Square vs Fastback rear seat design

[Qldelsie]

So the fast back has the two fixed diagonal strengthening arms behind the rear seat, plus a fixed cross bar and rear parcel shelf. The Squareback is totally open in the back, and the back of the rear seat folds down.

So where is the extra strengthening inserted in the squareback to maintain body rigidity ?

I guess the real question is "Is it feasible to convert a Fastback to have a fold down rear seat without cross bars etc to provide more usable rear luggage area ?"

Or does one just buy a square back ?

[eyetzr]

The extra reinforcement is the window post, and extra bit on the floor where your cross braces mount
_________________
I think he meant "rare", as in "not well-done"

[andybla]

[Qldelsie]

Thank you. So it would appear quite a complicated exercise to adapt the Fastback seat to fold down and then open up the luggage area a little. Will put it back into my "too hard" basket for now to come back to later
This is all to do with my planned long distance trips and an effort to find the best way to camp when using my Fastback.
G

[andybla]

Don't know if it would be that much of a problem, maybe they made these changes also because of the shape from the squareback..

if you look on ggl with the words fastback fold down seat, you will find lot's of info about this, not only vw related

[Bobnotch]

[Clatter]

This is something that i have investigated quite a bit, actually..

A fastback that i got years ago had the whole rear package tray cut out of it.
This made for a nice amount of room in the back; actually close to the same amount as a square.
It was a total hack-job, and the car didn't last, but it gave me ideas.

When i dove into my latest project, and had a square to cut up for parts,
All of the square rear sections were removed by drilling spot-welds to use in the fastback.
The idea was to make a fold-down rear seat and pass-thru like so many modern cars.
My goal was to haul surfboards; leaving the package tray.
if you were going to try and sleep back there, you would want to remove the whole tray.
The space between the package tray and rear floor is too small to fit in there with any padding unless you were a tiny child.

What stopped me from doing the whole rear square seat was the fact that the rear seat and arm-rests on the square are odd looking and rectangular by necessity.
If you were to transplant it all back there, it would really be odd if you were to put the rectangular seat back in place with the arm rests.
At least using the package tray..
The shape is just very different.

If you cut the whole rear tray out, then sectioned in all of the rear seat stuff from a square, that would loo,/work best by far.

Because i just need to pass through flat boards, i just cut out the two diagonal braces,
And leave the seat back at home.

Depending upon what you need to haul, you might consider removing those braces as i did?

looking at how the whole rear fo the car is designed,
I'm guessing the structure those braces provide was more to support the weight of passengers leaning back in the seat,
And not for the overall rigidity of the shell.

JMHO,
FWIW..
_________________
Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[Qldelsie]

Very interesting, Clatter. Appreciate your input.
Just cutting out the two diagonals you suggest would probably give me what I need. It is for long trips only, and my idea at the moment is to remove the entire rear seat (both parts) for these journeys, and replace with light plywood boxes for storage etc. thus making a hole through into the rear area very viable and possible. This then allows longer items like tents etc to be inserted through the back and go all the way up to the back of the rear seats if necessary.
Am currently away from home so can't do any measurements, but this may just work. Get home in 2 weeks.
And I could always make the rear braces "re-insertable" when I finish a trip.....
Thanks again,
Giles

[Jason37]

Have you thought about a roof and or trunk rack?

[Qldelsie]

[andybla]

Two other, more “extremer” optiins come to my mind now, maybe worth investigating..

- roof tent
- Get another backseat and modify it so it could stay positionee as is bu that you can fold down the middle or something, like those armrest backseats, so you can put your tent through

[Jason37]

The length of the tent sure does pose a problem. What if one of the beetle rear racks could be adapted, the one that sits level with the roof rack. another option since you have the hitch, would be one of those rear cargo carriers. I have one i use behind my daily and one could easily add a support to mount the tent vertically and since it is much lower to the ground, it would be easy to load and add little weight to the car.


And I hear you on the tent camping, this is why we bought a Westy several years ago.

[Qldelsie]

[Jason37]

Living life to the fullest!

Cant wait to see pics of the fasty all loaded up and ready for adventure.

If all goes to plan this year, I will be driving my notch to California later this year.

[chicagovw]

I've inquired and commented more than once in regards to why VW did not make the rear seat fold down on the Fastback or Notchback, but they did on their least expensive model (the Beetle), to say nothing of the Squareback. Surely someone has come up with a way to install the folding rear seat from a Squareback or other car to work in one of these. I just removed the interior from my FB in preparation of a Subaru driveline conversion, and it is something I am going to explore.

[KTPhil]

The Type 3 fastback had so much more trunk space than the Beetle, so a fold down seat was not valuable just for trunk volume. Remember, with the pancake engine there were two trunks!

Now, it would have been handy for long objects (like skis), but then you would just buy a Squareback, right? Or use a roof rack.

The Squareback is well known for weak structure right behind the B-pillar. A moderate rear-ender effectively folds the volume between the B- and C-pillars downward, very hard to pull back out. The Fastback does a little better.

[Qldelsie]

[Jason37]

Same here, covid kept the border closed and then I hit a manhole and crumpled the frame head on my car...and out of sure coincidence, the shop called and it is scheduled to go in next week! So maybe we can swap road trip pics later this year.

[vdubjiunkie]

[Qldelsie]