Rear seat back removal

[mgcharlie]

I am working on my sister's 1974 Marina GT barn find and need to be sure all of the rodent nests are removed. I got the bottom of the rear seat back loose and removed the armrests, but the top of the seat back doesn't want to come loose. I tried lifting it thinking that maybe it hooks over something, but so far that hasn't worked. Can someone give me a hint as to how to get the seat back out before I break something? Thanks.

[MarinaCoupe]

There should be a pair of ‘S’ shaped hooks, they loop from the rear footwell vertical kickplate into the leading edge of the rear seat base, pulling it back, so it fits under the back rest.

Have a grovel in the footwell and check underneath the leading edge of the seat. They use the tension in the wire seat frame and are a PITA to remove and a PITA to refit.

I have found the best way to remove/fit them is to kneel in the rear footwell, locate a hook and use the front of my thigh/knee to squash the seat edge backwards, until you can remove/rehook one or other end of the S hook either from the kickplate or the seat frame.

[mgcharlie]

Chris, Thanks for your reply. I already have the seat bottom removed, which is where those awful S shaped hooks are. It is the back of the seat that I am now working to remove. You gave an excellent explanation of the seat bottom removal. Thanks again.
Charlie

[enthusiastic youth]

I think it should be mounted either by two screws or two pop rivets on the bottom edge of the seat. After that it lifts out up over two hooks on either side on the top.

[MarinaCoupe]

Ah, my bad. The rear seat back is attached by two slots at the top and two moveable flanges at the bottom. If the seat has never been out then the bottom flanges will be riveted to the rear axle hump. If it’s been removed before, they are usually held on with self tapping screws.

Once the bottom fixings are free then lift the seat up and back towards the rear screen to detach the top.

[mgcharlie]

Thanks everyone for the help. At the bottom there was one screw that I already had loose. At the top I used a long pipe as a lever to lift the seat back up and one side came loose. It turned out there are three hooks on the body of the car with also one in the middle. The other side was where the critters had built a huge nest and that didn't want to come loose. But after seeing the hooks opposite and in the center I decided to bend it as necessary to get it loose.
Charlie