TheSamba.com :: View topic - Type 3 front seat sliding adjuster pin... holder... humps...

Mon Feb 20, 2023 6:48 pm

For lack of a better term, I need help figuring out what to do about the two little "humps" that hold the little pin in place... that pin being the one that keeps your seats from sliding forwards and backward:

This is the hump on the driver's side, but this is what I mean... someone please tell me the technical term :P

Either way, I'm beginning the floor pan patching/replacing process (which is going to be a doozie, more on that further down). I know I need to probably remove these, but I'm curious of a few things:

1.) are the attached to the body, like the rails that hold the seat are EDIT: the rails are on the pans... but they're sturdy, so I fear removing and reattaching them would compromise something... hence the question.

2.) do they ever bear weight? I looked and they don't seem to flex or anything while I'm sitting in the seat, most of the weight must be on the two poles in the back that go into the rails.

3.) anyone selling any newer ones, or at the very least, one's in better condition. Here's my passenger's side for context:

The bulk of the part is held in on the backside, which lives under the seat and faces the rear footwells. But again, would these come off as I cut out/completely remove the pans, or are these in some way attached to the body? Either way, they're inconvenient.

I'll be starting on the passenger's side, that way I can still potentially drive the car while I'm first experimenting with the rust repairs (just took the thing on its first test drive this past Saturday. Runs like a champ, much to my surprise). So first, the seat comes out, then the hump... and then we figure out what to do with this:

The driver's side has more body than the passengers, but the passenger's side has more floor I could welp bits into. I have the passenger's side heater channel as well, which could be used to help patch the big hole in the corner where the door hinges.

I know you're all probably looking at this and wincing, it's a ***lot*** of rust. And some of you may wince even more when I say I really don't care if the fix is ugly. That's why, as nice as it is that the pans bolt on and off, I'm fine just patching and spot-welding sheets of metal in to make something that resembles a floor (though, I do have a full driver's side pan, so that's useful material). Besides, I'm led to believe I have to take the whole body off to get the pans out, and I simply don't have the resources to do that. So the question is how I can fix it with the means I've got.

The rear footwells of the pans are structurally sound (previous owners must not have had kids). The bars that run across the fronts are sound. The edges of the driver's side floor pan, as slim as they are, are sound. All decent places to weld things onto. And I'd even consider going "half and half," cutting at the old pan where it's weak and unbolting it there, then using a new pan at those sections and welding in other spots. But the aforementioned humps are literal walls between the weak parts of my floor and the strong parts. So I need to know how to tear those down (and replace them properly so my seats don't slide around like some kind of ride at Disney world).

Any advice, guidance, and prayers are welcome, cause I most certainly need all of it.
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Tue Feb 21, 2023 3:04 am

Use Bug parts to repair your Type 3.
3 point seats are the same in both I believe.
Your local Hot Rod Shop could rebuild it, but cars Always cost serious money! :wink:

Tue Feb 21, 2023 7:52 am

Mike Fisher wrote: Use Bug parts to repair your Type 3.
3 point seats are the same in both I believe.
Your local Hot Rod Shop could rebuild it, but cars Always cost serious money! :wink:

I'm not 100% sure if late bug risers are the same as a type 3 or not, but that could be a solution to your problem. The mechanical parts are the same though (pin,plastic bushings, sliders and spring). Your biggest problem will be the rear seat tracks, as I don't know if anybody is selling them. This might be another late bug/super bug part to look for. Sorry, I'm not more help on this.

Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:42 am

Bobnotch wrote: Mike Fisher wrote: Use Bug parts to repair your Type 3.
3 point seats are the same in both I believe.
Your local Hot Rod Shop could rebuild it, but cars Always cost serious money! :wink:

I'm not 100% sure if late bug risers are the same as a type 3 or not, but that could be a solution to your problem. The mechanical parts are the same though (pin,plastic bushings, sliders and spring). Your biggest problem will be the rear seat tracks, as I don't know if anybody is selling them. This might be another late bug/super bug part to look for. Sorry, I'm not more help on this.
The 3 point seat tracks are made from box tubing cut down to a C shape, so they'd be easy to duplicate.

Tue Feb 21, 2023 9:40 am

Oh boy, I get to fabricate new sliders... I guess those just weld right onto the pans, yeah?

Speaking of which:

Took all of 5 minutes to get the passenger's seat out. Super easy. And gave me a good view of my pans (especially in the rear). Gonna clear off the surface rust. But again, on the passenger's side at least, the rails and that middle section of the pan look solid enough to weld things too.

How do you get the risers off (thank you for the technical term)? That's one of the main things holding me up on how to proceed...

Tue Feb 21, 2023 2:57 pm

If you end up wanting to use factory parts, I've got a good set of risers for sale in the classifieds, I'm not that far from you. They shouldn't be hard to fabricate either, just depends on which way you want to go.

Tue Feb 21, 2023 3:11 pm

Just sent you a message Mr. Road. So glad you have ones in good shape, a literal lifesaver...

Guess this means I'm yanking out the full floor pans... which means I'm pulling off the whole body... which means I'm going to be working on this for the next many moons...

The most annoying part is I'll have to do another brake flush... and remove the pedal assembly... both of which were kind of a pain in the butt...

Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:25 pm

tjmartin317 wrote: Oh boy, I get to fabricate new sliders... I guess those just weld right onto the pans, yeah?

Speaking of which:

Took all of 5 minutes to get the passenger's seat out. Super easy. And gave me a good view of my pans (especially in the rear). Gonna clear off the surface rust. But again, on the passenger's side at least, the rails and that middle section of the pan look solid enough to weld things too.

How do you get the risers off (thank you for the technical term)? That's one of the main things holding me up on how to proceed...

Yes they do. As you can see, they're not very long. Maybe talk to a sheet metal shop and see if the could bend you up a set or 2 out of 10 or 12 gauge metal. You'd need to get one off, so they could get the dimensions of it to make them.
The risers are spot welded to the floor pans, so you can drill them off, if you don't find any replacements. Keep in mind that these parts are similar to those used in rabbits, golf, and jetta's. So, that could open up some options on finding parts and even seat replacements. :wink:

Thu Feb 23, 2023 12:05 pm

Roadbeater offered you this complete set for $75 a couple days ago.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2496947

Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:14 pm

Mike Fisher wrote: Roadbeater offered you this complete set for $75 a couple days ago.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2496947

Already bought them!