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I’m close to starting on my upholstery and wanted to make sure that I had “easy” access to the battery once the seat was in place.
Has anyone put a hinge on the bench seat to make it easy to raise? Paul it seems I remember you mentioning this once before.
Is there any modification that needs to happen to the seat base? How did you secure the hinge? What kind of hinge did you use? CAN YOU PROVIDE PICTURES?
Thanks in advance for any response.
I’m not sure how the bench seat and the seat supports are fitted in the Classic Roadster Duchess,but in my London Roadster,the bench seat bottom rests on fiberglass support boxes on each side of the tunnel.The battery sits in the right box in the original VW location. A small metal bracket ,about 4” by 1” angle attaches to the plywood seat bottom. The brackets fit inside the front edge of the seat support boxes and hold the seat in position against the seat backrest.Simply lifting the seat at the front edge allows the brackets to clear the support boxes and seat can slide forward and be completely removed to get to the battery and whatever you store on the left side . I use this space for the jack and lugwench.
Mine are original style half buckets, hinged in front. They pressure fit into the seat foam that forms the back, so you have to reach into the crack and kind of unwedge them. My battery is up front, so I just have small storage under the seats, but I don’t see why the same hinge arrangement won’t work for your car. Just get a decent piano type hinge and bolt or rivet to the fiberglass box and screw to the plywood seat bottom.
Classic Roadsters has a bench seat bottom.
The stock installation….the fiberglass base bends up in the back, and you rivet it to the rear portion of the interior. Supported at each side by plywood “legs” (CR provided templates). The backrest simply rests on the seat bottom, with chrome angle brackets attaching it to the side of the interior.
I did not like that approach. Particularly because you would never be able to get to the battery.
So….
I had side supports welded up out of plate steel. Much better than the wood.
I trimmed the bench seat fiberglass and used a long piano hinge to attach it to the car.
I used boat seat back brackets to attach the seat back to the interior, so it is completely removable.
Take the seat back out, and flip up the seat bottom. Easy peasy.
Pictures to follow…..
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
OK, here we go….
The back rest support:
A close up of the bracket on the back rest:
General shot of the seat bench with the back rest removed (sorry, a little blurry):
Close up of one half of the bench hinge. I mentioned in my earlier post that it was one long hinge. It is not. I split it so I could attach the seat belts.
Underside of bench, flipped up:
Close up of one of the bench support brackets:
Hope these help!
PMOSSBERG2012-10-29 14:24:29
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Ok my 2 cents.
Unless you are planning on using a gel cell sealed battery,I would not put one in the passenger compartment.As an acid battery charges if gives off toxic fumes.Find a place under the hood.Or go with a gel cell sealed.Um…
That is the stock VW Type 1 Beetle battery location.
VWs have been running with their batteries in the passenger compartment for fifty years.
And most of that time was with good old vented cap lead acid batteries.
Never heard of any health issues!
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Vw heat was warmed by exhaust. No exhaust fumes unless there was a leaky heat exchanger.
Right-o George. My MG is “warmed by the exhaust too”.
Sorry to disagree here Scott, but the VW systems worked well for decades, as long as they were (and are) well maintained. The biggest issue is rot on the floor pan under the battery…and that was mostly caused by careless owners overfilling batteries in the old days when you had to add water.
PMOSSBERG2012-11-04 12:35:29
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
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