The Official 356Talk Forum

Looking to see if anyone can help me identify the year of these seats? I picked them up but dont know exactly how to identify what year/model they are from.

Thank in advance.

additional pics

additional pic

Hi Todd
Remove one of the hinges and check the date.
John

"Remove hinges and check date" That will give you date of hinges but not necessarily the seats. From the picture shown the seat adjustment (forward and back) is definitely a T-6 or later even (911,912). Take picture of seat bottoms showing seat rails and adjusters then measure distance between rails. T-6 will be a narrower distance between rails than a 911 or 912.
Michael Foster

I'm not a big seat recliner expert but that knob and the circular boss going through the upper hinge part look earlier to me than 356C/early 911/912. They definitely don't look like the hinges in my '65 911.

The basketweave seat inlays don't match the rest of the seat so I suspect they're not original. Basketweave inlays started late in the '65 model year or maybe '66. Seats earlier than that starting maybe late 356B or 356C had perforated vinyl inserts (if they didn't have fabric or leather). They had the same perforated vinyl on the rear of the backrest.

My 1964 Cabrio had that circular element on the upper part of the hinge...

Not 65 356 hinges.

I did some rechecking. It appears that circular boss thingy is on all 356s, at least from 1953 (although some 356B Roadsters had non-reclining seats).
The early 911 doesn't have that circular boss thingy.
Note that in both photos the recline knob does not come out of a slot in the lower part of the hinge. The same applies to all the illustrations in Dr. Johnson's book.

Also, on my 356A the fore-aft latch is not a rod that could have a knob--it's a heavy stamping that pivots on a vertical axis. If I read Dr. Johnson correctly, 356Bs are the same.

There are other details that can't be seen in the photos of the two-tone tan seats:

1. From ~1953 through T1 the seats have the fat back. The inlays in the seat back don't have as many creases but those may be non-original inlays.
2. I think in the 356C (and certainly the SWB 911) the passenger seat back locks in a vertical position.
3. In mid-1968 the headrests changed and all the seats have two plastic bushings (may be plugged) on the top of the seat back for the headrest.

Pictures from other angles might help but is it possible--given that the recline latch seems different--that these aren't Porsche seats?

Back a couple of years Jim Breazeale posted extensive photos of the various types of seat recliners. Maybe someone can find those posts and give a link.

The recliners, if original to the seats in question, were fitted to seats up thru early 356C. The Fore/Aft adjuster on the bottom in one of the photos indicates the seat if out of a T-6 or early C.

BTW, recliners for late C's and up thru early 911 have no exposed hinges and plastic covers on the back side.

A further note to what I described above as "Late C" recliners. The original printed 356C Parts Catalog (not PET), Illus 7/1 b C -- see below -- is titled: "Reclining seat for 356C 2nd type effective from 1.7.1964". Page version is noted: IV 4/65.

I'm a bit late to this party but I can narrow down the year of those seats to 1962 or 1963. They have been obviously recovered with incorrect material. I would need more pictures of the seats to pin it down to one of those 2 years. If there were a picture of the 2 seats together from the back, showing detail of the hinges, I would be able to pin it down to a specific year. I'm pretty sure that my article is still in the Registry Archives, by the way.

Regards

Jim

Oh Jimmy didn't you read where I posted your article? No golf for you bad boy.

Dick Roth wrote:My 1964 Cabrio had that circular element on the upper part of the hinge...

Yes, your 64 hinges have the "circular element" but they lack the small rivets at the back edge of the hinge like the ones in the photos.

Regards

Jim