail bash and middle seat theater.

Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:20 pm

Here ya go. The lack of grab bar on the other one is confusing. I am not sure what to make of that.