Door Hinge and Low Back Seat Compatibility?
Andy Shouse asked 7 years ago
Is it possible to use the earlier door hinge pins (the ones that hold the side mirror) on a 1969 bug? And are the bug seat interchangeable? I want to use the low back seats. Thanks?
Andy Shouse answered 7 years ago
Hi Tim,
Yes, you can change and install the early upper door hinge pin on a ’68 and later Bug. The part number of the pin is 111857421A. This will allow you to use 1967 and older mirrors on your car. Just so you know, this is not an easy part to change. The door hinge pins are pressed in and can be quite stubborn to remove and replace! I do suggest that you use something that will protect the paint on the door, such as thick cardboard. You will need the correct size drift punch and a large hammer to drive the old pin out of the door hinge. Installing the new mirror mounting hinge pin is much easier!
On your second question, Yes, the seat tracks in the floor pan are the same from 1970 and older. You can use low back seats from a 1967 and older car and the seat will slide right into your 1969 Bug.
A word on what low backs to use. The 1956 to 1964 low back seats are basically all the same. The main differences being the mechanism used to lock/fold the seat. To identify these seats, look at the back of the front seat. You will have a main frame tube that runs from outside hinge point up, over and down to the inside hinge point. Starting in 1965 and going to 1967, when low back seats stopped in the US model Bugs the seat back changed. The tube is no longer one piece, you now have two tubes (one on each side) that are not connected over the top of the seat back. If the seats you have still have upholstery on them, it’s OK, you can feel the bar from the outside to confirm this.
I say all this for this reason, seat covers are mainly sold in front and rear sets. The back seats of the Bugs also changed in 1964 to 1965. So if you find 1965-1967 low back seats and you install then in your 1969 Bug the rear seats are the same size frame! You would just buy a seat of seat covers for a 1965-1967 bug and they will fit all the seats in your 1969! But, if you install low back seat from a 1964 and older, you will have to buy separate seat covers for the front and back.
Hope all of this information helps, Andy