Split Bench Seatback

[newkitman]

Moneypenny, my CMC/Fiberfab TDr, has bucket seat bottoms and a single bench style seatback. I’m trying to devise a way to split the seatback
so the driver and passenger can each set the seatback to their liking/comfort. Has anyone done anything like this before? I have an idea but not so sure if it’ll work. IF anyone has done this please chime in with how you did it. Or chime in anyway with suggestions.

Thanks.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Joel atkins]

I would put some small bucket seats in it .plenty of small cars out there with nice bucket seats

[KentT]

Haven’t tried it, but I think supporting the inside edge of two individual seat baçks would be a challenge. What are you thinking of, that would allow each side to be indivually adjusted?

Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...

[John Simion]

It would be easy enough to build triangular braces for the inside edge of each half, and making it a permanent setting would be easy, but making the triangle braces easily adjustable would be a challenge.

[edward ericson]

Miata seats from a junkyard. Measure twice, pick n pull once.

[newkitman]

My though was to cut the seatback vertically down the middle and cut the carpet piece the same way. Then have the local auto upholstery shop add back the edging on the cut sides. For the braces in the middle I was thinking of a curved brace of the type you see on desks. Maybe the issue is really a non issue. I want to keep it looking like an original TD so I’ll probably end up leaving it alone.
Although…Miata seats from a junkyard are pretty easily gotten here. Many of  the young’uns are pulling their seats in favor of Ricarro seats. I still have a winter full of time so I can wait before I finally decide. Thanks for the suggestions.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[sreynolds]

I have also seen MG Midget or Austin Healy Sprite seats used and they fit and look good.

Sam

[edward ericson]

If you cut the seat back it will probably have to be completely reupholstered. 

I believe you can get some decent adjustability without cutting anything though. The originals had separate seat back adjusters on each side. I installed them on my car. They allow one to put the passenger side back closer or farther from the dashboard independently. 

The bottoms, on my car and most, are not adjustable. But you could install tracks under them with a bit of surgery. You might have to cut the seat bottoms a little to make up for the space taken up by the seat tracks.

Then it’s just a matter of connecting the backs to the bottoms. On my car, the backs are attached, at the bottom, to the bulkhead in front of the transmission. But you could make some kind of strap system, or better, hinges, to tie the backs to the seat bottoms, below the area where anyone would normally see it. 

Do all this–which isn’t much, in terms of work or money–and the system will give you all the adjustability your tub can give, and it’ll be basically like what the original cars had. 

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