Seats for a '67

[abdon]

I just bought a standard 11-window bus, sight-unseen. Not only that, but I have not been on a bus since before the first Bush, and can't remember jack shit that is bus specific. I do know beetles well (got a 66 sedan), but has never owned a bus before.

So... the new member of the family has no back (nor middle) seats. At this point I just need seats wether or not they are from the correct year. How far forward are seats exchangeable on these things? And WTF is the deal with some shitty looking seats with a price tag of $800+!

And to really show my ignorance, how are the seats attached to the floor?

[abdon]

And just to keep showing my ignorance; this thing still uses a standard type 1 engine, right?

[abdon]

And to keep on asking; on most 67 standard buses the top of the rear wheel well is straight. On the one I bought it is round. Why the diference?

[obus]

seats for splits are very expensive but keep looking and you may get lucky. i think bay window middle and rears may work though i don't have them in mine. bought a bus unseen!!! you are a brave one! do a search on here, post pics when you get it or can take the pics, buy the manual for it etc. good luck!
_________________
July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
March 1956 Beetle convertible L41 Black

[eroseme]

I just got some Bay Window seats (69) for my split (64). The rear seat fits into the spot just fine, but the seat legs do not line up with the floor mounts. That's okay, because there are no floor mounts in my bus! So I have bought the mounts from Wolfsburg West and will weld them to the floor.

The Middle seat is a 3/4. Its legs do not match up with the floor mounts either. I bought the big plates from WW to weld to the floor.

Then I bought the clamp kit from:

http://www.vwispwest.com/catalog/seatclamp.htm

That is my seat story.

[Split Decision]

Here's a question I haven't had any success in finding:

Are floor mounts specific to what kind of seat originally came with the bus? My 67 has a bay 3/4 seat, but has mounting points for a full seat. Do all busses have full seat mounts?

Mike
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In 1966 Volkswagen pinched my loaf.
67 Deluxe

On year seven of the "I'll get it done next week" engine rebuild.

[Stanagon]

I've done some research on middle seats and have bought and sold a few in the past couple years. From what I was able to determine the inner seat leg on the 2/3 length middle seat was moved about an inch closer to the outer (driver's side) leg sometime in '66 or '67. The 2/3 middle seat leg dimensions then stayed the same through the bay window years ('68-'79).

You can see what I mean in the picture below. It shows a '67 2/3 middle seat on the floor of my '65 Panel. You can see how the seat leg is one full rib short of where it would need to mount with the outer leg properly lined up. Of course my panel did not have any seat mounting plates, but I got those from Wolfsburg West. I currently have a '59-'61 full length middle seat mounted in my panel for my kids to ride in. It also has three sets of seatbelts that I have adapted for use in the panel.

I also had the same problem trying to use a mid-'70s 2/3 middle seat in my panel; the inner leg was too short by about an inch. I ended up selling both middle seats (mint '67 and average bay window one). The bay window middle seat went for ALOT less money than the '67 one. You should be able to find a nice bay window middle seat for $100 or less, perhaps even free. If you want a "correct" seat, then you'll need a '67, or possibly a '66-'67 middle seat.

And yes, the '67 bus still uses a Type 1 upright motor. The U.S. spec. buses used this motor up through 1971.

The reinforcing lip on the bus rear fender started sometime in 1962 and ran through 1967. Actually it was still there on the first couple? years of bay window buses too. Your '67 should have them.

Good luck with the new project. And a word from the wise, "Don't start buying parts for the bus until it is in your possesion, if you can help it. I know it might be tempting, but you'll probably end up buying stuff you don't really need, that doesn't fit, or might even duplicate something the bus already has.

[Andrew]

[P-Dub]

[Andrew]

[abdon]

Stanagon!

Thank you! You da man! It answered a good number of my questions.

My biggest problem is that here in Maryland, bus and bus parts are as rare as a chicken tooth. I did stop by the local DIY boneyard, which only had one bay bus, pretty much picked clean. I had a chance to look at how the seats connect to the floor, and it had the rear seatbelts. I plan to go back for those soon. The seatbelts should fit just about any year, right?

Most of what this thing is TLC. I'll probably spend most of the winter months with a big can of POR-15, stripping and going over every bit that needs going through.

[Stanagon]

The seatbelts from a bay window should work in your '67. I stripped two '67 standards this year and I don't think either one had seat belt mounting holes for the middle seat. They both had plastic plugs in the mounting holes for rear seat belts as I recall though.

I welded a nut on the bottom of the WW seat mount plates that I had welded into my panel floor. The silver thing next to the left (rear) seat mount keyhole is a bolt for mounting a seatbelt. It works great and it's much better than cutting a hole in the floor/belly pans to mount the seat belts.

You can check pages 3 and 4 of my gallery for other pictures showing some of this stuff.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php?search_id=2104445730&start=0

[Stanagon]

Maryland might not be such a bad place to find bus parts. The buses may be long gone, but there may be some middle seats out there. East coast buses may rot out, but sometimes the interiors last longer due to less sun and heat. The key is to get connected to as many VW people as possible. I've acquired three middle seats since I got my panel bus in Nov. 2002. Here's how I found them:

-1959-61 Deluxe full length middle seat, dark grey/light grey, good original condition, no rips, some minor stains on upholstry:
Someone from New Hampshire had a neighbor who was getting rid of this seat. He saved it and brought it to a small local show in Mass. that I had my bus at. He figured he could find someone with a bus to put it in. My panel was the only bus it would fit in at the show (the other two split window buses were Westies). I paid him what he thought was a more than fair price for it. He was just planning on giving it away:)

-1967 2/3 middle seat, mesh grey, very nice OG condition:
This was taken from a '67 Standard that a fellow NEATO member had seen locally and passed on the tip. Another NEATO member and myself acted very quickly to help the lawyer handling the estate (shack in the woods where the bus was located) to get the bus out of there. We had it towed away and stripped it a friendly local VW shop. There was even a nice kick panel in the bus for the middle seat. The middle seat mount hardware looked like it had hardly ever been used and was in a coffee can with other parts. The previous owner (deceased) was apparently into ultra-light airplanes and there was lots of wood components loaded up in the bus. Underneath this was the middle seat. There was also a complete set of nice interior panels. Pieces from this bus are now in Virginia, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Ohio and my storage unit...

-1959-61 full length middle seat, carmel brown, no rips, slightly dirty:
This one was advertised on the classified section of VW web site (not theSamba). A fellow club member had suggested the owner list it there. He did and I saw the ad. I offered him a reasonable price for it, sight unseen after getting a verbal description over the phone. It was definitely worth the 2-1/2 hour drive to get it. The seat had been in the basement of a large store for many years. The owner's father had a bus that they used for deliveries, etc. The seat was probably not used much.

The point of all this is that things are really out there. Of course you need to be in the right place at the right time, but I have found this is not too difficult if you get out and go to lots of shows, events, campouts, etc. You also want to be the "go to" guy in your area or local VW club for old buses. That way when an old bus comes along that just needs to be disposed of, you might be first in line to check it out.

I know I've been incredibly lucky to find three nice pre-'67 middle seats in 2 years time. However, I've been into the VW scene for 20+ years and have met a lot of great people. You might be surprised at what might just fall into your lap if people like you enough to pass on tips about old buses and parts.

And no, the two middle seats that I currently have are not for sale at this time. Good luck finding what you want!

[[email protected]]

I have a full set of spare 67 seats.
The middel seat is NOS and the front and back seats need somw work.
all the padding is good .
I am in Mass .