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Man...what a task for a late model Squareback!
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see this page:
http://www.icbm.org/erkson/ttt/back_seat.html
I bought the hinges used and the seat safety cables were quite ratty. It also
didn't come with the proper hinge pins. You can't use the stock one because
they're too short so I ended up making my own using 1/4" stainless steel
tubing, cutting a slit length-wise so it could be crushed down to fit into the
hinge holes, and cutting it to 3.25" in length.
I also replaced the chains and safety cables (all Squarebacks have these when
the car is put in cargo mode), with most of my time spent getting the
adjustment "just right" before crushing the ferrules around the plastic coated
wire rope a.k.a. cable (ever do a search for 'cable'? All you get is
electronic cabling, not good-old-fashioned steel wire cable <roll eyes>).
Though not 100% satisfied with everything, I was extremely happy when I pushed
the front seats forward (both the seat and the back rest) and plopped the rear
seat onto them, then the rear back rest on the edge of the rear seat :-D
Measuring down the center of the car to the front edge of the rear seat came
out to about SEVEN FEET! Now there's some sleepin' room!!!
Okay, if yer lucky enough to get a pair you MUST use an early seat. No
problem for those with an early seat. I removed my late seat and simply used
an early unit, however!, there is no safety latch to hold the seat down :-( I
cut a slit in it for my hook but am now gonna have to figure out a way to put
in a locking mechanism to hold the seat down...
In short, the hinges are a bolt-in, plug-n-play convenience but for late
models there's gonna be some work involved :-( But now I can take multi-day
trips in her and stretch out in the back for a good night's sleep :-)
Okay, my brain is finally winding down so I'm going to bed...nite!
Toby Erkson -- air_cooled_nut@pobox.com
'72 VW Squareback, '95 VW Jetta, '81 Gold Wing
http://www.icbm.org/
Portland, Oregon
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