Poptop’s Sebring Project

[POPTOP]

Finally got back to working on my Sebring and its time to start my journal. Here is the start of it.
Bought it off eBay. Always wanted a Sterling, but when I saw the Sebring I liked the body lines even better.
Here is how the outside looked when I got it.







Here is the interior.



Engine.

Cleaned out and ready for new windshield.

New windshield installed.


more coming later.

 

[RangerBEH]

That windshield looks amazing! I really want my glass to look that nice.

 

[POPTOP]

Thanks for the complement on the windshield. I wish I could take credit for it. Usually I have to do everything myself or I am not happy. This was one of the few times I was extremely pleased with the work a professional did.

I love almost everything about the Sebring except two things that bother me and probably most owners. I hate the dash and the rear bumper so I have some new designs that I am working on now.

But here are some more updates on the story so far.

replaced the marker lights that were old and cracked. Found the same light in a LED version with a stainless trim ring, so putting them in only took a few minutes.

I removed the manual latch setup from the center back of the canopy.

and replaced it with a high mounted LED stoplight that I bought. This seemed to be a good location to not reduce rear visibility and covers up the holes left by the latch.

Pulled out my parts cars.

And started on the rats nest of unmarked snipped wires, twisted together wires, electrical tape and scotch lock connectors. I pulled out the steering column and am using the one from the super beetle because I like the u-joint connectors on it. The column they had was only using the turn signal switch. they had a separate starter switch, horn switch, wiper, etc.... wired in poorly elsewhere. I am also labeling all the wires as I go.

Got my linear actuator setup in and working but not finished quality yet. I have two actuators on the canopy and one on the pop up headlights. I put a 7 channel remote control setup integrated with the linear actuators.
button 1- turns on headlights
button 2- horn
button 3- canopy close
button 4- canopy open
channel 5- unused for now
channel 6- unused for now
channel 7- canopy open 2" (to let interior breath)

New seats with 4 point harness. The base of the seat was small enough to fit but the bottom seat wings made it too wide. So I pulled the cover off and it had some bent tubing welded for the bottom bolster support that I cut off. It doesn't need this since the wings on the bottom cushion will be stopped by the channel it drops in to. I then just reinstalled the hog rings on the bottom and the seats fit.

 

[Nic]

LOVE that seat. What's it from?

 

[POPTOP]

It was just some universal seat off of EBay. The auction I got it off of had a drawing of dimensions listed before I bought it. One of the main things was how low the seat height and sliders were to the floor for headroom. It fits good but it would be better if it was an inch narrower, doesn't slide front to back easy enough, but I will probably be the only driver anyway.
Not sure if this is the same one, but it looks like it.
2 Black Leather Racing Seats Reclinable All Nissan New | eBay

 

[hotrodbones]

im assuming they flair out a little as the ebay link says 22" wide. with the cimbria i only have 17.5" to work with. could you measure the base of your seat for me? and also determine where it flairs out to 22"??

thank you in advance

 

[POPTOP]

im assuming they flair out a little as the ebay link says 22" wide. with the cimbria i only have 17.5" to work with. could you measure the base of your seat for me? and also determine where it flairs out to 22"??

thank you in advance

I could give you the sizes off mine but that may do more harm than good since I already modified them. When I researched mine there were lots of seats that looked similar but with different sizes. I bought these over a year ago so there is no way to find the actual auction number for mine. As I remember the drawing for mine had the greatest width was the back. I think I had 17.5" to work with at the very bottom like you and the seats bottom bolsters were like 19.5 which is why I cut out the metal support. Find an ad or seller that will give you a drawing is your best bet.
Mark

 

[Peter]

Seats

Seats have always been a problem on VW based cars because of the 47mm (17.5") width restrictions, I used jap mini van seats for a few years then Westfields but to short and then found these which are much the same. good news is mijexhausts (Ebay name) are opening a branch in the Caribbean to serve the US market soon. The ones from exhausts-uk have the adjuster higher up so better in that respect. They both ship world wide.
I had to trim a bit of the tilt lever cover off to clear the chassis side and mount them outboard rather than inboard. I also ran 1 1/2" x 3/8" across the mounting points and then bolted the runners to that further inboard by about 2" to give better clearance.

