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Mon Jan 13, 2003 6:16 pm

In an older single cab you got your bench seat... Is it possible to put tow individual seats in the bench's stead?
Is there a VW seat option or something?
I'm not looking for 'ricky-race-Recarros'but a viable option to the bench.

One reason is to capture some useable space between the seats, and two is to have some area where it may be possible to fit the seat belt hook-em-ups for three-point belts.

Doable? Any ideas appreciated...

Mon Jan 13, 2003 10:27 pm

About the only thing that comes to mind would be to take a walk-through splitty and use it's interior for your needs. Can't say it's easy or even realistic.... but it IS doable... I honestly don't think you'd be happy with it though. You wouldn't gain much.

Mo

Tue Jan 14, 2003 12:16 am

What year is it? If it has the 2/3-1/3 seats in it already like the newer split busses it shouldn't be that hard. Find the pass. side walkthru seat and weld in the brackets to hold the seat in. Since it is a stationary seat, no slide rails or anything, it should be faily easy just get them placed right. Then on the back rest you would just have to drill two small holes for it to hook into at the top and weld in the stop at the bottom that the back rest stops on. But if it's an earlier model with the bench all the way accross it will be harder to do. The easiest for that would be the same for pass. side and find a '62 or older driver's side walkthru bus seat and do the same with the brackets on it. It is also a semi stationary seat. You can ajust them but you have to get out and lift the seat up and reposition it in three notch holes in the brackets that you need to weld in or just one depending on year. Or weld in the seat tracks out of a newer 63-67 bus. This would be less forgiving if you mess them up. Good luck! If you ever want to sell the single cab keep the peices out of it to go stock if the new owner wants them.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 8:56 am

It's a '57 with the one piece bench. It is a fine seat as is, good & solid with nice grey tweed covers.
I was just mulling over how to fit some additional components into the truck and where to possibly put them and between the seats came to mind...

There doesn't appear to be any adjustments forward and back as it stands... I figure within the next six months I will wear out that little thingie around the steering colunm or break my neck falling out with my big feet caught in the pedals!
(I was substantially younger & more flexible when I had the '65 bus)

Tue Jan 14, 2003 6:06 pm

My 2 cents. You should be able to get aftermarket seat frames and seats like sewfine sells. I don't know why they wouldn't work in buses. Obviously some fitting and welding....maybe some spacer blocks too. Sometimes having the room for the 3rd passenger in a single cab is nice. It would kind of suck to have plenty of room for drink holders and your cel phone but not enough room to fit the two hotties you just met on the beach.
http://www.sewfineproducts.com/bugcat/bug07.jpg
They also have a seat frames and sliders.
Good luck.

Tue Jan 14, 2003 7:57 pm

If seat belts are the reason for making the seat mods, it really isn't necessary. You can use the long seatbelt center catch from a mid '70s beetle. The ones which look like a cable with an eye for the bolt, and the black plastic catch with the orange release button. There are scads of these in any good junkyard, along with the shoulder section and the retractor which sits outboard. The three point belts went through many incarnations in the '70s, so just visualize how the stuff will have to line up in your bus and choose accordingly. Then bolt the center catch down, and it should be long enough to extend through the gap between the seat bottom and back. You just have to position the bolt so the catch mechanism sits at a comfortable and accessible place.

If you decide to use the auto-retracting three point belt, just remember that the retractor has to sit vertically for the "inertia ball" auto catch mechanism to work properly, so plan accordingly.

My bus has holes in the "b" pillar for the VW spec shoulder harness belts. Looks like they just used to use a bolt and washer right through the pillar to the exterior to hold it in place. I just have tape over the holes now to keep water out. Not sure if I want to put the three points back in, lap belts for now.

Wed Jan 15, 2003 12:59 pm

Yeah, I thought about adding 3-point belts for outboard front only but wondered how good simply welding nuts into the B pillar would hold in the event of a crash. obviously the type of crash and speed would be a big factor. I have no intention to piledrive into a SUV at high speeds but it would be nice to keep the steering wheel from crushing my sternum in the unlikely event. Anybody add 3 point belts to a pre-67 deluxe? How?
Thanks
Doug

Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:56 pm

The hole through the "B" pillar is the approved VW location for the upper 3 point harness, believe it or not. If you look at your bus, you'll see that the combined pillar and rain gutter weldments make this the strongest place to mount it. They used a standard seatbelt washer on the outside of the cab approx. 2" diameter, with longer than normal seatbelt bolts to pass through the pillar, and painted the bolt head and washer to match the body color.