FJ60 Third Row Seat

[Spears41]

I’ve got a set of Yukon seats from 06 that I’m planning to put in the back of my 1983 FJ60 as a third row. I fabbed up some brackets and am planning to drop the tank this weekend but I’m curious if anyone knows how much clearance I’ll have between the body and the tank?

I’ve got 3/16 plates of steel for the underside of the body and I’m planning to run grade 8 bolts from the bottom to the interior. I’m guessing I’ll need at least 1/2 inch of clearance between the body and the tank, but if there isn’t room, I’ll have to weld them in. Once I get it done, I'll post a complete write up.

 

[franklin40]

i just did something like this using airline track on the floor. that way when my seat is out i have more tie down points too. one thing i wished i had thought of was that under the carpet there are ribs. i forgot about this when i cut the hole in my carpet to drill through the floor. some of my holes were on the side of the rib a bit so my track doesn’t sit perfectly. it has a slight tilt. check where you’re going to put your mounting points/holes so you don’t end up like mine. it still works well. just doesn’t look perfect. my bolts in this location were just a little outside the tank both sides. i can’t answer your clearance question. i didn’t drop my tank to do this

 

[Spears41]

That looks awesome. I love the side panels and rear tailgate cargo mod too. Is that wagon gear?

 

[franklin40]

thanks. i wish i could have got his but the wait list was too long. my are from another vendor but might have been a one time run. i like the side panels but the tail gait is too flimsy and is bending a little. i would have gone with @TRAIL TAILOR instead. he hadn’t made them quite yet when i bought mine. oh well

 

[Spears41]

so here's the plan. I'm embarrassed to post after seeing your interior, but its a work in progress.

I think i'm going to have to put some washers in between the factory yukon mounting bars and the fabricated plate on the interior in order to get enough vertical height for the hook mounting mechanism of the seat to work correctly. I also noted that the width of these seats allows for forward facing seats only. You cannot put these seats in the rear facing position due to the wheel wells limiting the interior cabin width. The other issue is that these seats are designed to flip all the way forward and sit on their heads, more or less, when not in use. They are only going to make it 70-80% of the way there, again, because of the wheel wells that limit the forward rotation. That being said, I'm still going to make them work because the 3 point belts are such a plus in my humble opinion. I'm gonna start poking holes tomorrow. Still pretty nervous about that... more pics of the debauchery coming tomorrow.

 

[Jonlambert]

Looking forward to seeing this one!

 

[Spears41]

Alright I've made my first attack, and I'm about halfway done. I realized that I need more washers to use as spacers, but you can get the idea from these pictures. The left seat is almost completely finished, but the mounts all need more washers(vs. steel spacers) and longer bolts to allow for more height overall. I've got some parts coming to experiment with this. Overall, though, I think its going to work well.

The first image is with the seat lifted up and forward, rotated on the front mounts. Please excuse the mess.

The second image is with the seat sitting against the floor and attached to the mounts. I need another washer or two to allow the locking mechanism to function properly but you get the idea.

The last image is my best shot of the underside with the plate in place for reinforcement. I was able to get a plate in everywhere on the underside except for the rear drivers side mount, as the bolt hole lined up perfectly wrong and inside a body reinforcement beam, so its running with a bolt and washer only.

Happy to hear suggestions/advice/or disparaging comments. I'll try to finish this thing up this weekend.

 

[Jonlambert]

How did you know where to put the brackets into the body? Copied the brackets from the seat onto cardboard?

 

[Spears41]

Sorry for the delay in reply. I'm finally done. It took me hours to get that gas tank back in and the straps back on working by myself.

@Jonlambert I was able to place the seats in the approximate position that I wanted and then slide the brackets in underneath the seat attachment points. I then marked the floor of the truck with a sharpie after quadruple measuring. Drilling into the floor was the most nerveracking thing I've done to it so far. It worked out OK and the seats fit well, but I had to add a U-bolt to the front brackets on both sides to be sure the seat doesn't raise up for any reason. I don't know if they did this from the factory, but there is nothing to hold the front of the seat down to the body on the front brackets, unlike the rear. That being said, I think its now stronger than the factory mounts, which was my goal.

