Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:11:15 -0700
Reply-To: Oxroad <oxroad@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Oxroad <oxroad@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: 1990 Westfalia For Sale
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTimQYgyOU51urbtR=V8Rr+hHP-a7rg@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
For What it's worth, I have an 83.5 VanagonL full Westfalia which does have
swivel driver's and passenger seats.
The seats are also shown with the swivel in the '83 Vanagon brochure with
the full Westy package.
I don't know what the earlier VanagonL had in the way of swivels or when it
started.
The seats originally were the kind of low-grade fabric seats with the brown
and blue stripes, not velour like in the later GLs.
And the seats do not have arms attached as the captain's chairs do in the
velour.
My understanding is the bottom seat cushion is a different part number for
the swivel seat vs. the "fixed" seat. This because the
full Westfailia seat bottom cushion is shallower or less high.
(My PC with ETKA on it is not working today so I can't check the part
numbers to confirm this right now.)
I think I remember discussion in the past on the different height of the
bottom seat cushion adjusted by VW to somewhat accommodate for the
added height of the swivel mechanism.
While my driver's seat has the swivel I almost never use it. For those who
don't have it, I'll tell you even with the swivel the driver's seat only
has the clearance to "spin" about 90 degrees to where you're facing the
passenger. The kitchen cabinet prevents you from facing toward the back
of the full campmobile.
And then my original fabric striped seats with the "horsehair" "cushioning"
certainly had less seat bottom cushioning creating more head clearance.
IIRC, Somewhere on the web someone pictured the 2 seats (Camper swivel vs.
Passenger fixed) side by side and measured the bottom seat cushion.
I'll see if I can find the link.
Just thinking out loud here. I do get that if you remove the swivel
mechanism you will get more headroom from the seat that was on the swivel.
Best,
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA
On Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 10:39 AM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:
> RE: Swivel Seats
> Don't forget that there are a lot of earlier (pre '86?) Vanagons and
> Vanagon
> Westfalias out there that were in an "L" series trim package, not the "GL"
> we see on virtually all later model Westies. Ed Anderson built a lot of
> Adventurewagens on the "L" series bodies. And IIRC the swivel seat was an
> option on early models. What's the difference? Most obvious, based on what
> I've seen, is the "L" series has no tach and the analog clock instead,
> rubber floor mats instead of carpeting. I'm sure there are other
> differences
> in the trim but those two stand out. And I'm guessing the swivel seats are
> part of those differences.
>