Front seat bracket question

[J Warren]

Hey guys,
I have an early 1957 T1 Coupe that I am currently restoring. While it had little rust, we decided to replace the floor pans as they were severely dented up and weak ( starting to sag). I ordered the new parts from Restoration Design ( very nice parts by the way) but am a little confused on the front seat brackets used. All the information I can find and the ones provided are a round type bracket, I enclosed a picture of the one provided. My car has a square bracket on the bottom of the floor pan with two bolts protruding upwards. Originally I thought this may have been a "field repair" but the seat rails did not appear to have ever been removed as the original sound insulation was still in place both on the inside and outside. The outside area still has the thick "asphalt type" undercoating on it. Any ideas or advise would be greatly appreciated.
J

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[Martin Benade]

Is there some kind of spacer on the inside?

[J Warren]

Hello Martin,
There was not. The seat rail sat directly over those bolts. It had a standard washer and nut. No spacer. The rear seat mounts were the “square” type identical to the rear mounts that were sent with the new pans. It appeared to sit level and certainly felt that way whilst driving. Would the round type have been what was sent from the factory. I am at the point trying to put everything back as close to original as possible but want to make sure before welding.
Thank you,
J

[Martin Benade]

Maybe we should see your seat rails to be sure they were not extended. I am less familiar with the A but thought they all had the spacers originally.

[J Warren]

Unfortunately I am traveling but here are some pictures I have with me of the rails in place prior to removing. Relooking at this old picture I can almost imagine seeing where the round bracket was removed.
J

[J Warren]

Another view

[Vic Skirmants]

The round ones are for later cars. What you have is correct for your car.

[J Warren]

Thank you Vic,
I am quickly learning that the early 1957 Porsche is the red headed stepchild of 356’s. A mish mash of early and transitional parts that leaves a guy like me pretty confused at times. Luckily we have guys like you to guide me in the right direction. Thank you again
J

[Vic Skirmants]

You are very welcome.

[Jim Hohensee]

I would recommend mocking up the rails and checking that they are level with the rails on the tunnel. Make sure to allow for the tunnel carpet under the rails. Check left and right and forward and back to make sure they are all on the same plane. Seats will not slide properly and will not set straight unless everything is right.
Best of luck,
Jim

[Trevor Gates]

The round raised mounts are raised to match the raise on the center tunnel. Here’s a picture courtesy of Torsten at Simonsen Panels.

I’m restoring a T1 Coupe (mine) and a T2 Cabriolet (customer’s), let me know if you have any other questions.

[Martin Benade]

So the T1 floor mount was not raised at all? Was the seat rail taller to compensate?

[Vic Skirmants]

So the T1 floor mount was not raised at all? Was the seat rail taller to compensate?

No, the seats were just lower.

[Jim Hohensee]

The factory added a piece to the top of the tunnel and modified the outer brackets to compensate for the new T2 seat design. T1 seats (fat seats) had much larger cushions. The attached photos show both tunnel versions and brackets. Hope this helps.
Jim

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