Date:         Tue, 13 Feb 2001 16:32:09 +1100
Reply-To:     Stephen Overmyer <s.overmyer@UWS.EDU.AU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Overmyer <s.overmyer@UWS.EDU.AU>
Subject:      Re: battery door and swivel seat?
In-Reply-To:  <200102122256.JAA21248@ob1.uws.EDU.AU>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 18:03 12/02/01 -0500, you wrote:
>From:    Matthew Pollard <poll7356@UIDAHO.EDU>
>Subject: battery door and swivel seat?
>
>I was told that i need to cut the battery compartment door for a swivel
>seat (one salvaged from a vanagon).  Is this true? I though i could just
>turn the seat so it faces backwards and slide the seat towards the front
>of the bus all the way, and then the door JUST passes.
>
>And how much does the seat get raised?
>Thanks
>Matthew
>84

 Mathew,

 Whilst I can't be sure that the type of swivel seat mechanisms cut from
 a donor van are the same as mine,which were a bolt-on addition requiring
 no welding,here's what I did with the compartment doors under the seats
 FYI as it may be applicable to you.BTW I have swivels on both seats
 and both turn 180 degs as there is no cupboard behind the drivers seat.

 I too had been told that the easiest thing to do was cut down the doors
 so that they would open without fouling the seat mechanism :(
 I'm anally retentive to abhor any cutting of original VW equipment
 were avoidable so I chose another path which was far more palatable
 and probably even easier.

 I drilled out all the small rivets that hold the door hinges in place
 so the hinge was seperate from both door and van body.I also removed
 the clips that hold the doors shut (they just clip out).
 Now I could turn the little doors around 180 deg so the finger hole
 is facing backwards and with the little bumps you will see that are
 formed into the compartments,I now have the doors as sliders instead
 of hinged and they slide back under the seats enough to access the
 battery (just) and the opposite compartment easily.You can also just
 pull them out if greater access is needed.

 The one over the battery sits nicely in position and the other one
 does slide itself partially open every once in a while,depending on the
 roads I'm driving on but it isn't much effort to reach over and slide it
 shut again,maybe once every few weeks.

 So,looks nearly original,no cutting required and is still functional.
 Worked for me,perhaps it could for you too.

 Oh,yea the swivel raise the seats by about 25mm (1")

 Cheers,
 Steve O.
 Blue Mountains NSW Aust.
 '92 Transporter 2.1 WBX Kombi
 '76 Transporter Double Cab 2.0
 '68 Beetle 1.6
 '00 Transporter 5Cyl 2.5 Double Cab (work truck)
 '48 Fairmont M19