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SparksLP
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2009
Posts: 224
Location: Ohio
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 Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 4:50 pm Post subject: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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Hello,
I'm looking into different seats for my Bug, had a question on fitment. Anyone have rough measurements on seat height, width and depth that would fit in a '66? Trying to figure out what will fit on each side but not interfere with the parking brake handle or a roll cage in the future. Thanks for any info!
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Tom
1966 VW Beetle Sunroof Sedan (Sold) |
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Bryan67
Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2003
Posts: 2962
Location: Fresno, Ca.
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| Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2020 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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There's lots of options. Try Corbeau, Recaro, TMI, Scat Pro Car for starters
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If you`re going to do something, do it right. |
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WesleyGarrard
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2007
Posts: 541
Location: Pekin, Il
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:58 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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Here was what I came up with for new seats in my Beetle.
Link
I am really happy with them. I have been able to actually see how well the car handles because now the seats hold me in place. The original seats had me sliding all over the place during autocross no matter how tight my harness was. They are EMPI Roadster seats that I dyed grey with SEM vinyl dye. After a few years, they have been holding up pretty well. |
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SparksLP
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2009
Posts: 224
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 4:00 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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Wesley,
I've watched you videos before, you did great work on those seats! Do you have extra room on each side? I can get the dimensions for those seats online so I can make a rough guess as to max width for when I'm shopping around. Thanks!
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Tom
1966 VW Beetle Sunroof Sedan (Sold) |
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Chickensoup
Samba Member
Joined: January 06, 2018
Posts: 5395
Location: Good Hope, GA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| i kind of want to know about this too. anyone ever fitted seats similar the the bmw e30 sports ones? |
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Jos.Hall
Samba Member
Joined: January 29, 2011
Posts: 348
Location: Sunny So Cal.
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| Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2020 8:28 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| Chickensoup wrote: |
| i kind of want to know about this too. anyone ever fitted seats similar the the bmw e30 sports ones? |
A lot of people have! BMW e30 sport seats are technically Recaro LS-c seats. If you do a search on here for recaro seats you should find plenty of examples. The other alternative that looks really good and is cheaper is the scat procar seats. They look very much like recaro seats.
Real MK2 vw GLi Recaro seats in a bug (using scat mounts)
Not a fan of the white myself but these are the Scat Procar Elite seats
Recaro seats (not e30)
Scat seats
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WesleyGarrard
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2007
Posts: 541
Location: Pekin, Il
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| SparksLP wrote: |
Wesley,
I've watched you videos before, you did great work on those seats! Do you have extra room on each side? I can get the dimensions for those seats online so I can make a rough guess as to max width for when I'm shopping around. Thanks! |
Here are the dimensions I found. Would be good for you or anyone else considering the roadster seat.
https://static.speedwaymotors.com/pdf/EMPISeatDimensions.pdf
I do have more room. If I recall, these are 1.25" narrower that the stock seats. So an extra 5/8" on each side. Not a ton of room. But it does make reaching for the parking brake easier.
One thing I did notice. These seats on factory sliders are shorter than a stock seat. But, since they do not have springs, they do not collapse as much when you sit on them. So you sit a little bit higher than normal.
But they are really comfy. I have done a few hundred mile road trips in it without a sore backside. |
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SparksLP
Samba Member
Joined: May 26, 2009
Posts: 224
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:27 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| WesleyGarrard wrote: |
| SparksLP wrote: |
Wesley,
I've watched you videos before, you did great work on those seats! Do you have extra room on each side? I can get the dimensions for those seats online so I can make a rough guess as to max width for when I'm shopping around. Thanks! |
Here are the dimensions I found. Would be good for you or anyone else considering the roadster seat.
https://static.speedwaymotors.com/pdf/EMPISeatDimensions.pdf
I do have more room. If I recall, these are 1.25" narrower that the stock seats. So an extra 5/8" on each side. Not a ton of room. But it does make reaching for the parking brake easier.
One thing I did notice. These seats on factory sliders are shorter than a stock seat. But, since they do not have springs, they do not collapse as much when you sit on them. So you sit a little bit higher than normal.
But they are really comfy. I have done a few hundred mile road trips in it without a sore backside. |
That helps a ton! Thanks for your feedback!
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Tom
1966 VW Beetle Sunroof Sedan (Sold) |
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slalombuggy
Samba Member
Joined: July 17, 2010
Posts: 9340
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:34 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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My Scat Procar seats in my 57 lots of room even with the cage and they sat on the floor
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whatthehucks
Samba Member
Joined: November 09, 2019
Posts: 19
Location: 95747
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| Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:22 pm Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| SparksLP wrote: |
Hello,
I'm looking into different seats for my Bug, had a question on fitment. Anyone have rough measurements on seat height, width and depth that would fit in a '66? Trying to figure out what will fit on each side but not interfere with the parking brake handle or a roll cage in the future. Thanks for any info! |
I have some Scat procar low back I would be willing to trade for some good condition stock low back seats  |
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oldmanmark
Samba Member
Joined: July 08, 2006
Posts: 843
Location: n.w. indiana,chicagoland
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| Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:01 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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What i would do is take the dimensions of the stock seats for reference and start from there. How tall , wide, seat depth and surface width . How much do they clear the door when closed, distance between each other, etc. etc. Then you can gauge what replacement seats will fit. I took my stock seats cut and welded the frame to fit my body seat position. Then fabricated the seat back frame to lay back further still using the stock recline adjuster on the 63 seat frames. Reupolsterd with foam cut to form fit my ass nicely. Even did away with the saggy springs in the process. Long time ago i fabricated custom wheelchairs for a brief time. Kinda same thing.
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pondoras box
Samba Member
Joined: March 22, 2004
Posts: 1892
Location: Warren, PA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:41 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| WesleyGarrard wrote: |
Here was what I came up with for new seats in my Beetle.
Link
I am really happy with them. I have been able to actually see how well the car handles because now the seats hold me in place. The original seats had me sliding all over the place during autocross no matter how tight my harness was. They are EMPI Roadster seats that I dyed grey with SEM vinyl dye. After a few years, they have been holding up pretty well. |
Old thread revival but that you for posting this! Opens a whole new world of seat options and not having to drill holes in the pan to mount them.
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1973 standard bug (Dirty Gertie)
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zerotofifty
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2003
Posts: 4187
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:47 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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I have Honda DelSol seats in my VW kit car, fits well. Plenty narrow for the parking brake and tunnel. Mine makes use of the Honda DelSol seat slider tracks, removed the stock VW slider tracks. Bolt in the Honda DelSol tracks.
My floor pan is a flat plate however, not the stock VW pan half.
Take a trip to a wrecker like Pick N Pull or such, bring a tape measure and see what will work by measurement.
Small cars are your best bet as a source of small seats.
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Bobs67vwagen
Samba Member
Joined: March 27, 2005
Posts: 861
Location: Eastern north carolina
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2025 10:48 am Post subject: Re: Aftermarket Seat Questions |
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| Are any of the vendors currently selling adapters to mount bmw e30 recaro into a bug? |
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