1977 VW Bus (Type 2) - Seat Rails

[AndyOnNow]

I am in the process of restoring a 1977 VW Bus Westfalia (Type 2).

I have a few questions regarding the front seat rails that are mounted to the driver and passenger sides.

Driver Side (Left Rail) Teeth opening = 1/4 of an inch (for most of the teeth)
Driver Side (Right Rail) Teeth opening = 3/16 of an inch (for all of the teeth)

The teeth on the driver side (left rail) needed to be pried open as the front seat was stuck...it has now been hammered back down into place...the questions I have is...

1. The Driver side (Left Rail) teeth are now 1/16 of an inch more open than the Driver Side (Right Rail) teeth...is this OK?

2. Would there be a safety concern with the seat/rail with the 1/16 gap/opening?

3. Does the hammering of the rail teeth back into place weaken the rail?

4. The rear of the Driver side (Left Rail) dismounted a bit from the platform...should this be welded or can I drill the holes and bolt to the platform?

Please see attached pictures. Thanks in advance for your help!

The Driver side (Left Rail) teeth are now 1/16 of an inch more open than the Driver Side (Right Rail) teeth...is this OK?

Driver Side (Right Rail) - this rail has not been changed

Picture of Driver Side (Left Rail) - teeth are 1/16 of an inch more open than the Driver Side (Right Rail)...is this OK? Is there any safety concerns?

Picture of the Rear of the Driver Side (Left Rail) - should this be welded or can I drill the holes and bolt on? Any safety concerns with bolting on?

[Spike0180]

a 1/16th of an inch wont change anything from a safety standpoint unless they were already grossly more open than expected. You could take a pair of pliers or other tool of your choice and compress them to the same size if it makes you feel better. As for weakening the metal, google and read about fatigue of metal at different stresses and cycles. It's a fairly interesting topic. Here is a starting point: https://www.totalmateria.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=KTS&NM=142
Part 3 (the posted link is to part 1) gets into the stress-life diagram, which is what applies most here.
**this isn't necessarily the best resource or even thoroughly checked for accuracy, simply a quick find while googling the topic**

As far as bolt vs weld, there is little difference as far as strength when done correctly (check out seat belts for example).
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[busdaddy]

Welcome!
Bolts and washers will work, as long as they don't stick up and jam the seat. As mentioned that gap isn't super critical, as long as you can't lift the seat out it'll work, the forces required to open it up along it's entire length are much greater than hammering one spot at a time. I don't see the plastic slider that goes in the track so expect the seat to be a little loose and rattly.
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[Spike0180]

Busdaddy! ... there's a plastic piece that goes in that track? ... time for me to do some research I sure as heck don't have any.

Boom! Mind blown.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=605551
_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[Hoody]

NLAVWPARTS now reproduces these plastic seat rail glides. Hope this helps.

[SGKent]

glide only goes in one side of each seat.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin