Front seat 'glide piece' install

I had one of those days yesterday working on the car…

I cant for the life of me work out how the 'front glide piece' is supposed to fit when re-installing front seats. It is item 10 on the attached diagram and you can see the part ive bought from VWH. Ive found a few pictures online and my mate sent me a picture of his (unfortunately hes 400 miles away so cant see it in person) - but im still stuck.

Obviously the middle rail under the seat is supposed to glide along this piece and to avoid metal to metal contact, I just cannot get it to fit in the seat support steel….

Can anyone help?

Below photos are my car (grey paint) shown without the pice installed (obviously) and my friends with the pice installed, circled in yellow.

Also, Etka diagram and the part I've bought: p/n 435 881 203 A

I just had my seats out last week. I didn't take any pics of this at the time but the glide piece just sat nicely in the u-channel you show in the middle picture. It took a little jiggling to get it sitting right.

I *think* it just slots in between the sliding rail of the seat and the opposite side to the sprung retractable locating pin. Which way up, or whether the fins are up or down I can't remember but I'll have a look when I get back home.

Saying that, your friends picture looks different to mine.

His is showing that the glide piece is sitting on top of the vertical to the right of your middle pic (on the side the retractable spring locating pin is).

His looks distinctly wider than yours, and looking at the glide piece picture you show there is a locating lug too.

My best guess is that the new part you have is designed to sit on top of the side of the channel and that maybe in the wider locating channel of your mates golf there is a recess for the lug to sit into so that it doesn't move with the seat. Like your friends setup.

But mine isn't like his. Mine is an '82 and has really skinny verticals here and the glide piece just sat to one side.

I'll check later and update.

Thanks, much appreciated - as you say im wondering if there are differences between models.

Mine's an '82.

There is a lug on the new piece but neither side of the support structure has a hole that it would go through, so im wondering if its not compatible.

Look forward to hearing from you once you've had a chance to take a look,

Cheers

Actually I was almost totally wrong. Sorry about that. I did have a picture after all - just found it.

It does in fact - on mine - sit on the top too, and on the side of the retracting locator pin.

I can't recall if there was a lug hole in the top so I'm afraid I'm not much help.

This picture was taken from the front if that is of any use. Slightly further away.

in the archive section there is a ho to link, with pictures.

It links to a US site.
Cabriolet/Rabbit Seat rocks, and hard to slide | Volkswagen Owners Club Forum

Argoman said

Actually I was almost totally wrong. Sorry about that. I did have a picture after all - just found it.

It does in fact - on mine - sit on the top too, and on the side of the retracting locator pin.

I can't recall if there was a lug hole in the top so I'm afraid I'm not much help.

This picture was taken from the front if that is of any use. Slightly further away.

Great picture thanks ill try and put mine in the same position  - I just dont see how it will stay in place….  

Briano1234 said

in the archive section there is a ho to link, with pictures.

It links to a US site.
Cabriolet/Rabbit Seat rocks, and hard to slide | Volkswagen Owners Club Forum

Thanks, but I think that's a different design in mine. It looks like there's a notch in the top of the front steel support that the glide piece fits into? I have no such notch…

On the earlier Golfs/Rabbits/Scirocco's there was a different glide piece.
When I got in to Cabbies, my seat glides were terrible so I ordered the ones I was used to in my 80 built 81 Westy Rabbit diesel which were like the ones below, they were wrong for my seats in the Cabriolet which are at the bottom of the page.


where as the Cabriolets used ones that looked like


Also if you clean both rails and use a light coat of Grease on then upper and lower, you will not believe how quick that seat scoots.
 

So this is (i believe) the same as the above photo kindly provided by Argoman.

You can see metal tab (yellow arrow) prevents the glide piece slotting into position, as the plastic tab on the glide (purple arrow) clashes with it…

Briano1234 said

On the earlier Golfs/Rabbits/Scirocco's there was a different glide piece.
When I got in to Cabbies, my seat glides were terrible so I ordered the ones I was used to in my 80 built 81 Westy Rabbit diesel which were like the ones below, they were wrong for my seats in the Cabriolet which are at the bottom of the page.


where as the Cabriolets used ones that looked like


Also if you clean both rails and use a light coat of Grease on then upper and lower, you will not believe how quick that seat scoots.
 

