Hello again. We've noticed that the seat back release levers on our '84 spider are missing, as is the entire mechanism. Meaning that the seats just fold forward without needing to release them. Probably a bit of a safety problem. Anyway, I have not been able to located a replacement part, or much discussion of these mechanisms on Spiders - I imagine they don't fail very often. Does anyone have a source for these parts, or even a diagram of the components, so that I could figure out what exactly is missing? I am still a number of posts short before I can post pictures, but I will get some up as soon as I can. Thanks!
Thanks - I'll give them a call as soon as I know exactly what to ask for. Obviously the seat hinge is intact, but there doesn't appear to be any remnants of the locking/latching mechanism. Has anyone ever taken one apart, or found a diagram?
There is not a lot to them, took mine apart when I recovered my seats. Just hexagonal rod, a hooked latch, handle, and spring, if a recall correctly. I bet the CarDisc manual has an exploded view... I will check it out, I am almost home....
I found the parts on the CarDisc but they do not list the individual parts, only the entire mechanism. That makes me assume that the individual pieces are not available unless possibly at a Pick and Pull or something. I would have posted a screenshot of the shop manual page but I could not figure it out....
Just got my post count up, but unfortunately forgot to get a picture of the hinge. Will grab one this weekend. Here's a photo of the car in the mean time
yeah the latched hinges are welded together from what i remember. i dont think you're going to be able to replace the latch mechanism. i'd start looking for the hinge/bracket
yeah the latched hinges are welded together from what i remember. i dont think you're going to be able to replace the latch mechanism. i'd start looking for the hinge/bracket
Yep, found these on eBay this morning... seems that $90 is about the going rate. Will have to call the local junk yard and see if they have any spiders.
Yes! Specifically the seat is missing the lever and the hook, as far as I recall. Not sure how that came to be, but we will probably disassemble them this weekend and see what may have transpired.
So here is what we have... The latching hinge may very well have been replaced with an interior non-latching one, but I can't tell for sure. The seats have been removed at some point, as there is "new" hardware attaching them to the floor (another thing to replace). Did these seats ever come without latching hinges?
more like GTV seat release levers (w/o the lever or the hook, and with some odd bolts that are not factory) in the hammered gray look.
Remember, for any hinge to work your seats need the metal bit sticking out (circled in red), which, if my memory serves me, is part of the seat pan itself on a spider.
I can't see that in your photos above....has it snapped off maybe or been hacksawed off or something?
It is possible that the inside hinge of the opposite seat has been placed on the outside seat. Only the outside hinge has a latching mechanism. The 67 Spider did not have a latching mechanism but used a plastic catch that held the outside of the seat hinge. These failed quite frequently and only in the past few years has there been a repo substitute. Since you mention that the seat mounting is incorrect you may want to check that you have the right seat pan. If the round pin were missing, that side of the seat would sag as the pin is also the travel stop. The 67 Spider has a flat plate as the travel stop.
I have a box full of S3 hinges if you have that need.
Cheers, jon
Thank you so much for the offers - I may be in touch once we have this completely figured out. Right now to me, it looks like we may have older seats installed in the car. There is no evidence of a pin ever being attached to the seat pan, but there is definitely evidence of a deteriorated plastic piece around the area where the pin should be. How do these photos compare to the older seats?
Also, I noticed that the passenger seat appears to be much closer to the transmission tunnel than the driver's seat. So close in fact, that it has chewed a small hole in the carpet behind the seat, from rubbing against the carpet when the seat slides all the way back. There doesn't appear to be any damage or bent components, but I can't really figure out whats going on. Does anyone have any input?
At this point I am leaning toward sourcing complete replacement seats. I'll check the classifieds, but where else should I look? I would prefer to not get these at a pick n pull due moisture issues.
The first photo is definitely a Roundtail Spider seat pan.
The plastic part is a "saddle" that grips the hinge. If the Roundtail frame rails were used, that could pose problems as they are secured differently. I suggest you locate a set of seats applicable to your Spider. A lot less hassle. It appears that you may have the correct seats, wrong pans and hinges.
Cheers, Jon
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