1968 Ghia return to original seats

[Hartfiel]

We have a 1968 Ghia convertible that had some other seats in it. We have the originals from the prior owner but I'm wondering if we have everything we need to get them back in? Any suggestions very much appreciated. These are showing what is in the car pan and the bottom of the seats now that I have the old coverings off.

[Braukuche]

Looks like original tracks to me, unless someone put 69 and later tracks in for 69 and later seats you should be good to go.
_________________
Go Reds! Smash state!

Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now

[kiwighia68]

I have a '68 Ghia and the original seats.

Are you worried about the seats or the tracks? I can take some measurements and have photos of the original seats, stripped and showing also the original padding, etc.

Let me know where I can help. Chris M
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[Hartfiel]

I'm wondering if I have everything that should be there to make the seats work, back in the car. A photo of the seat bottom and pan runner tracks would be awesome.

[jeffrey8164]

I have to ask.
You have the seats.
Have you tried to put them on the tracks?
That would answer your questions.
_________________
Volkswagen!
Turning owners into mechanics since 1938.

“Let he that is without oil throw the first rod”
(Compression 8.7:1)

[kiwighia68]

Does these photos help?

Your seats appear to be correct.

_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[kiwighia68]

And another showing the rails on the bottom of the seat.

_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[Hartfiel]

Jeffrey8164 yes we have the seats but haven't tried putting them in. Was checking to see if someone knew if what we have looks complete.

kiwighia68 thank you. The photos are very helpful

[Rome]

Hartfiel, your seat bases need some minor work before the test fitting. The actuator lever with black knob at the one corner is for the front-to-rear seat position. The lever, and the rear end of the flat metal bar with the notches needs to be well lubed so that the bar easily swings up & down.

The notches in the bars flip down to contact the 2 prongs on each seat track, which holds the seat in position when the actuator lever is let go.

Also, the metal rod that goes across the seat from the lever over to the matching flat bar on the other side of the seat appears to have more bends than on kiwighia's frame. You should straighten those bends so that the right side flat bar gets full movement. That bar also needs to be lubed at the front and rear ends/receptacles just as on the other side of the seat frame.

The seat bottom has the 2 channels which slide onto the 2 tracks on the floor. Run a wire brush into those channels to clean out dirt, carpet debris, etc. Put a piece of cloth/shop rag over the end of a small flat-blade screwdriver and drag the screwdriver along the channels for final cleaning. Prior to testing the frame on the tracks, apply a thin smear of grease onto the 2 tracks so that the frame channels slide easily.

Do you have the two backrests?

[Hartfiel]

Does the seat tip lever, to get in the back seat go in the middle of the car on the driver's seat? Or outside of the passenger seat, please? Our seats were out so we don't know which is which. Would hate to put them in opposite of how they should be. Thank you so much!

[Hartfiel]

I just looked in the owner's manual and figured it out. Sorry should have thought of that first. I Googled and couldn't find my answer so came here next. It actually looks like it's the recline lever not the seat tilt I was asking about. Thank you all so much!

[Hartfiel]

Does anyone know if the 1968 Ghia seat used the button trim? I watched a beetle restoration video and it had the button trim on the high back bucket seats. I've not seen them in photos of Ghias. We're trying to return our car to as original look as possible and now I see buttons are available and wondering if they were used on the 1968 Ghia seats or not. Thank you!

[Marcdeb]

For the Karmann Ghia, 1968 has one year only high back seats. They have 2 buttons about 6 or 7 inches down from the top.
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio

Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata

68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc

[Marcdeb]

For finding details, a great resource is photos of Ghia auctions on BAT. Most cars have well over 100 photos that stay on the site indefinitely. Here's a link to all Ghia's that are on BAT:
Lots of interesting details are discussed in the comments as well.
https://bringatrailer.com/volkswagen/karmann-ghia/?era=1960
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio

Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata

68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc

[Hartfiel]

Thank you!

