So, now that we have all the parts to get the seat back carpeting attached correctly, let’s get it right. Now when I say let’s get it right, I really mean let’s get it as original as possible. Unfortunately, VW doesn’t support our old beetles anymore, however aftermarket parts are available. Some are very nice, some are not.

Carpeting in my hand and the metal track on bottom of picture

Well, there were a few things that I needed to take care of first.

  1. A flat stock piece of metal 1/8″ x 3/4″ x 36″ long, needed to be purchased. I found a flat stock piece at Home Depot, but it was 48″ long. I cut the flat stock when I got home, and then rounded the corners.
  2. I had ordered parts from WolfsburgWest.com. These included the seat retaining strap, the seat holdback strap, the holdback hook, and the holdback bracket and screw. Unfortunately, these were not great reproductions. The clip of the retaining strap would not fit into the seat back insert area. So, I compared that end to a stock clip in a photo and the difference is apparent. Now I have yet another strap coming from a different vendor.
  3. Rear seat and rear seat section of carpet needed to be removed. This is where the nightmare began. Obviously, the back seat came out easily. Then I took the lower metal piece off the lower back part of the seat that holds the two pieces of carpet together. Once I removed that the carpet on the back seat puckered so I added 3M Adhesive to my shopping list. The only reason I removed this is that somewhere in my twisted brain I thought I could attach the rear piece in the channel and then flip it over and attach it to the seal back. That is an impossibility, the section MUST be attached first to the seat back.

Now the seat went back in and the hellish hammering began to no avail. Then after working on the carpet for thirty minutes with no success, I went in the house to take a shower. A little later on I began spreading the channels track gently with a crowbar to allow an easier fit. Even after multiple attempts to get it in the channel (because the metal by itself went in easily with a lot of slop left over), I thought “This work would be more easily done by someone who has the right tools to spread that track wider“.

My main fear was that I might somehow break the channel off the package tray. So, I called Rusty at Rustys Bodywerks just down the road from me near Farmersville, Texas. Rusty came out and looked at the channel and called Chris to come over and check it out. Chris grabbed a tool and then spread the channel wider and ten minutes later it was installed.

Carpet as intended by VW!

This was absolutely the best part of my day as it quickly turned really bad two minutes later and would get progressively worse.

On the way home from Rusty’s a truck going in the opposite direction threw a big rock up and damaged my pristine front fender. Now I have to get that refinished next week.

Not wanting to end on a sour note for the day, I decided to do my first brew session of 2024. When I was almost done, Eva ran full speed into our flagpole. I have never heard a dog scream in pain like that before and I never want to hear it again. She was unable to put much weight on her rear leg, which resulted in me carrying a 65-pound dog to the house, then car, so we could get to our vet for x-rays.

I feel blessed that our Vet, Dr Goucher, at the Animal Hospital of Fate, got us in so fast for treatment and that Eva had no fractures. She is on restricted activity for the next few weeks as she recovers. The weather hasn’t been too great here anyway, so it probably won’t be a big deal. It goes without saying that I’m feeling the effects of carrying a large dog today. My back and legs are sore, so either I shouldn’t do that anymore, or I better start doing it on a regular basis.

Carpet in – Excellent

Fender Damaged – Bad

Eva Damaged – Terrible

After we got back from the Vet, I finished my brewing, and the rest of the night was quite uneventful. Better days ahead for me, Eva, and the beetle, I hope. My next post will be after the body shop visit!

A special thanks to Dario from the 1966vwbeetle/Forum, who shared numerous pictures of his 1966 and sent a lot of pictures and copious measurements to aid in my carpet and seat reconstruction! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have gotten this done without Dario. Also, a shout out to Chris Vallone at classicvwbugs.com, who gave me a call to talk about the rear channel, and what has worked for him.