Rear seat panel

[bmoehring]

Hi -
The enclosed photos show a carpeted panel included some years ago in my 73 Beetle. I'm at a loss as to where it goes.
There are no mounting holes, the edges have those hard strips sewn to it, and it has the rear seat strap ferrule in the center.
I've always assumed this is a parcel shelf of some kind.

[/img]
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[talljordan]

This is the back side of the rear seat, the top part (seat back). Its there so that when you fold the seat back down, you can put your luggage on it. Its held on with two metal strips that are screwed into the seat frame.

I believe yours may be aftermarket or damaged? It doesnt look like the right shape to me, but I havent seen many stock ones.

Also on a personal note, can you measure how far from the edge that metal grommet is? Im currently making a new one of these for my own car, and Im not sure where that grommet is supposed to be in the plate.
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[bmoehring]

[quote="talljordan"]This is the back side of the rear seat, the top part (seat back). Its there so that when you fold the seat back down, you can put your luggage on it. Its held on with two metal strips that are screwed into the seat frame.

Most assuredly not the back of a sedan rear seat. That piece was sitting off to the right, out of the picture.
This piece is nothing like the seat back.
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[talljordan]

The seat back backing plate is made of two pieces. A piece that covers the back luggage area, and a piece that covers the back of the seat.


This is the piece that covers the back of the seat, you can tell cause it has the exact metal grommet. WW sells these and shows a diagram.

Dont believe me if you dont like, but thats the answer.
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[BMFBMF]

+1
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-----Slava Ukraini-----
1971 Stock South African Beetle 1300 : My mom's european "Thin Chick" spec. Completely stock with torsion bar front, swingaxle rear, smooth hubs, single MC, 40 mm shoes, 31PICT3 carb and 5 bolt drums all round, currently Running a 1976 SF:AS engine with the original SF:AD engine overhauled in a box, waiting to go back in one day.

[baldessariclan]

Yeah, believe it's part of the 2-piece seat back/shelf system used in later Beetles, like talljordan was talking about. There's a few pics of the setup shown in this thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9571267&highlight=#9571267
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1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver

baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt...

[bmoehring]

In all my searches for "parcel", "shelf", or "parcel shelf", none of this showed up. Not sure why.
At any rate, the piece I pictured must have been thrown in the car at some point as there are no witness marks or holes for the two, thin fabric straps shown in post #9571267. This piece is quite flimsy, actually.
I'll search through later T1 literature to find more.
Thanks!
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[talljordan]

It's flimsy cause it's fully supported by the cross bars on the rear seat back. This piece is the cover for the rear seat backrest. The parcel tray is thicker.

Jbugs has a video showing rear seat restoration where they show how to manufacture one of these from scratch
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[bmoehring]

Ok, so..... what do I have here, is this seat back for a 73, or earlier?

The clue was to look at Jbugs site, and there I see different graphic depictions of rear cargo carpet kits for 72-earlier, and 73-77. Other sites are not as clear.
The piece I pictured originally is lying next to the seat back.
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[talljordan]

Well Ill be damned. The my sense of scale was off in the initial image.

In this image, I thought the object on the left was the object on the right. This doesnt quite make sense to me, maybe someone cut up a seat back?
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[bmoehring]

In this image, I thought the object on the left was the object on the right. This doesnt quite make sense to me, maybe someone cut up a seat back?[/quote]


Exactly, it just doesn't seem to fit anything around the rear seat.
Maybe not even for a beetle ?

Additionally, the cargo area carpet kit I bought does not fit the seat, the shape is wrong for the seat back, or the seat is wrong for the car.
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[talljordan]

Which carpet kit did you purchase, the aftermarket ones are a bit non intuitive. Once again Id suggest watching the JBugs video.

My best guess on that panel is someone chopped up a panel (like the one you have on the right)
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[VW_Jimbo]

I documented my OG rear seat from one of my 70 Bugs. Page 2, half way down. There are more pictures in my gallery, I think. Might be worth a look!

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;start=20
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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!

[bmoehring]

Yes, looks just like mine, I'd say!
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[VW_Jimbo]

[talljordan]

Jimbo this was very helpful for my project as well. I am still struggling to understand how to properly route the cable through the metal grommet though, and how it holds the seat down. Why the grommet hole is on the bottom side of the seat back escapes me....
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1972 Super Beetle, Parked until adequate restoration funding is acquired in restoration!

Wanted: Male computer diagnostic plug end

[bmoehring]

[/quote]

That smaller piece gets attach to the rear seat back, down low. It then stretches over to the “J” channel at the rear luggage shelf.
So, when you pull the seat back down, after removing the bottom, this piece forms a “bridge” between the seat back and the luggage self.
Hope that seems clear.[/quote]

I thought that's what the gap seal was for, pictured here. Yes?

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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[bmoehring]

And another thing; the owner's manuals talk of the luggage area cover being a hinged piece to the seat back. I have no evidence of anything like that on my seat, and have yet to see details or restoration parts for this.
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up

[VW_Jimbo]

[bmoehring]

Yes, I am aware of how the pictured pieces assemble.

I'm also still looking for information concerning the hinged cover over the luggage area, as mentioned in the owner's manual. There is some hinged, hard, and I'm assuming carpet-covered, piece from the top of the rear seat to the spot under the rear window.
Pull the seat back forward slightly, bring this cover up from the stowed position (I'm assuming laying against the back of the seat), then set it in that slight shelf spot under the rear window as you move the seat rearward, back into position.
It bridges the area from top of the rear seat to the rear window.
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73 sedan
72 Westy non pop-up