Removing rear seats

ace

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Aug 10, 2024
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Montana
Vehicles
FJ70, 1998 tacoma, FJ Cruiser, 4Runner
Has anybody removed the rear seats in a 1958 model? If you have, can please explain the steps involved, looks like even removing the plastic covers can be difficult. Thanks!
 
The plastic covers were easy, I took my LC to a body shop and they did it for free, took about 5 minutes. The seats are another story. I took out the bolts on the driver side seat easily enough, but wow, that seat is heavy and difficult to manuever, right now the seat is stuck at an angle, so I'm hoping the dealer's mechanic can free it and reset it in place. No longer thinking about removing the seats. Huge hassle.
 
Removed the rear seats today. It wasn't too bad. The biggest bitch, by far, was removing the front and rear plastic covers. I broke a tab on the rear one. After that, it's just four 14mm bolts, per side, and one electrical connection per side.

Keep in mind that the seats are spring loaded, so it can cause a little frustration. I did get the larger seat wedged, like a previous poster mentioned, but it came free with some finagling. I recommend releasing the seats and removing them while they are oriented in their forward position to avoid this. Just take your time with the plastic covers and they'll come loose. I'll be leaving them off to avoid having to mess with them again.

I'll update this post when I get around to reinstalling them.

Here are the specs I gathered from the removal:

Passenger side 60% seat- 75 lbs.
Driver side 40% seat- 50 lbs.

Removed seat dimensions (for storage planning). Measurements taken from seats, as pictured, on my garage floor: 54.5" long x 31" deep x 18" tall

Gas mileage: improved by 0.2 to 0.3 mpg. On my 1958 with 265/70 KO3s, with on road, normal commute driving, I went from 19.6 or 7 to 19.9 or 20. I even saw 20.1 for a short while. This is the first time I've seen a sustained 20 since swapping tires. A welcome side effect, for sure, but the real benefit is in weight and space.
 

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Removed the rear seats today. It wasn't too bad. The biggest bitch, by far, was removing the front and rear plastic covers. I broke a tab on the rear one. After that, it's just four 14mm bolts, per side, and one electrical connection per side.

Keep in mind that the seats are spring loaded, so it can cause a little frustration. I did get the larger seat wedged, like a previous poster mentioned, but it came free with some finagling. I recommend releasing the seats and removing them while they are oriented in their forward position to avoid this. Just take your time with the plastic covers and they'll come loose. I'll be leaving them off to avoid having to mess with them again.

I'll update this post when I get around to reinstalling them.

Here are the specs I gathered from the removal:

Passenger side 60% seat- 75 lbs.
Driver side 40% seat- 50 lbs.

Removed seat dimensions (for storage planning). Measurements taken from seats, as pictured, on my garage floor: 54.5" long x 31" deep x 18" tall

Gas mileage: improved by 0.2 to 0.3 mpg. On my 1958 with 265/70 KO3s, with on road, normal commute driving, I went from 19.6 or 7 to 19.9 or 20. I even saw 20.1 for a short while. This is the first time I've seen a sustained 20 since swapping tires. A welcome side effect, for sure, but the real benefit is in weight and space.
your photo documentation and explanation is greatly appreciated! ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿ™Œ
 
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