Rear Cargo Area 74 SB

[NevadaVandal]

One end of the strap is the buckle but at the other end of the strap is a screw that is screwed into ???

Thnks

[beetlenut]

The buckle on that strap is meant to clamp onto the metal channel that the front bottom half of the rear seat sits on. It's used to hold the top half of the rear seat snug when the seat is put down. So the screw has to attach somewhere to the metal frame of the rear seat back to do this. Look for a hole in the metal frame of the rear seatback top half that will accept the screw.
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scrapyards are for quitters
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[NevadaVandal]

OK that makes sense. Appreciate the input. Have worked on this rear cargo thing for 2+ months. Thank You

[Dwayne1m]

I'm guessing that the "light gray" piece is glued to a firm backing so it covers the valley when the seat back is lowered, but how is it attached to the backside of the seat?

[VW_Jimbo]

I have only disassembled the rear seat in a stock bug, this one time, and documented it for reconstruction purposes. I have yet to get to the reconstruction part, as I am currently working on the engine and tranny. But I can try sharing what I documented, to the best of my limited memory (I have none!).

Here goes;

This is a rear luggage shelf behind the rear seat. It has a "J" bar welded across it, about 15 inches off of the firewall. This J bar receives the carpet from both the shelf and the seat back. The carpet is tucked into it and secured with a slip in steel bar, maybe 3/8" x 1/8" the lenght of the carpet pieces and rolled together.
If you look closely at the shelf (enlarge the picture), there is a line of blue running just above what looks like an inch band of rust. You can see where I have drilled out the spot welds from the long leg of the J bar and removed it.

This next photo shows the distance off of the firewall, squarish shaped stamping. The J bar is there with its short leg on top, closed end facing the rear seat. Again, this is where the two different carpet parts gets tucked into.

That was the luggage tray side, now the backseat side. The strap on mine was cut or rotted, so the place it attached on the frame has not been detected, it may have been looped around a frame piece and tied together. The strap does enter from the outside and go through an opening in what looks like 1/8 luan or masonite. Shaped like the backseat. Aluminum framed ring for the strap to go through. Carpet overlays back, maybe glued, and is secured at the top with a dcorative steel edging and screws which go through steel rivet rings, and then thread into the seat frame. Those are steel rivets attached to the backerboard where the screws can go through to get to the frame. In the first picture all three carpet pieces are present and in place. Second picture has the seat back carpet with the bridge piece folded over onto the seatback, after having been detacthed from the Jchannel.

My 250 pound person tried climbing over the seat by placing my knee right where that hole is (shaped like a knee) in the backer board)

This is the seat back piece removed with a tape measure for scaling a new one.

Here is how the bridge piece attaches to the rear seat. 3/32 piece of 19mm steel screwed to the frame with the carpet folded between it and the seat.

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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[VW_Jimbo]

You can review how that strap worked in the Owners manual, posted here in the " Technical" tab. Page 23.
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[RailBoy]

74 Super Beetle, RB
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[quote="smitty24"]"HELP, I ported my own heads and now have fire coming out my ass" .[/quote]

[Dwayne1m]

[quote="NevadaVandal"]

This light gray piece with the strap.....how is it attached to the seat, or is it attached to the chassis?

[NevadaVandal]

Seems to attach to the underside of the black carpeted panel. Sewn I believe allowing it to create a hinge. At what distance under the black panel I will determine today after the temps warm a little and I can go out. The opposite end of the strap contains a screw that attaches to the seat frame? I may fabricate a new clip with strap but wishing to keep things original may not.

[VW_Jimbo]

Here is a page from the manual I wrote about. See how the strap wraps around the seat and engages on the metal support rail? It has to be long enough for that task.

However, that picture does not show it coming out of the seat back. My Bug is an early 70 Bug, maybe the 69 models had it coming out of that aluminum rectangular slot? Something I will get to research!
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[beetlenut]

[Dwayne1m]

If I'm correct the strap just secures the seat back when folded down. I'm at a loss as to what covers the "valley" when the seat back is lowered.

[beetlenut]

[Dwayne1m]

So the carpet that covers the valley does not have a solid backing? It looks like it does in the original pic of this thread.

[VW_Jimbo]

[NevadaVandal]

Then that gray panel with buckle attaches the backside of the back rest?

[VW_Jimbo]

Yep.
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Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[KIMSBUG]

Perhaps you all can help me with my 73 Super Beetle Rear Seat back. I am ready to reupholster it but want to understand how it needs to go back together. I am thinking the carpet covered Masonite that is currently installed on the back of the backrest (the one with the slot where the strap is threaded through) was installed upside down when it was last recovered. When the tray that can be raised to cover the cargo area lays flat against the backrest, this strap slot is covered up.
Currently when the seat backrest is folded down, there is no way for the strap to stretch over the top edge of the seat so it can fasten to the seat rail.
Is my seat assembled correctly?

[whobba]

The strap screws to the center bottom of the backrest. Look and you'll see a hole. the top flap is also a parcel tray; you can swing it up before you push the back rest into it's final resting position, and it forms a tray under the rear window to hide stuff you might have stored back there.
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[boundstaffpress]

Here are some pics of my 73 cargo area and package tray. I returned the center strap to it's stock function, but misunderstood the side strap function. When extended to become a package shelf, there should be two side straps that limit the upward movement of the package tray flap. My stock side straps were no longer attached, so I just made loops that I could use to hold the package shelf up when locking the seat in position.

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Justin

Building a 73 Super Beetle with my kids.