They do then in Red/Black, Silver/black, blue/black and all black.
State side these look much the same, says 21.5" across but I think that's at the cushion not the base.
Pair 2X APC Type R Style Fully Reclinable Sports Racing Seat Seats Slider Yellow | eBay

 

[POPTOP]

Some updates on my Sebring.
My car had side pipes on it when I got it. I was amazed when the seller told me they were functional and not just decorative. I like the way they were done. They hide the drop floor pan nicely and the system tucks up perfectly in the space it has to use. It also gives it a nice deep tone to the engine. I pulled them off to repair some rust and replace some hangers.



Did some fabrication work on my new steering. Took the Beetle steering shaft (top) and the Super Beetle shaft (bottom) and cut and combined them for my new steering system.

Luckily the solid Super Beetle shaft fit perfectly inside the hollow Beetle shaft (top). For alignment I removed the rubber coupler and bolted it solid to allow perfect alignment, and then added the coupler back in after welding. After this picture I sandblasted it and its now and ready for paint.

Put my rear window back in. The chrome on the lock strip was all shot so I reversed it so the black side shows now.

I now have a cure for my hatred of the ugly rear bumper. I took a chance on an idea and when it show up, the way it will work exceeded my hopes and expectations. I was looking at Camaro and Vette bumpers, thinking I would get an old one for a starting point and then modify it. I ended up buying a 1968 Corvette bumper and it looks like it was made for my car. I don't think I have to modify it at all. It cost me $50 off ebay (20 part, 30 shipping). The chrome was bad on it and it had two extra holes underneath it because it had a hitch at one time, so none of the Vette guys wanted it. I just have it braced in place now, but it should be easy to mount with a few mounting brackets and new holes. I have the other side too, but since it is a two piece setup I can move it and align it without having to cut and weld to make the gaps look uniform.

 

[RangerBEH]

Those are some seriously long pipes but I really like them. The corvette bumper looks good too it's something to break up the boxy rears of these cars that the factory bumper did nothing to help. Rather then rechroming maybe you can even paint them black should make the white pop!

 

[cdrd03]

I like the corvette bumbers. I just hope it doesn't make people think that it is a corvette. As for color, I am torn. In some of the pictures the car looks like it might have a two tone to it. Black and white. And with the front bumper being black I would most likely like the black. On the other hand with the pipes chrome. Are you going with a chrome wheel? Now if you powder coated the pipes black and paint the reat bumpers black that might really pop.


Chuck

 

[POPTOP]

I was thinking of painting the bumpers black. The chrome wheels and sidepipes are being sandblasted and painted black. My original plan was to paint the two recesses with the lights black and using some Shelby cobra style bumpers. I need to rethink it now. The car started all white, I painted the black on it. It allowed me to fix the bad spots on the car without having primer spots while I was waiting to paint or trying to blend in another shade of white that didn't exactly match. There were holes from lift handles, mirrors, power antenna holes, stone chips, etc. patched and hidden under the black. The hole someone cut for the A/C pump in the bumper area you can see, would get fixed and covered with black also.

 

[letterman7]

I'm digging the bumpers as well. Ranger is right - it helps break up the tall back end a little. I've had people think my car is some sort of Vette at times... didn't care, cause it brought more attention than "real" Corvettes!

 

[CyCo]

I agree, I like those 'vette bumperettes. Really suit the car and indeed, break up the 'boat tail' rear end these cars tend to have. I'll also agree with painting them black to go with your two tone. Should look good.

I started to mention how mine was once 'recognised' as a 'vette, but then the story kept going and going, so I cut/pasted it as a new topic, so not to hijack PopTops topic.

 

[POPTOP]

I am use and desensitized to people calling my vehicles the wrong thing.
My Manx Dune buggy, continuously referred to as Jeep or Doom Buggy

My Max being called an Argo, with a wench (instead of a winch)

and my Hearse which was constantly called a Hurst
Challenger being called a Charger.............
It's always going to happen, I have just learned to laugh at it *laugh*

 

[letterman7]

Well, you have to admit, the Max looks a lot like an Argo. And I love the tracked look. Methinks we'll be needing something like that this winter up north...

 

[POPTOP]

I don't know if I am able to admit that *eek!*
The Max has the engine in the back where it is supposed to be *hee-hee-hee*

 

[RangerBEH]

Not to get too off topic but if your going to go tracks.....

 

[cdrd03]

Poptop - You have some nice toys there

Ranger - That looks freeking cool.

Chuck

 

[CyCo]

Not to get too off topic but if your going to go tracks.....

I want that. NO! I NEED THAT!!


*laugh*