diy request: removing back seats
 

Hi. I need help removing my backseats as I dropped a rivet into the hole under the backseats while trying to remove my tail lights. Thanks!

Is there nothing in the manual?

I will be collecting my 86 in a few weeks and will be removing the rear seats just to see if the seat will travel any further back. I will make a little diy then :)

havnt checked. but thanks. will look forward to it :)

Could you PM if you make that? I could definitely use more space back, don't mind losing some trunk space either. One inch more of leg room would have been amazing

I can make a quick one, it's suuuuper easy to remove the back seat lower cushions, you dont even need to remove the back rest to get to where the clip fell...i did the same thing so I know what you mean!

You wont get any more legroom because the back of the driver's seat actually comes in contact with the bump that houses the gas tank...removing the back seat cushions might provide a little more reclining but that's it...trust me I'm 6'5" so I definitely tried...

Here ya go. It's not really removing the rear cushions, just so you can get under them. Removing the rear seats requires a bit more work and I am not quite ready to embark on that journey yet.

All you need is a 10mm Socket and Ratchet.


Undo this little fella right here:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...ps72de57a1.jpg

And Pull up!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...ps6f0cbeef.jpg

Thats where everything seems to end up that I drop in my trunk :)

holy crap thats easy. ill go try it RIGHT NOW! thanks so so much.. hope i find the darn rivet

Err problem. That lil fella is pretty damm hard to remove...

I am also 6'5" and really want just an inch or so of room. Even reclining a bit more might help. Is the bump the same on both sides?

Regardless, I will play around a bit and see what extra space I can find :)

The bolt? It's only one 10mm bolt, might need a bigger ratchet to break it, if i remember correctly it torqued down pretty damn tight. The little ring thing is actually attached to the seat so you dont remove that.

yeah i tried that. its super tight holy shit. im charging up my power tools now. hope that works. :/ if not, ill have to go get a ratchet. as of right now, i only tried removing it with a small 10mm wrench

Haha!

Easy as pie, 1/2 inch ratchet with a small extension would do the job no problem.

heading to canadian tire or home depo tomorrow to get one. realize i dont have any haha.

Dunno how much money you have on hand, but this is the single best investment I have made for working on cars and motorcycles.

http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-2...1&blockType=L1

I also picked up a set of allen wrenches to fill it out. Once you have a good starter set you just pick up other tools along the way!!! I'm at the point now where I'm considering a roll around tool chest for all my tools, but it all started with that little Craftsman mechanics tool box.

holy. that seems a little overboard doesnt it? after screwing up almost 2 very very simple DIYs, i'm probably never going to attempt one ever again. so i think ill just buy the ratchet to fix this and im done. LOL

Lol, well you gotta start somewhere! Being able to do minor maintenance to your own car is a huge benefit, you can save money on simple things like oil changes, belt changes, brake pad changes, etc. I learned how to work on stuff by just jumping head first into it. I've made mistakes (worst was not properly timing the cams on my CBR1000RR talk about an expensive mistake) but you learn from them. You have to know your limits though so I can understand if you aren't comfortable, but that's what this community is there for...support. There's all sorts of people here that can give advice or help you figure something out from professionals to enthusiasts (like myself).

I personally think there is no better feeling than knowing that if something happens to my car that i can fix it myself as long as I have the parts...relying on a garage puts you at a disadvantage because you end up paying for labor ($100+ an hour) and the parts. Don't get me wrong, there's things I would bring my car to the shop for still (car network stuff is a headache for me) but the more you get comfortable with being able to do the less reliant you are on others to fix issues.

In the end it's up to you whether or not this is a hobby you want to undertake, but it is extremely rewarding. (The first time you rebuild a motor and it actually starts...that's a damn good feeling!)

Thanks for your advice and input. I 100% agree with you. From a young age I've always loved taking stuff apart and putting it back together. This is definitely a hobby I plan to take up in the future. Its a pretty expensive hobby and to be honest I can't afford it right now. I'm a 17 year old student with a part time job paying 100% of this car by myself. Haha. Insurance alone is going to kill me. But I'll save up some money and hopefully in the future I'll be able to do what you guys do :)

That's the right idea, i understand your dilemma, I had a 98 Toyota Supra TT in 1999 while i was a student...lets just say I was a really good entrepreneur back then ;) I got a bunch of sponsors to help make things more affordable to work on, even got some free parts here and there. Nowadays sponsorships are a pain in the ass to get as a private builder not affiliated with a shop, kinda breaks my heart how that happened to the import scene.

I agree but I can't say I understand how you feel as I didn't live that era and I've only recently taken an interest in cars haha. Thanks for all your advice and experience though :)

Era?!? makes me feel old, lol!

Hahaha ok then. How does time sound?

hey! just a little update.
firstly, i just wanna say YOU'RE AWESOME! :D
i just borrowed my friend's ratchet and did it. took me about 2 mins to get the bolt off and i found the darn rivet! thank you so so so so much! :)

No prob! Glad I could help!

and help you did. i can now sleep much better (:

Anyone know how much the rear seats weigh?

No Idea sorry. I only removed the bottom part. Not the entire thing

Can I ask how much weight you dropped in just from the bottom?
That would be a big help to me!

The bottom cushions are super light, I would be surprised if both sides taken out would net 4lbs weight savings...

sorry just saw this. yep. as super said, about 4-5 lbs. each.

aww what a bummer ):
Thnx anyways!