[Peeteboy2]

Hey I hate to hi jack your thread but I thought it might be better then starting a new one.

Im trying to assemble the seats in my 68 Ghia that were apart when I purchased recently. Does anyone know a source for a parts diagram or detailed assembly instructions? I cant find any "How to's" that have the same looking seat adjuster parts!
I cant figure our how to get the seat to fold forward when the lever on the vertical side is moved up. It only actuates the lock cam that it is directly linked to down below not to the opposing side cam arm do hickey!

I have one super thin solid rod left over and Im pretty sure that is the missing link, maybe , but I cant figure it out.

Thanks and if I should just start a new thread for this just let me know. It feels better hiding my stupidity in someone else's thread I guess

[Marcdeb]

Have you learned about the Stickies Section in the Ghia forum? There's lots of great threads there under The title "Follow the best HOW TO thrreads".

Here's one in particular that might help:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4845789
_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio

Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata

68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc

[Peeteboy2]

[Marcdeb]

I have a 68 Ghia so I went out to see if I could get any information that would be helpful. There is a locking mechanism at the base of the seat bottom that spans the width of the seat. Only the ends are exposed. The bar that connects them is under the upholstery. The two hooks and the bar between them appear to be one piece but I didn't take it apart to see under the upholstery. The outside hook is a bit different as it's the controlling side. These hooks engage with a pin on both arms of the back rest and this is what locks the back rest in place.

When the button on the upper seat back is in it's normal low position, the seat back cannot move forward. The picture is confusing, but if the seat back is pushed forward, the pins rise up into the hooks on both sides.

However, when the button is raised, it slides up against the hook on the outer side only, preventing the pin from engaging with the hook, but since the hooks are connected by that bar, both hooks are held away from the pins which allows the seat back to move forward. Hope that helps. By the way, I have a 71 and the mechanism is a little different on the 71 but still basically the same principle.

_________________
Marc
68 Karmann Ghia Cabrio Autostick
71 Karmann Ghia Cabrio

Previously Owned:
2011 VW EOS Hard Top Conv
2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T Conv
2003 Saab 9-3 SE Conv
2001 Saab 9-3 Conv
1998 BMW 3 Series Conv
1997 Saab 900 Conv
1997 Mazda Miata

68 Ghia Vert Survivor with 22,350 miles: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=768107&highlight=
71 Ghia Vert Restoration: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=726710&postorder=asc

[Peeteboy2]

[quote="Marcdeb"]I have a 68 Ghia so I went out to see if I could get any information that would be helpful. There is a locking mechanism at the base of the seat bottom that spans the width of the seat. Only the ends are exposed. The bar that connects them is under the upholstery. The two hooks and the bar between them appear to be one piece but I didn't take it apart to see under the upholstery. The outside hook is a bit different as it's the controlling side. These hooks engage with a pin on both arms of the back rest and this is what locks the back

When the button on the upper seat back is in it's normal low position, the seat back cannot move forward. The picture is confusing, but if the seat back is pushed forward, the pins rise up into the hooks on both sides.


However, when the button is raised, it slides up against the hook on the outer side only, preventing the pin from engaging with the hook, but since the hooks are connected by that bar, both hooks are held away from the pins which allows the seat back to move forward. Hope that helps. By the way, I have a 71 and the
mechanism is a little different on the 71 but still basically the same



That makes perfect sense! I didn't stop and think of that because when I tried it it didn't disengage the inside arm and I assumed I was missing a linking aspect but in reality I think its the temporary but to small cotter type pins that lock the two outside mechanism to the inside rod that allow to much slop and therefore not enough pivot on the inside!

Hey, thank you so much for taking the time do take the pics and spell it out for me. Much appreciated.

Now I need to find out why I have to much slop between the j hooks if you will and the face of the control know.
Its sloppy and I don't get a good detent action when I switch the backrest. Like I'm missing a spacer or something.

I'll try and figure this out on my own for now,lol.

Thanks again Marcdeb!