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how to install different seats?
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richtrek
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:27 pm    Post subject: how to install different seats? Reply with quote

Okay folks...

I want to install Mazda Miata seats in my Thing. I put new ones in the Miata. What suggestions can you all come up with to achieve this?

I would like to retain the slider/tilt feature built into these seats

The seats sit lower than do the stock. I would like them at a similar height.

I tried some mounts I got on ebay and they did not work well, and the vendor was no help on making them work.

Thanks for your brain power.

Richard
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Captain Spalding
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:54 pm    Post subject: Re: how to install different seats? Reply with quote

Forget about stand-offs and carriage bolts or any other sort of erector-set solution.

You will need to find a fabricator who can measure up your seats and fabricate a proper seat base for you out of steel. Probably the original seat rails will be in the way, and he will have to grind them off before installing the new stuff.

If you're going to have something fabricated, you might kill two birds with one stone and have some lockable storage incorporated into the seat bases. Just a thought.

Cheers
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richtrek
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again.

I like the idea of some lockable storage underneath!

Richard
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Remove the bottom part of some old low back beetle seats and weld them to what ever you have then just slide the old VW seat bottom into the Thing tracks. I am putting high back Subaru seats in mine this way. The seats slide and tilt on this portion of the old beetle seat. Envision it sliding in two spots, in the original Thing seat track, and on the Subaru seat mechanism.

Reply if you want me to post a pic of the piece I removed and am welding on. I just so happen to be doing this @ the moment and they are ready to be attached. The old bottoms are about 6 in high, which makes things perfect for a modern day seat.


Last edited by Thingggg on Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:56 pm; edited 1 time in total
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richtrek
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, please post a pic!

Who should I approach to do the welding? I went to a guy that worked on my Miata's new soft top and he stated he legally could not do it. I live in California... so, there are any number of laws like this.

Thanks!

Richard
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bring it into someone without the car and tell them it is for your front porch, tell him you will sign a waver saying your not going to use them in your car if they want.

Odd the bottom piece wasn’t even welded on the old VW seat, so it is a safety improvement. The cops won’t care because the seat belt attached to the floor.

Don't ruin your thing seats, find some old low back beetles. Pic tommorow.
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

pics

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/seat2.jpg?uniq=cmq6da

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/seat3.jpg?uniq=cmq6dg

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/welded_on_seat.jpg?uniq=cmq6ds

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/welded_on_seat2.jpg

These seat bottom are actually to old for the Thing, because the part that fits in the track is different,but they are the same size so they line up with the rails. I think you need a 1973+ bug seat bottom and it will work fine—same idea. You could also use your Thing seats bottoms as last resort. Below is a pic of the Thing seat bottom, (black) and my old lowback bucket bucket bottom. only the rail attachment is different. so a modern seat bottom I think would be much better.

NEW: Make sure you start out with the modern type bottom, I just spent half a day fabbing angle iron onto the bottom of these white ones to make them like the black ones, (Thing & 73+ VW). Bolting them did not work!
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/atachment_difference.jpg?uniq=cmqdbx
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/alhenderson/vw/modified_seat.jpg?uniq=cmr0tu


The bottom fits so well you could bolt it on these 92 Suby seats. I think they are going in the car before 4th of July parade, so I will ad pics when installed. Someday I will fork out the cash to get my original ones upholstered--being cheep for now and the springs are sticking me in the as*.

The olny thing, I would think to do, is get one, and see how it fits your Mazda seat. The seat bottom is 16 1/4 in wide and 16 3/4 in long @ the outside edje of the tubular frame that you would attach to your Mazda seats if that helps at all. This is a very common way to upgrade seats in old VW.

Here is pics on how the VW seat is put together.
http://www.aircooledtech.com/front_upholstery/
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richtrek
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very cool ideas. Thanks. My Thing low backs have been resstored to mint condition and am not touching the bottoms. I will be looking for 73 and above beetle seats... I am assuming that Fast Back, Square Back, Notch Backs would all work, also?

Thanks.

Richard
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Al Capulco
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The '73 track is completly different. I think you need the bottom half from a '72 bug
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Year--yes I am not sure eather, I hope others will chime in. It was difficult to weld angle iron to these white ones to make them work, but it did work out great.
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AndyKumamoto
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Al Capulco wrote:
The '73 track is completly different. I think you need the bottom half from a '72 bug


Damn!! So the 72 bug seats I'm about to buy won't slide in my '73??
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anybody know were you could get those black plastic seat mount spacer things that go between the pan rails and the seat bottoms?

Quote:
Damn!! So the 72 bug seats I'm about to buy won't slide in my '73??

Yes the seats in 73 undertook a drastic change.

http://www.vw-resource.com/seats.html#mounts

71-72 are common to Things?

I read something kind of scary while researching this. The seat design was altered in 73 because the mounts would fail in rear end collisions sending the front passenger and seat violently into the rear seat area.

I am one of those drivers that every one gets pissed @ because I slow down @ green lights and drives extremely defensively especially in old light car like the VW, but rear end collisions sometimes are hard to see coming.

This scares me because often my daughter sits back there. So if you have the choice put your kid behind the empty passenger seat and not yours. I am going to figure out a way to back up the seats with my roll bar—maybe a tube extending across the back on the seats.

I am also going to remove my new installation and seam weld the entire length of were I attached the angle iron to bottom of older type railed seat bottoms and both side of were I welded the bottom of the VW seat to the Suby seat.
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kubelmann
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This seat issue is an ongoing discussion. The original Thing seats have some parts that are like no other VW seat. There are bug seats from the mid 60s that will slide right into the tracks. Only the Thing has a "u" shaped bracket that hooks into the pan mount. The others have a 'j" shaped bracket. Less secure.. Since the Thing is a 4 door the seats do not tilt forward. Bug seats tilt forward to allow access to the rear seat. This is one more aprt of a Thing seat that makes it safer than a bug seat. Many folks have taken the Thing seat base and had other seats Fox. Subaru and others to the base. This allows the return to stock seats in the future and better seats for the present. I have offroad suspension seats in my offroad Thing. The mounts connect on the front and rear of the stock seat rails. They are mounted using the SCORE racing regulations. I just got a small collecton of good Thing seats that are available. I even have a pair of Thing seat bottom and the plastic seat guides. My Thing part "stash" just increased somewhat in size... and many great parts are available.

Last edited by kubelmann on Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Thing has a "u" shaped bracket that hooks into the pan mount


This is not totally unique to the Thing a 74 convertible high backs are this way, I can post a pic if you wish. I also believe like the other poster said that 71-72 beetle are like this and were deemed by the powers that be also unsafe, (if that even matters), since the car is not very safe anyway. I just mentioned it so people could seat their passengers the best way possible.

It is not hard to remove J style on erlier seats and weld on angle iron to convert them to U type for Thing as I have done, (see above posts), and it is much more substantial than the original Thing base seat rail combination.

Quote:
and many great parts are available


As usual Surprised
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found pics off bottom of 71-72 seat--U type like thing.

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.
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AndyKumamoto
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 4:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With all this discussion of what wouldn't fit, anyone know what would fit into a '73? Thanks in advance.
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Thingggg
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes Andy acording to the pictures one post above the 71-72 beetle seats are the ones that will slide right on a 73 Thing. You were exactly right when you said 72 is the ticket.

Any 73+ sedan seat should fit your 73 bug see the link I posted a few back.

http://www.vw-resource.com/seats.html#mounts
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