Driver Seat Adjustment

[dsherman]

I am a big guy and have trouble getting in and out of my '67. What I would like to know is how others have solved this. (I know lose the weight) But since I don't see that happening soon what can be done. Don't want to drill new holes and relocate brackets. Is there other brackets that can be installed to the existing holes that allow travel further back?

TIA Douglas
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1967 sedan 11x17 color wiring diagram completely redone available

[drscope]

One of the worst design features of these cars was the early style seat rails! When the cars were hit in the rear it was common for the seat to come off the tracks and lay back.

In severe cases front seat passengers were actually ejected out through the rear window as a result of the seats coming off the floors.

With that in mind and the fact that you describe yourself as a “big” guy, there is probably a little extra load being put on those rails. So the force of your bigger mass acting on the seat rails in a rear end collision is going to be higher then if a 98 pound weakling was driving the car.

Many times we don’t like drilling new holes in these cars, or making modifications, but sometimes you need to look beyond that and make it fit you.

In this case remounting the seat to be stronger, safer and fit you better should be an acceptable personal modification.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[smkn_vw]

I always wondered about this if it was an overlooked design because Germans are big too but maybe mostly thin big. I guess if you can weld, you probably can move the floor tracks further back, I'm not in front of one to see if it can be done safely, maybe floor modifications as well. A smaller steering wheel helps.
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"So didja?" -Bob Hoover

[drscope]

The tracks can be moved on the floor. You just need to drill out the spot welds and reposition them where you want them. But it doesn’t solve the safety issue or the poor design of the tracks.

If you go this route, there are two things to be aware of. First the floor starts to slope away for the foot well in the rear seat, so you can’t too far before the front of the track is hanging in the air and no longer on the floor.

And the other thing is to make SURE you have the seat on the track and moved to the rear of the track BEFORE you start welding the track in. This assures you have room on the tunnel and the heater channel to be able to move the seat all the way back.

I had a friend a few years back that did a major high dollar resto type redo of his car. Powder coated floor pans. When it came time to install the seats they discovered the seat rail was too close to the tunnel at the rear and the seat wouldn’t go back. That isn’t such a big deal on painted stuff, but you can’t really patch or repair powder coat in this type of situation.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[smkn_vw]

Sorry I missed your comment about doing it without drilling and relocating brackets.
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"So didja?" -Bob Hoover

[smkn_vw]

What about extending the existing floor tracks if you had spare tracks to cut up and join in place?
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"So didja?" -Bob Hoover

[drscope]

[shortride]

I've got the big belly syndrome myself. My belly barely clear the steering wheel. My issue is that there's something wrong with the latch on the seat adjusting release and it won't stay locked in place.
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Pearl White 1966 Sedan

Retired US Army - 21 years 11B40, 173rd Airborne Brig. - Vietnam Combat Veteran

[drscope]

There is a spring on it that is supposed to hold the arm and catch in place. Maybe the spring blew up.
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Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch!

[dsherman]

Spring and all parts are correct. I am going to move the rails back. Just have to figure out how far. I am in the figuring stage when I do it I will post pics.
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1967 sedan 11x17 color wiring diagram completely redone available