1971 upholstery installation

[adavis]

I'm working on installing new upholstery in my 1971 Spider and have hit a snag (I'm sure just the first of many to come). I've searched the forum and online but have yet to find the answer so figured I'd ask. I'm working on the front seats and can't figure out how to get the recliner knob off. More specifically, I can't figure out how to correctly remove the clip that holds the knob to the shaft off. I managed to get the center off the know (with only breaking 2 of the little tabs) but now I'm stuck looking at this metal "clip" that I can't seem to remove. I'm sure if I use a large enough screwdriver I will be able to get it off, but I don't think they're available to purchase if I break it. Can someone tell me the trick/process to remove this thing?

[tima01864]

What would happen if you removed the philips head screw?

[adavis]

I tried that, but there is a shaft that is connected to the other side of the seat that is holding the bracket to the seat. I need to remove the clip in the picture (I believe) so I can then remove the philips screw and allen screw to remove the entire bracket from the seat....so I can replace the upholstery.

[tima01864]

I searched around because this interests me. I found the diagrams of the mechanism, I see that rod.

There are some very detailed posts on Re upholstering here. One http://www.hwww.fiatspider.com/f15/view ... 30&t=38781

[adavis]

Thanks for the link....man that oxblood interior looks sweet! I scanned through the entire thread and didn't see anything regarding that dang rod (other than the first post saying teardown was simple...LOL). Still hoping someone knows the trick for this clip.

[tima01864]

What does the other end of the rod look like?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Adavis, don't remove that clip that you have shown us in the picture. What you need to do is remove the Phillips screw at the top, and also a screw that can only be accessed through the hole that looks like it has cobwebs on it (in the picture that you showed us). Sometimes this screw is a Phillips head, and sometimes an Allen head, but it can only be accessed if you turn the recliner knob all the way to the end of its travel.

Going by memory here, but if you turn the recliner knob so that the seat is all the way upright* (if it were in the car), you can access that second screw through the hole. Loosen that screw/bolt, and your hinge assembly will come off of the seat. *Or all the way reclined; I forget which it is...

-Bryan

[adavis]

Thanks for the info Bryan. On this seat the upper bolt is an allen and the hidden one (under the little button cap) is the philips screw. I originally tried to just remove both of them thinking the bracket would then come off, but as I loosened both screws the bracket stayed put. It didn't separate from the seat at all, which lead me to believe that the rod is actually holding the two brackets together.
Here's a picture of the OTHER side of the seat. I don't see a clip like the first side so I assume still that if I remove the clip the rod will come out with the opposite bracket. Any suggestions or ideas are very much appreciated.....

[tima01864]

Hard to see from here but it does look like a circlip. Someone must of done this before? The other clip looks like it was pressed on and un removable.

[wetminkey]

Wow! How weird,...I'll just "chime in" here - I'm the guy with the oxblood interior. Thanks, BTW.
My 1979 seat hinges simply remove with three bolts. There is no other mechanism, or hardware,...at least with '79 seats. I can only wish that I could inform anyone about how earlier seat hinges attached/functioned - they could certainly be different.
Best of luck with disassembly! The rest of my "Re-upholstery" thread will probably come in handy during the actual process,...
Someone here MUST know about this mechanism, and disassembly of 1971 seats!
Todd.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

On this seat the upper bolt is an allen and the hidden one (under the little button cap) is the philips screw. I originally tried to just remove both of them thinking the bracket would then come off, but as I loosened both screws the bracket stayed put. It didn't separate from the seat at all, which lead me to believe that the rod is actually holding the two brackets together.

Once you loosen those two screws that you mention, the bracket/recliner mechanism should just pop off. It may be stuck to that rod, so you sometimes have to beat on it like a rented mule...

The two screws are the only things holding this bracket to the seat frame, other than decades old "sticktion" between parts.

-Bryan

[adavis]

Thanks again for the input. I didn't get a chance to work on it tonight but hopefully tomorrow.

Bryan....if the brackets are only held on by the screws then what exactly is that clip for? Does the rod just "float" between the brackets but is currently rusted so it won't let the brackets come off? I started to loosen both screws on the side with the adjustment knob (and clip) but as I loosened them they put pressure on the bracket, like something else was holding it in place. At that point I stopped loosening the screws and focused on removing the cap from the reclining knob which revealed the clip....which seemed like the obvious culprit.
I know this procedure has been done successfully hundreds of times and I don't doubt your knowledge, I'm just curious what exactly that stinking clip is for if it doesn't hold the bracket to the rod?
I'll smack on it tomorrow and maybe try a little WD-40 to see if that helps. When I get it apart I'll make sure to post what happened.

[aj81spider]

I can't speak to all seats, but on my '74 you simply removed the screws like Bryan has said. Yours may be different, but here isn't a rod that goes from bracket to bracket on mine. That circlip holds the hinge assembly together on mine.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Bryan....if the brackets are only held on by the screws then what exactly is that clip for? Does the rod just "float" between the brackets but is currently rusted so it won't let the brackets come off? I started to loosen both screws on the side with the adjustment knob (and clip) but as I loosened them they put pressure on the bracket, like something else was holding it in place. At that point I stopped loosening the screws and focused on removing the cap from the reclining knob which revealed the clip....which seemed like the obvious culprit.

The clip is part of the knob mechanism, but it's pressed on at the factory and doesn't look like it can be removed and replaced. At least on the seat backs I've worked on.

The rod "floats" between the two hinges, and its length is just right to reach from one side to the other when the hinges are secured to the frame. In early years, it was a solid metal rod with a square profile. In later years, it was a hollow metal round tube with the ends being square.

You mentioned the screw putting pressure on the bracket. The one recessed in the "access hole" will do that if the bracket doesn't break loose from the frame. Loosen the screw, and if the bracket doesn't pull away, the screw will reach a point where it jams in the inside of the bracket and can't be unscrewed any more.

Here's what I would do. Totally remove the top screw on one bracket, the one visible at all times. Loosen the screw hidden beneath that access hole. Try to rotate the hinge itself (not the knob) on the frame. It should break free, and if it doesn't, something else is holding it. It could be the rod, but I've never seen them so rusted that they wouldn't just pop off.

If all else fails, you could remove the rear cover panel on the seat back and peer inside the frame to see if you can see what the problem is. There are 2 or 3 screws at the bottom of the panel, so remove those and the panel slides down out of the channel. Once you get the panel slid down a few inches, you can also push on each side to increase the bow of the panel, and it will pop out. It's made of fiberboard or the like, covered in vinyl.

-Bryan

[adavis]

You are absolutely right Bryan. I couldn't wait till this evening to try it so I went to the shop and loosened the screws. This time I loosened the screws on the non-clip side (opposite the reclining knob) and as soon as I loosened the second screw the bracket came loose. The rod (solid square) then slid easily out the hole after the bracket was removed.






Thanks again for everyone's input on this...I really appreciate it. I still don't really understand the reason that little clip is even there, but it definitely threw me for a loop.