front seats...

vwfye · Post by **vwfye** » Mon Nov 20, 2006 11:09 pm

anybody successfully rebuilt a 412 front seat? my driver's seat has springs showing (and tearing cloths), and the bottom springs sag enough to cause me to be LOW in the car.

or, does anyone have a good black front driver's seat for sale?

Wally · Post by **Wally** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:09 pm

No, when my seat pushed springs in my back, I welded in a set of old Rabbit GTI seats on top of the original frames.

Dismantling the original seats was really insightfull, as it showed the original seats are really a set of put together parts that are easily 'bolt' together again.
It should be no problem for you to take apart, fix/weld the frame/springs and put it back together.

Good luck,
Walter

vwfye · Post by **vwfye** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:14 pm

do you have pics of how the new seats are mounted? i'd like something with more bolster on the sides anyway!

Wally · Post by **Wally** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:36 pm

vwfye wrote:do you have pics of how the new seats are mounted? i'd like something with more bolster on the sides anyway!

Well that they have indeed. It was quite some work and thought to maintain the original knobs, handles and lower black plastic covers AND not be seated too high afterwards

I'll try to make a pic tonight my time (we probably have a 6-8 hour time difference...) and post it.

vwfye · Post by **vwfye** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 11:50 pm

thank you!

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:32 am

Wally!....That is exactly one of the same fixes I have been contemplating!.

What looks like to be required to take rabbit seats like those in my cabrio....is to detach the 412 springs from the seat base and frame rails and unbolt the back....just leaving the frame with feet and all the plastic skirting and knobs. Then remove all of that crap from the bottom bucket of the rabbit seat...pull the foam loose temporarily and spot weld the steel bucket to the lower frame.
The rabbit back then re-attaches to the rabbit bottom.
From my trial work (havn't finished one yet)...you get a slight amount of gap between the seat bottom and the plastic skirting but that could be covered up with some fabric and stuffing.
Then I would need to slave the 412 seat back tilt knob onto the rabbit.
The last thing I would do to help complete the illusion...is to use the original 412 headrests and sew new covers from the same fabric as the rabbit seats.
I can get new rabbit seat kits. I can buy the fabric also and then have the rear seat done. Ray

Wally · Post by **Wally** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:34 pm

These are my contraptions as promised

:

As I still had these seats (they were in my super before for some years), to choose wasn't too difficult

raygreenwood · Post by **raygreenwood** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:31 am

Wally! Those look 100% identical to what I was working with. Same seats...same affect. I just mocked one up. I am glad to see it looked as well as I had hoped.
Mine were from a rabbit convertible.
There is a place call tops online www.topsonline.com
They sell fabulous top kits , carpet kits, door panel kits and factory original seat kits for the rabbits through about 93.
They said if I ordered seat cover kits for my rabbit seat from them, they could also provide the same material in yardage so I can do my back seats. They have all of the roiginal rabbit materials.
The seats in my convertible were the original white...but they can provide the exact charcoal gray, black or blue cloth as well.
You just sealed teh decision for me Wally. I have two sets of seats. One Iwill keep normal in case I get the energy to actually restore to factory. The other pair...I will convert to rabbit seats...and have the back seats done to match...and convert the rabbit seats to 412 headrests. Very cool! Thank you! Ray

vwfye · Post by **vwfye** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:50 pm

i have a couple spare seats from a type 3... i wonder if i can mate them to the seat base of the 412 units?