Repairing Seats in 1965 coupe

[Jim Breazeale]

Jim,
The grommet is on the wrong side.
Jim Kellogg

Jim

It is on the correct side.

Tom

Yes, the seat material is incorrect (agian you have a sharp eye) but we are focusing on the hinge.
Hint: The grommet is the "smoking gun"

Regards

[Alex Mestas]

The grommet actually fits into and over the hinge.

[Jim Breazeale]

The grommet actually fits into and over the hinge.

Alex

I'm not sure what you mean but the grommet is fitted properly to this hinge.

Ciao

Jim
PS: There is going to be a collective thud (the sound of palms hitting foreheads) from many parts of the country when the answer is revealed!

[Jim Breazeale]

A different hinge from a different seat.
Tom

This one does have the correct upholstry. Ths hinge is not in as good shape as the other one, though. Now what is wrong with the first one?
The same knob was used on both hinges.

Regards

[Paul Hatfield]

Now you made it too easy Jim!
PH

[Jim Breazeale]

Now you made it too easy Jim!
PH

OK, I confess.
I cheated!
I took a picture of a 66 911 seat hinge instead of one from a 65 356C. The hinges are exactly the same except for the grommet. The 356C hinge does not use a grommet. Grommet or no grommet those hinges are a piece of junk. Porsche chose to redesign the hinges for 1965 356Cs from a perfectly good hinge on 64 356Cs. The 64 hinge will last forever (in most cases) the 65 hinges were doomed to failure from the very beginning. Ron LaDow's (Of Precision Matters fame) "popper stopper" helps to make 65 seat hinges work much better.

Regards

[Paul Hatfield]

Here is a picture of my hinge on the passenger side. My car is a 65 and the seat hinges are date stamped in ink on the inside of the hinge. It has the "thingie" and round knob. My gray plastic covers are also original and broken. Before I knew about Ron's seat popper solution, I made one of my own up that does not show. It was not a good day when my wife got in the car and the seat back was not able to hold it's position.

Paul

[Jim Breazeale]

Paul

A broken plastic cover is a sure sign of a problem with the hinge. Passengers are always startled when they are looking out the window and suddenly are lying on their back looking up at the headliner trying to figure out if the material is original.

Regards
PS: I'm replacing the hinges on my passenger seat tomorrow for the 10th or so time. They probably wont work properly, either.

[Wil Mittelbach]

Paul
A broken plastic cover is a sure sign of a problem with the hinge. Passengers are always startled when they are looking out the window and suddenly are lying on their back looking up at the headliner trying to figure out if the material is original.

A broken brittle plastic cover can also be caused by the lever impacting the end of the cover's slot. My cover was cracked as a result before I susequently lengthened the slot.

[Colin Becker]

There is no "hardware" at the back of your seats that allow them to recline. The outer hinge has a recliner lever, but it is in the hinge. The "hardware" on the back of the seat is just a cross bar to tie the two hinges together. The passenger side seat does have a catch that keeps the seatback from folding forward. There also is a release mechanism to allow the seat to fold forward. It is only on the passenger side seat, though. If possible, take a picture of your seats and we can determine if anything is missing.

Regards

Here are some photos of the seats. The one that looks more complete was the driver side seat, but the recliner knob seems to be on the inner-side and not the outer-side of the seat, so perhaps it was originally the passenger seat. The passenger seat is obviously missing some parts but I'm not sure what ones.

Many thanks.

Regards, Colin

[Colin Becker]

How about a part diagram.............? If you don't have a parts book, or a parts diagram set, you would find either very useful.

CW

http://derwhites356literature.com/Porsc ... ature.html

Thank you.
I tried emailing derwhites to order a parts diagram set, but the address bounced.

Colin

[Jim Breazeale]

Colin

Thanks for posting the picture. You have some big problems with your hinges. First of all, the seat with the release mechanism is supposed to be on the passenger side. A PO has switched the hinges. All of your hinges appear to be in poor condition. What's the deal with those big nails stuck in the hinges? I'm sure that the PO tried to get the driver's side hinges to stay in place and stuck those nails in there. That didn't workj so he swapped the hinges around. Once again, the release mechanism is only on the passenger side seat. When properly installed, the dirver's side seat seems to have parts missing. That is the way it is supposed to look.

Regards

[Colin Becker]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing that the nails stop the seat from moving in either direction. The more complete seat (with the reclining knob onn the wrong side) partly works - the seat back stays in place and can be released so the seat folds forwards, but the reclining mechanism barely moves.

Coincidentally, I just completed an online form on your web site. I'm guessing that a complete hinge set is costly and that perhaps a set from 1964 may be better than a 1965 set.

Regards,

Colin

[Jim Breazeale]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing that the nails stop the seat from moving in either direction. The more complete seat (with the reclining knob onn the wrong side) partly works - the seat back stays in place and can be released so the seat folds forwards, but the reclining mechanism barely moves.

Coincidentally, I just completed an online form on your web site. I'm guessing that a complete hinge set is costly and that perhaps a set from 1964 may be better than a 1965 set.

Regards,

Colin

I'm home now and not at the shop so I will not be able to see your request until Monday. I would suggest a complete set of hinges. We can supply hinges at a reasonable cost. I don't have a complete set of hinges from a 64. I do have hinges that will fit your 65, though. I can take the hinges from a later 911 and they are just the same. Your red seats also appear to have been sprayed with a red vinyl spray. The PO didn't even remove the hinges to do that! If there was a statute for "Abuse of 356 seats and their hinges" the PO of your car would be locked up for life!

Regards

Colin

[Roland Paterson]

Hi
Rehashing this thread....
Could someone please tell me if the black U like piece that sits toucing the black knob and hooks around the shaft that the knob connects to - is this piece steel or vinyl? If its steel, can it be purchased anywhere? Hope this makes sense.....