last images...
I tried it out and the JB Weld strategy appears to have worked. I'm not sure for how long though.... hopefully it will last a few years before it goes again.
Just a few more considerations when finishing the job.
The hinge mechanisms for the left and right side are fully independent of each other so you have to re-align them before you close up the gearbox. So long as the worm gear is disengaged from the nylon reduction gear the hinge can be freely articulated. What I did was set the front movement to the lowest setting, then set the rear movement on the lowest setting while fully collapsing the faulty side (before re-assembly). Since the hinge mechanisms for fore and aft can affect each other's respective geometries its good to have both movements at their respective end-movements as a reference.
Packing the assembly with grease is a good idea as the factory grease is now about 20 yrs old and looks more like candle wax. I used the MB factory grease (used for lubricating the sunroof rails... but MB also specs it for other light duty purposes as well like the windshield wiper movement) but I'm sure any other general grease will suffice... I had the MB lying around and its probably what the factory used on the production line so I'm more comfortable with compatibility... some greases are not compatible so if you want to use something and your not sure then you might have to degrease the entire assembly before packing it again (NO THANKS!). Its not like the power seats are in constant use (especially the rear tilt) so I'm sure its not super critical. Its probably more important that the grease does not attract dirt and will not dry over time.
Before finishing the job its now a good time to clean house and recover various do-dads that fell in between the driver's seat and the console over the years. I found a treasure trove of coins (mostly pennies, nickles, and dimes) that date back to the early 80s! I also saw some offending stains down there... probably the product of someone using the center console area as a coffee stand.... most of these stains came out with Multi 7 (a stain remover). A good vacuum and things are fresh-as-new-tidy once again.
Putting the seats back: Make sure you engage both guide brackets on the console side of the seat to the guide rail. The seat is held down by 4 10mm hex bolts... access to these bolts is not so good towards the rear where the seat frame sits at an angle. It really helps if you have a U-joint and extension for your ratchet when doing up the left rear bolt. I found that the easiest sequence is to get the right rear in, then left rear, then right front, and left front. You want to start the bolts that have the hardest access. There are 2 separate metal pressure plates at the rear that complicate things too...
You have to replace 3 pieces of trim (that I neglected to mention)... the front bolt trim, and a side piece just under the left side (to access the rear left bolt). Go gentle and slow and take your time... the way they go in is pretty intuitive.
I hope the JB Weld lives up to its reputation! If so, that would be my first 20 cent repair.