Fitting seats inside buggy?

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:08 pm

The widest part inside the buggy (between the tunnel and the body) measures 19" and thats at the back, the further forward the narower it gets. All seats I have seen are 21" wide, how will seats fit into mine without rubbing the fiber body and tunnel? thanks!

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:45 pm

Are you taking into account that the seats wont be sitting on the floor? by the time you add your mounting brackets the seats may be high enough to give you more room. I think my seats sit about 6-8 inches off the floor, but i made my own brackets.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:20 pm

Havent considered that yet but the widest part of a seat is where one actualy sits/bottom. Now the tunel height is about 7" right? Then I will have to raise them seats above the tunnel to clear the tunnel and position them towards the center line of the buggy so they clear the body side panels? Does anyone have pics of the clearance on your seats from the tunnel, body and height from floor?

CairoManx · Post by **CairoManx** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:46 pm

My seats are just in contact with the tunnel and the inside of the body. Mounting seats is one of the hardest tasks in building a buggy. If they are too high they don't look good. Too low and they interfere with the tunnel so they can't be adjusted. There is an article in the Garage section that tells you how to lower Beard type seats while using the VW tracks. I use the Beard mounts and have removed the VW tracks from my pan. I've cut my mounts down to the point where the seat is just touching the tunnel. I also cut the mounts lower in the back so the seats are slightly reclined. I have fore and aft adjustment on my drivers seat, the passenger seat just tilts forward. Like you said, they also need to be aimed slightly toward the centerline. If you use beard type mounts, besides ensuring the seats are at the right height, you must also compensate for the floor's uneven surface at the points where the mounts attach. PRP has Manx seat mounts for their narrower seats. Fourth item down: http://www.prpseats.com/mounting-hardware.html Garage article http://www.meyersmanx.com/garage/garage_seats.htm

90volts · Post by **90volts** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:21 am

i have 21 inch prps. they are mounted on a 1/2 " rail so basically 1/2 in off the pan. when ther are installed they push a bit on the tunnel and the body. but not so much so to be awkward. my e brake is still accessible between the seats with no problem. and i'm going to bolt them straight to the floor soon anyway, just to get even lower. too high as it is. (i'm 6'0")

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:22 am

My buggy will have flat floors made out of either alum diamond plate or s/s crossed/grill sheet (the mesh type of sheet) so it will be flat. Sliders and seats will be aftermarket so no vw stuff for the seat part at least. Still need to find the narowest lowback seats available, either fiberglass or poly, wont use the upholstered ones as were I live rain is unpredictable every day. And another catch...I would like to at least have sliders on the drivers side, so the seats need to have the sliders as a combo or sold separate. Was looking at the Hunsakers poly but they are 20 1/2 wide and poly which means I cant trim the outside edge as I could with fiberglass ones. Ideas?

tgodber · Post by **tgodber** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:23 am

Here some pictures. I used seats from a 4 door Sunfire. They fit, but just barely. The seat cushion is 21" wide. The brackets I made are 4" tall. The top of the seat cushion is 9 1/2" from the pan floor. The side of the cushion is touching the fiberglass and it clears the tunnel. Over time I expect it could wear out the side where it touches the fiberglass but there will be a lot of miles before then I hope. The seats adjust forward and back easily. Hope this helps.

CairoManx · Post by **CairoManx** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:47 am

[QUOTE="alexh"]either fiberglass or poly, wont use the upholstered ones as were I live rain is unpredictable every day.[/QUOTE] I first built my Manx with the classic type dune buggy seats: fiberglass buckets padded with foam and covered with vinyl. I can't tell you how many times I sat in those seats, and then when I got out had a wet butt. If they ever get rained on, the water will go right through the seams. The foam will act like a sponge and the fiberglass "bucket" covered with vinyl, will hold the water forever. I got real good at removing the covers and wringing out the foam. It wasn't a pain in the ass, just an unpleasant cold sensation.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:53 am

http://www.meyersmanx.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=985&stc=1 That was supposed to be a pic... Can I have some of that firewood?:D

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:54 am

Thats not a problem as Ill use it once a week at the most, and if I find narrow lowback poly seats I wont have to worry so much about covering as the raw fiberglass. Do fiberglass seats have screw inserts or will I have to thru bolt them?

CairoManx · Post by **CairoManx** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:58 am

You usually have to use fiberglass matt and resin to attach fiberglass buckets to a frame. I asked Manx2640 where he got those sharp poly seats in his BOAT manx. He sent a good email back to me: What's up Cairo?...Manx2640 here, the '69 restoration guy... Guess I wasn't qwik enough to answer you seating question. I saw it late that night, but someone had bolted the thread door by the time I looked next morn! Anyway...The seat is made by Tracy...one of Todd's subsidiaries. I puchased mine from West Marine for $110 for the double grip seat and cushions only. Unfortunantly they have junked up the package now as you can see (Whoa on the new cushions!) http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...-1/10001/109921 You could try the Boat Depot. They have it with the original cushions AND a pedestal for $112 http://www.boatdepot.com/productdet...x?part=100108FP as does Nautical Outfitters for the same price. http://www.nautical-outfitters.com/...=24841&SiteID=2 I would call them first to confirm what is actually in the package before ordering. Boater's World sells the seat and cushions separately, but are robbers! However, if they order it and you pickup at the store it might be balance out the other's site shipping charges. http://www.boatersworld.com/webapp/...ductId=13112368 I was told that mine bolted up to the seat frame with having to fabricate and adapter plate. Best regards and sorry for the delay (I was busy counting my money)...Bob __________________ Robert Bayer - Member 2631 1969 Manx - M2640B931E Carolina Beach NC

joemama · Post by **joemama** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:32 am

The lower part of the poly seats (at least on mine), tapers down, so the area below the seating surface is narrower than where you sit, so this allows the seat to be positioned so it sort of goes over the tunnel, allowing for more room. I have the same problem with water filling the bucket when it rains, so I am going to go look at thru hull boat fittings to see if I can drill a hole thru the bottom of the seat and drain thru a thru hull fitting. I have sliders that bolt on to the bottom of the poly seats, I think they are the same as what is used on motohomes.

5150bossman · Post by **5150bossman** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:14 pm

How are you going to use your buggy? If you are going to do ANY off-roading, I would stay away from the poly bucket seats. I know of several people that have sustained back injuries from these seats. A fully padded or suspension seat is best. I run a pair of high back Sparco seats in our buggy. 19" wide, they fit just fine. I did have to call the seller and have him measure each seat to know if it would fit or not. I run a 3" body lift and run the seats on 2" square tubing beneath the sliders. Everything fits just fine.

newmanx59 · Post by **newmanx59** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:37 pm

Typically when using fiberglass shell style seats, you will have to thru bolt them to their mounts. If you find a vintage set like I have in my Manx, they are made to fit into the stock VW seat frame. I modified the stock seat frame to the point that the bottom of the seat is about on the floor.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:46 pm

Will use it on the street only as it will be lowered front and back, so a paded cover will do for the seats. Still need to find poly lowback seats with sliders... Anyone has fitted the hunsaker poly seats that are 20 1/2" wide? They even come with the sliders but dont want to order them with such a slim marging of space to fit them...without knowing before thanks!