Thanks, I did see that other style, but from the VW Heritage site it appears to be for cars up to 1980 only.  

Mine is an '82 GTi the same year as Argomans so can only assume i have the right part, it is shown as being suitable up to '83.

The rails are all good, the car has had a full strip down and respray I just need the front glide piece installed so that its not metal upon metal when it glides

This is as high as the seat can sit, the bottom of the centre rail is hard up against the seat guide

(double post deleted)

 

Hmm yeah that doesn't look like that bit will fit.

The joys of classic cars. Lots of variation. On my '82 cabbie I have electric windows and power roof - neither of which were introduced until a decade later in the case of the power roof.

I also had a pierburg 2e2 (not introduced until 83 / 84) and a EX 1.8 auto motor from 84 while the logbook states it is a 1.5. Along with a manual throttle cable on an auto car which is still defeating me - although hopefully there is resolution soon. Also both my front seats are driver side.

I'm still acclimatising to this myself. Someone advised me that as these cars are old, and parts are pretty much interchangeable, and there is a ton of newer scrapper parts and fancier newer replacement parts that kinda fit and cost the same as stock for the right age - many of these cars are jigsaw puzzles.   

In my case now I never rely on age, or listing or spec of what I need because its almost certain to be wrong. Because nothing on my car is original spec.

I haven't made any changes - just bought this car and previous owner had done all of this to it. That said the body shell is immaculate and rust free so it is worth the pain to straighten everything out and get to know it. But it's not easy to decode and its hard to help because every car is crazy different.

Which is a very long winded way of saying - see if you can make it work by cutting bits off, find another variant that looks right irrespective of age and spec or as Briano1234 said put a load of grease on the top rail

But I am with you - your part doesn't immediately look like it will fit without mods.

I have an 83, I bout mine here https://www.classic-vw.co.uk/front-seat-guide-80-92-435881203a-4114-p.asp

The only picture I have is this one, shows an original one on the passenger side, you'll have to zoom in a lot (sorry).
https://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=projects%2Fyour-mk1-golfs_2%2F83-gti-now-mot-d&start=40#post_1648435

In the same shot you can see the drivers side that doesn't have the guide fitted. I can't see a cut out of the lug either, but the new part did fit.

Not sure if that helps or not!

J

From looking at your seat guide, you need these:



They are in the photo upside down, but from the look of your lockin bracket you need the ones that have the 2 catches at the top, and the bottom that tucks in to the slot at the bottom.

paceman said

I have an 83, I bout mine here https://www.classic-vw.co.uk/front-seat-guide-80-92-435881203a-4114-p.asp

The only picture I have is this one, shows an original one on the passenger side, you'll have to zoom in a lot (sorry).
https://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=projects%2Fyour-mk1-golfs_2%2F83-gti-now-mot-d&start=40#post_1648435

In the same shot you can see the drivers side that doesn't have the guide fitted. I can't see a cut out of the lug either, but the new part did fit.

Not sure if that helps or not!

J

It all helps, thanks  

The ClassicVW ones appear to be the same as I've bought.

Your 83 doesnt appear to have the metal tab I've arrowed in my above picture, strange given mine is an 82.

I dont want to start hacking bits off unless I need to so I might try the other style that Briano suggests.

Cheers

Briano1234 said

From looking at your seat guide, you need these:



They are in the photo upside down, but from the look of your lockin bracket you need the ones that have the 2 catches at the top, and the bottom that tucks in to the slot at the bottom.

Certainly worth a try, thanks.  

I assume this means that i have a super rare 82 model that will set me up for early retirement once finished…  

This is an 83' car, it looks to be the same as yours.

cedar said

This is an 83' car, it looks to be the same as yours.

Interesting thanks  

It looks like you have the metal tab on the support, like the one I identified with a yellow arrow above? In which case, there must be a hole in the top of the metal guide for the plastic tab to sit in?