::: Corrado rear seat conversion for a MK2 Golf GTi Gti :::

You will need to sacrifice your old rear bench to provide some of the metalwork for the conversion so before you start it is wise to strip the old rear seats back to the metal frame.

1. To give you an idea of what you are trying to achieve you should rest all the parts in place in the back of the car. The bench cushions (the bits your bum rests on) fit straight into place and require no further securing. They have a 'sticking out bit' underneath the front of them which mates with a hole in the horseshoe shaped pressing in the rear floor pan. Plonk the armrest between the two cushions and then rest the two parts of the back-rest behind them. You will see that because the bench is too narrow, the upper clips on the back-rest do not reach the bolts that would secure the top of the bench. This leads to stage one (the easy bit). In order to secure the back rest safely you must also secure the two parts of the back rest at either side of their base.

Note: If you are doing a full-on project and the car is stripped down, then you can further 'beef up' this conversion by drilling out the spot welds that hold the original brackets to the turrets and then re welding them in a suitably relocated position...

2. The first major step is to extend the bolts that secure the top of the back-rest. Remove the original bolts with a Phillips head screwdriver and then remove the plastic trim that covered the bit the bolts screwed into. Take a longer bolt and cut this to a length that is slightly longer than required to secure the narrower Corrado bench in the same fashion as the golf equivalent. It is cut slightly longer so that you can put a locking nut on the back of the threaded hole to secure the bolt. Then cut a stainless steel sleeve that is long enough to cover the exposed part of the bolt. The bolts (one on each side) can then be screwed into place having placed the sleeve over the top of them . 

The lock nut can then be tightened onto the back of them, and the trim can replaced from whence it came. (Bolts and stainless sleeves are both available from Do It All)

3. The next step is to mount the lower part of the back-rest. Remove the two central seatbelt points and ditch the lap belt (just cut the stitching and remove it from the bracket). Do not ditch the lap belt retainer but remove the retainer adjacent to the lap belt retainer. You will then be left with one retainer on each bracket. Swap the brackets round as this will allow the retainers to protrude neatly from the gaps in the arm rest. (This part will become clear when you are doing it). Cut a length of L-shaped metal from the sacrificial original rear seat. This should be long enough to span between the two seat belt mounting points. This bracket will then be bolted to the seat belt retainer mounting points, so mark up and drill some accommodating holes in the bracket. You will need to space the bracket about 10mm from the metalwork of the car and so some spacer sleeves and longer bolts will be required when re securing the seatbelt retainers and bracket. 

Once the bracket is bolted down the back-rest can be put in place. Mark and drill some holes in the bracket to accommodate the two tabs on the bottom of the seat uprights. This will allow them to be bolted to the bracket.

4. The outer lower part of the back rest must now be mounted and this is the hardest part. Lift up the carpet around the rear seat area. You then need to chop up the old rear bench so that you are left with the hole part of the pivoting hinge. This hole will eventually receive the pins on each end of the Corrado bench. The next stage requires much trial and error, remembering that once chopped the brackets can not be reconstructed so remove material bit by bit. The aim is to end up with two identical brackets that can be welded to the floor in such a way as to mate with the pins on the back rest. This is probably a two man job. 

Once the brackets are cut to shape bare the metal of the floor pan and bracket and prepare for welding. If you do not have a welder (or access to one) then a local workshop will charge you a tenner or so to do this. Weld the brackets to the floor. Rustproof and paint over any exposed metal. Replace the carpet. You will have to cut a slit in the carpet in order to go round the new brackets. 

Note A: Remove the fuel tank if your welding is slow and the metal you weld tends to get very hot (have a soaking wet towel ready to quench any over-heating welds) Note B: If you don't want to sacrifice your old seat and reckon you can sell it, then we advise you to bend an L-shaped section (with a hinge hole drilled in it) from scratch and use that instead...

5. The seat uprights can then be permanently bolted in place, and the seat bases pushed into place. The final part is to secure the centre arm rest which is simply bolted to the centre of the horseshoe shaped steel pressing having drilled two suitable holes.

Hey Presto ..... you should now have a fully functioning Corrado rear bench. Not only is it secured safely but it folds forward as the original should and the centre arm rest also hinges as it should. All the conversions we have seen have only extended the two upper bolts with the rest of the seat just resting in place. This means that not only does the seat NOT fold forward but it is also not at-all safe in the event of an impact!

General note: This Is a lengthy conversion designed to do the job properly. A lot of trial fitting, and measuring is required as well as a lot of patience. All in it should cost about £10 on top of the price of the interior (bolts, paint, etc.). Understand what you are trying to do before you start hacking away at things as it will save you a lot of agro in the long run. Remember to rustproof any holes that you drill and take care where the sparks land when you are welding. The finished conversion looks the nuts and is a little bit different as well as costing very little. The more time you spend measuring and lining up any holes and brackets the better the finish will be. Try to get a degree of tension in the secured seat so that there is no play once it is bolted down otherwise it could cause an annoying rattle.

Finally

Disclaimer : Matey-Matey accept no responsibility for any of the information contained within this document or the accuracy thereof. It is intended as a helpful guide and is solely based on personal experience. The authors also wish to stress that the methods highlighted are centred around personal opinion and there may be other equally credible ways of performing this conversion.

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