Fitting Reclining Seats To A Karmann Ghia
Customer question, answered
A customer rang about a set of classic looking reclining seats for his 1970 Karmann Ghia and asked us the sensible question: which subframes does he need. We went and looked properly, and the honest answer is that there are none. Nobody makes a seat subframe for a Karmann Ghia.
That sounds like bad news and mostly it is not. Everything else in the job is a stock part you can buy today, including the sliders, which come in the box with the seat. What is missing is one flat piece between the floor and those sliders, and that is a morning of somebody competent making a bracket. Below is what you buy, what gets made, and the one mistake that catches people out.
- No manufacturer makes a seat subframe for a Karmann Ghia, and we would rather tell you than sell you the wrong thing
- A Beetle subframe is not a substitute: the Ghia rides on a widened version of that floorpan
- The whole Auto Style Classic range shares one bolt pattern, 345mm x 280mm, and every one arrives with its own sliders
- So the only part that gets fabricated is a flat base between the floor and those sliders
- Do not weld a permanent frame into a car like this. It is not reversible and the Ghia is worth more than that
Nobody makes one for a Ghia
We checked before answering, because it is the sort of question where a confident wrong answer costs somebody a lot of money. There is no Karmann Ghia seat subframe in our range and there is not one we can order in either. It is not an oversight. The car stopped production in 1975, the survivors are all slightly different by now, and the volume simply is not there for anybody to tool up for it.
What that means in practice is that this is a fabrication job, and it always was. The useful thing we can do is make it a small one and tell you exactly which parts you still buy off the shelf.
What you are actually missing
On a car we list a frame for, there are two parts: a direct fit subframe that bolts to the factory mounting points, and the seat on top of it. On a Ghia there are three, and only one of them has to be made.
That amber band is the whole job. It is a flat base, made to suit whatever your floor actually looks like, that presents a level platform for the sliders to bolt down to. Any competent fabricator or classic trimmer will have made a dozen of them. Most of it is measuring.
The trap: a Ghia is not a Beetle
This is the one that catches people, and it will catch you on our own website if we do not say it. We list Volkswagen Beetle subframes. The Ghia is a Beetle underneath in the way everybody says it is, and it sits on a version of the same Type 1 floorpan. But that floorpan was widened to carry the Ghia body, which is wider than a Beetle.
So a Beetle subframe is not a substitute. It is the closest looking wrong answer on the shelf, and if you order one on the strength of the two cars sharing a chassis you will find out when it is in your hands. Do not buy one for a Ghia.
The seats, and the number that makes this easy
The Auto Style Classic range is the obvious choice for a car like this, because it is a modern seat cut to look like a period one. Here is the part that matters for your fabricator: every seat in the range shares the same base pattern, 345mm by 280mm, and every one of them arrives with its own sliders already included.
That is worth more than it sounds. It means the base being made does not have to be designed around a particular seat. Pick any of these, change your mind later, and the mounting still works.
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From £233.40 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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From £240.00 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
If it is the reclining one you are after, and for a road car it usually is, the Classic II is the seat. Same 345mm by 280mm base, same sliders in the box, and a backrest that adjusts for a car you actually drive somewhere. We list it as suiting all heights and all waist sizes. There is a pair listing too if both sides are being done at once, which on a Ghia they usually are.
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From £274.80 Incl. VATPayPal CreditSelect options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Runners, and why you probably already have them
Because the Auto Style seats come with sliders, most people reading this do not need to buy any. Check what is in the box before you add them to an order, because paying twice for runners is the most common way this job costs more than it should.
If you are fitting something else, or the seat you have is a fixed back bucket with a bare base, these are the universal kits that bolt between a flat base and the underside of a seat.
Please do not weld it in
There is a tempting shortcut here. Universal weld in seat rails exist, they are about a hundred pounds, and they turn an awkward floor into a flat platform in an afternoon. We sell them. On a track car or a shell that has already been cut about, they are the right answer.
On a 1970 Karmann Ghia they are the wrong one, and our own listing for them says so: permanent is the word to think about, it is not reversible, and on anything with value or originality it is the wrong choice. A bolt in base can come out and the original seats can go back. Welded rails are a decision the next owner inherits. Have the bracket made and bolt it down.
What to get right when it is being made
Whoever makes the base, these are the five things worth settling before anything is final. None of them are difficult, all of them are annoying to change afterwards.
| What | Why it matters | Settle it by |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | A Ghia has no headroom to give away, and a modern seat sits taller than the original | Sitting in it with the roof on before anything is drilled |
| Rake | A slight backward tilt stops you sliding forward under braking | Setting the back a touch lower than the front, not levelling it |
| Fore and aft | You want the middle of the slider travel to be your driving position | Setting it with the runners halfway, not at one end |
| Belt buckle clearance | A new seat puts the buckle somewhere new | Checking the buckle still reaches and releases before you drive it |
| The anchorage itself | It is what holds the seat, and it gets looked at on an MOT | Sound metal, load spread properly, done by someone who can judge it |
Prices and specifications on this page were checked on 10 September 2026.
Common questions
So I definitely cannot just buy a subframe?
Not for a Karmann Ghia, no. We would sell you one if it existed. What you can buy is the seat with its sliders, and then have a flat base made to suit your floor.
Will a Beetle subframe work?
No. The Ghia floorpan is a widened version of the Beetle one, so the mounting is in different places. It is the closest wrong answer on the shelf.
Do I need to buy runners as well?
Usually not. Every Auto Style Classic arrives with its own sliders. Check the box before you order any, and if you are fitting a different seat entirely, ring us and we will tell you what it needs.
Can this be reversed if I sell the car?
If it is bolted in, yes, and that is exactly why we would rather you did not weld anything. Keep the original seats and the original fixings in a box.
Who actually makes the bracket?
A classic car trimmer or any competent fabricator. It is a measuring job more than a welding job. If you are stuck for someone, ring us and tell us where you are.
Does this apply to other classics?
Broadly, yes. Any car old enough or rare enough that nobody tooled up for it lands in the same place: buy the seat and the sliders, have the base made. The Ghia is just the one we were asked about this week.
That one picture tells us whether your car still has its original mounting, what your fabricator is working with, and which seat suits it best. Ring Garreth and Cameron on 0115 9893488.
