TheSamba.com :: View topic - help with rear seat strap installation *RESOLUTIONED*

Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:01 pm

Ive had my rear seat out of my car for at least a couple years, have finally recovered it and now am in the process of reinstalling. I still have the original padded backing that goes on the rear seat backrest, but I cannot remember for the life of me how the strap and buckles attach. I have these three pieces (strap, roller, and receiving buckle with short strap):

Here's a picture of the back seat backrest with the pad that has the opening for the strap:

And the very top of the seat has a slit obviously meant for the strap:

Any help would be appreciated--thanks![/b]

Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:19 pm

Pic shows the part on the top of the seat. I can't remember what the one half-way down the back clipped to.

Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:42 pm

Thx- I saw that in my owners manual but I need to know how the straps, buckles etc actually connect to the seat. I can't tell from that photo how the strap is attached to the seat and it doesn't show what's attached down further on the backing where that chrome-surround hole is.

Sat Mar 23, 2019 6:54 am

Sewfine has some some additional pics here https://sewfineproducts.com/Back-of-the-Rear-Seat

It appears that the chrome slot is to retain the end of the strap when not in use or another point in which to secure the seat down. As for where the end of the strap actually holds the seat down this pic from a newer bug appears to use that metal support bar.

Sat Mar 23, 2019 7:28 am

Came up a while ago.... found the thread:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=708288&highlight=rear+seat

AlmostHeavenWV_VW wrote:
Check these out:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6090101&highlight=#6090101
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6091863&highlight=#6091863
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8661200&highlight=#8661200

Also:

Happy bug'n

Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:01 am

Yes, the thing on the rear of the rear seat is to secure the strap when not used to hold the seat in the folded-down position.

Sat Mar 23, 2019 12:36 pm

Thanks guys- I actually looked up several more photos of this setup last night including those you all posted- and yes it does appear the chrome opening in the backboard is just to hold the strap when not in use.

Still a few questions though-- from these photos it would appear that roller/ hook metal piece is supposed to be attached to one end of the strap- but mine is not, it's just sitting loose by itself:

And there is no way to attach my black strap to it- my strap actually has metal rings sewn into either end so it would be impossible to use this strap with that roller/ hook piece:

It's possible I have the wrong strap I suppose but it sure looks like the right one aside from the rings on either end, plus I've dug through my parts stash and cant find any other strap. :? :?

Also what is this small strap piece for that I pictured with the metal square on the end???

HELP!!

Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:08 pm

Cusser wrote: Yes, the thing on the rear of the rear seat is to secure the strap when not used to hold the seat in the folded-down position.

Above is correct.

In your photo below, top strap with metal spring clips is NOT for your 1969.

The two lower parts are correct, you need to get a new piece of webbing, or use webbing from the top one. Left lower thing is the adjustment, right lower is the clip that holds it down, or goes into the retainer on the seat back.

My 1971 Convertible lost its strap when I had the seat reupholstered back in 1979. I believe that my 1970 still has its strap intact, but I won't be at that location until next week.

Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:30 pm

Cusser wrote:

The two lower parts are correct, you need to get a new piece of webbing, or use webbing from the top one. Left lower thing is the adjustment, right lower is the clip that holds it down, or goes into the retainer on the seat back.

OK so the correct strap would loop through that adjuster piece (lower left) and would have the hook/roller piece on the end of it. So the small strap on the adjuster piece is just a pull-strap to cinch up the adjuster? That would make sense.

Cusser wrote: My 1971 Convertible lost its strap when I had the seat reupholstered back in 1979. I believe that my 1970 still has its strap intact, but I won't be at that location until next week.

That's fine - I am not in a big rush so feel free to post a pic when you are back there. Thx

Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:38 pm

EDIT- for the price I think I'll just order this one :D :

http://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=111885741A

Sat Mar 23, 2019 1:40 pm

Steve, I don't know if this will help but here are pictures from my '69. Hope this helps and good luck.

mort

Sat Mar 23, 2019 3:24 pm

The black strap was part of the system used from 1972 on when VW added the foldable parcel shelf back there. That system is hard to figure out even looking at a manual from those years. The 1971 and prior grey strap system isn't that difficult to get right. It does, however, attach internally to a metal clip of some kind where it disappears into the top of the seat. I think yours might have ripped out of there perhaps due to sun damage making it brittle. I do not have a photo of that inside area to share as I have not taken apart the back panel of my back seat in quite a while. You will see the strap in it's resting or stowed position (clip against back of seat) as I mention it in my video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z0e2zOzd9g&feature=youtu.be

Sat Mar 23, 2019 4:09 pm

Thanks very much vernonc and mark-
vernonc from your photos it would appear I am missing the large metal piece shown in front here:

In fact the Wolfsburg West strap I linked above doesn't even have that piece! Plus your photos show the full strap connected to that metal loop/ adjuster piece in the background whereas all I have connected to that piece is a very short strap rounded off at the end:

so I guess that must have gotten torn somehow although it sure looks pretty symmetrical.

Mark you are correct that this setup seems to be neddlessly complicated- funny how every single photo I find of this setup sems to show a different design!! :roll:

Sat Mar 23, 2019 9:28 pm

So... after thinking about this for a bit, I decided to see if I could make my existing parts work. I cut the metal ring off one end of the existing strap I had, then I looped that end of the strap through the slit in the top of the seat, fed it through the hook/ roller piece, and back through the existing cinch on the strap. Unbelievably it worked perfectly:

This setup still allows me to adjust the strap length with that cinch, and shorten or lengthen the strap as preferred for when I need to secure the seat in the folded down position. My only concern was that the cut end of the strap could slip back through the cinch as shown in the photo above. So I grabbed the metal ring I cut off the end, folded the end of the strap through it, and superglued the end of the strap back on itself:

Looks pretty much OEM and does the job quite nicely! \:D/

Sun Mar 24, 2019 3:58 pm

Thanks for starting this thread, as I've been trying to figure out the proper way for this strap to work. The strap/buckle kept slipping, but that may have been because the 50 year old dusty strap just didn't have any grip left. I went to visit my bug on my lunch break today, and fiddled around with the strap, and it appears to hold the seat back down now.

Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:45 pm

That looks great, I do wish my setup was perfect OEM like yours but I must have misplaced the original strap with that largish metal hook shaped piece on it, have no idea where that went. Also have no idea where the black strap I ended up using came from. But I managed to fudge it to where it seems like it will work properly for when my seat is folded down- won't know for 100% sure yet until I get the rear seat installed and I can't do that until I drill out one of the anchor shoulder bolts for the back seatrest that snapped in half when I was removing the seats :roll:

Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:54 pm

Good.