rear seat cross member repair/replace

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Danno

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Messages
610
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3
Location
Mount Prospect Illinios
My Car
1972 Fastback, Sportsroof
1972 Sports Roof........The PO cut out the rear seat back support cross member(?). Not sure if he was trying to make a fold down rear seat with a trap door or what.

What I have is a back seat bottom, and the hinged back seat seat back in the car, (with non-standard hardware). With the back folded down, covering the seat bottom, I have an opening into the trunk partially closed off on each side by the rear side panels. With the seat back "up", the only thing supporting the seatback is the hinged forward end that acts as a stop and rests on the front part of the trunk floor. I have the cutout in the right rear panel for the seat latch, and also have the bracket on the seatback that would latch it up.

I have the trap door and the floor panel that goes behind the seat removed, this panel was attached with WOOD SCREWS!!

I guess cutting to the chase, can I get a rear seatback support welded in and go with a regular seat, or is it worth trying to piece the parts together for a flip down seat with the trap door?

Also, the way this is set up now, the spare tire bracket in the trunk is unusable. Is there a way to find out which rear seat the car came with?

Basically, with no seats or panels in the rear of the car, it is a tube from the front seat backs to the trunk. All that is there is the structure beneath the rear window.

 
Go look at Marks73 posts when he converted his seat

There is a LOT of cutting and structural welding to change to a fold down.

If you don't have a square bracket in the trunk, behind the R R wheel well for a inflatable spare - it did not have a fold down

I have a car I can cut the supports out of to go with a conventional seat

You want all of those seat parts secured incase you have an accident - they could become projectiles

 
Go look at Marks73 posts when he converted his seat

There is a LOT of cutting and structural welding to change to a fold down.

If you don't have a square bracket in the trunk, behind the R R wheel well for a inflatable spare - it did not have a fold down

I have a car I can cut the supports out of to go with a conventional seat

You want all of those seat parts secured incase you have an accident - they could become projectiles
No bracket behind the right wheel housing.The bracket (welded loop?)is actually more near the center of the trunk on a raised part of structure. There is a indentation on the back side of the right wheel housing though. THIS answers a ton of questions. I will try to see what I need to go back to the origonal fixed seat back, what would be the cost of the supports?

 
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Go look at Marks73 posts when he converted his seat

There is a LOT of cutting and structural welding to change to a fold down.

If you don't have a square bracket in the trunk, behind the R R wheel well for a inflatable spare - it did not have a fold down

I have a car I can cut the supports out of to go with a conventional seat

You want all of those seat parts secured incase you have an accident - they could become projectiles
It looks like the only thing serviceable and correct is the seat bottom that does appear to be correctly snapped into the brackets. Once again, with everything removed except the seat bottom, I have NOTHING but an open space where seat back structure should be.Would it be possible to either tell me where to get a good picture/breakdown of what I need back there, or advise me where I could SEE what I need to hook the back seat seat back safely to the car. I will also look at the post you mentioned...thanks again.

 
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Go look at Marks73 posts when he converted his seat

There is a LOT of cutting and structural welding to change to a fold down.

If you don't have a square bracket in the trunk, behind the R R wheel well for a inflatable spare - it did not have a fold down

I have a car I can cut the supports out of to go with a conventional seat

You want all of those seat parts secured incase you have an accident - they could become projectiles
DVAP has the support I need. What is the cost of your support?
 
What support do you need - how much did they cut out ???

The rear package tray area?

The rear seat cross braces behind the seat back - there is a lower welded brace too

The bracing under the rear window

The black pebble grain finish panel under the rear window

 
What support do you need - how much did they cut out ???

The rear package tray area?

The rear seat cross braces behind the seat back - there is a lower welded brace too

The bracing under the rear window

The black pebble grain finish panel under the rear window
I think what I need is the piece that goes between the wheel housings. I saw a video on MUSTANGMEDICS.COM where they were replacing a one piece section that was welded between the wheel housings. It has a brace on the top extending wheel housing to wheel housing, then another piece on each side welded on an angle from the top corners to a lower piece that spanned the lower edge at the floor, this is all in one piece. I wish I could figure out how to either send that video, or send a picture of my car. It appears the PO cut just in front of the rear structure, just in front and below the rear window. I still have "something" left there. Thanks and sorry for being so vague, that is why I would really like a picture of the structure back there. It looks like the PO cut the car up to go from a fixed seat to a fold down seat. I just want to go back to the fixed seat.
 
OK - two things:

1. Mustang Medics? Really? rofl

2. :worthlesswithoutpics:

 
OK - two things:

1. Mustang Medics? Really? rofl

2. :worthlesswithoutpics:
Thaaat's right MUSTANGMEDIC.COM, they had good pictures and a video of what I needed, and while not too sure of how good they are, the one guy is pretty comical, and kinda real world as far as running into problems etc.

And I agree, "WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICTURES". I have several excellent pictures on my phone that I have tried numerous times to send to my email in my computer, even as recently as several minutes ago with no luck. It is time to enlist my kids or wife to school me on this process. I have read the instructions on this site, and I may as well be reading Greek............:shrug2:

 
Here is the non fold down rear looking from the trunk. And from the front.

DSCN1449.JPGDSCN1448.JPGDSCN1585.JPG

Here is fold down looking from the trunk and from the front

DSCN1733.JPGDSCN1732.JPG

 
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Here is the non fold down rear looking from the trunk. And from the front.

Here is fold down looking from the trunk and from the front
PERFECT, THANKS..................



Here is the non fold down rear looking from the trunk. And from the front.

Here is fold down looking from the trunk and from the front
PERFECT, THANKS..................

 
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Hey man, I am actually going opposite, I want to put a non folding back seat, could you please send me as many pics as you can of the boot and interior of back before you changed it, did you throw out the parcel shelf, or what left of it :)

Cheers. If you need any pics of fold down set up let me know

 
Hey man, I am actually going opposite, I want to put a non folding back seat, could you please send me as many pics as you can of the boot and interior of back before you changed it, did you throw out the parcel shelf, or what left of it

Cheers. If you need any pics of fold down set up let me know
What I have is just a shell from the wheel housings, ( where the support should be), back. This is the condition I got it in. I have the fold down seat back installed, "driver" interior quarter panels installed, I have the trap door and filler panel set aside in my garage.

At this time, I have the back seat folded down and a gaping opening into the trunk between the interior quarter panels.

I keep flipping back and forth on whether to continue the fold down mod, or attempt to go back to the original back seat.

For the summer I intend to somehow cosmetically cover the opening and go with the seat down.

I will continue looking at both options, but getting the correct parts has been a hassle.

The body on this car is prolly a 7 or 8 (no rust) as it is a west coast (Las Vegas),car, that is why I am even fooling with this. I spent all last spring and summer rebuilding the steering and suspension and doing a cowl vent repair and am anxious to drive it. Please keep me posted on your dilemma too................:huh:

 
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