The first picture is the final product going down the road. The second is a close-up of the front bracket. I've since added a u-bolt to hold the seat down. Its rock solid, and if I try to jerk the seats around now, the truck just moves. I think I could use them as a tow point...

 

[Jonlambert]

DUDE. That looks totally cool! Soo excited to get mine done.

Getting mine back from the body guy in he week. Hoping to get where you are afterwards

 

[Jonlambert]

Thank you for sharing!

 

[franklin40]

nicely done. that’s super! are you putting the bench back in too?

 

[Spears41]

@franklin40 Thank you. It was not easy and I highly recommend bribing a buddy to come over with a beer or two for help.

Yeah the front bench seat is actually just folded down and forward right now. My dog likes the extra floor room. When I finally find a paint shop and get her looking pretty, I’ll install the Aussie sliding windows I refurbed in the back. The kids will love the breeze.

 

[franklin40]

that will be a sweet mod too.

 

[Jonlambert]

Spears41 I went ahead and bought a set of 2014 3rd row seats. Planning on doing the same once I get it back from the body shop. How's it holding up for you so far?

 

[Spears41]

Going great man. The kids ride in the back regularly. The fold and tumble 2nd row seat tends to be for the adults, and my two kids can climb in the 3rd row no problem. I’m overall very pleased. A little thread locker and the bolts aren’t going anywhere. You could probably hold the truck up by them.

 

[Jonlambert]

Going great man. The kids ride in the back regularly. The fold and tumble 2nd row seat tends to be for the adults, and my two kids can climb in the 3rd row no problem. I’m overall very pleased. A little thread locker and the bolts aren’t going anywhere. You could probably hold the truck up by them.

Finally got the brackets to attach the seats to my 87 fj60.

Spears41, do

you remember how you attacked this?

Trying to figure out what to do first?

Do I find a piece of cardboard big enough to trace the trunk and use that to find where I drill the holes?


How do I make sure I drill in the right spot?

 

[Spears41]

I would recommend placing the seats in the rear of your cruiser and then sliding the mounts underneath. Then use a sharpie to mark where the holes will go. Pull the seats back out and you should be clear for drilling. That part was pretty scary for me. Also, you’ll need to use washers or a spacer to raise the mounts up above the floor so that the latches can clear. I used washers first and will be replacing with spacers. The plastic bits in your pic I couldn’t use.

 

[Spears41]

I would recommend placing the seats in the rear of your cruiser and then sliding the mounts underneath. Then use a sharpie to mark where the holes will go. Pull the seats back out and you should be clear for drilling. That part was pretty scary for me. Also, you’ll need to use washers or a spacer to raise the mounts up above the floor so that the latches can clear. I used washers first and will be replacing with spacers. The plastic bits in your pic I couldn’t use.

I dropped the gas tank so that I would be able to run the bolts from under the truck, exposing the nuts on the top side, that way I’d know if anything was ever getting loose. I also cut some steel plates I bought at Lowe’s, two per mount. One goes under the truck and the other goes on top. That way it sandwiches the body and gives me piece of mind that nothing will pull through

 

[Jonlambert]

Spears41

Sorry for the delay in reply. I'm finally done. It took me hours to get that gas tank back in and the straps back on working by myself.

@Jonlambert I was able to place the seats in the approximate position that I wanted and then slide the brackets in underneath the seat attachment points. I then marked the floor of the truck with a sharpie after quadruple measuring. Drilling into the floor was the most nerveracking thing I've done to it so far. It worked out OK and the seats fit well, but I had to add a U-bolt to the front brackets on both sides to be sure the seat doesn't raise up for any reason. I don't know if they did this from the factory, but there is nothing to hold the front of the seat down to the body on the front brackets, unlike the rear. That being said, I think its now stronger than the factory mounts, which was my goal.

The first picture is the final product going down the road. The second is a close-up of the front bracket. I've since added a u-bolt to hold the seat down. Its rock solid, and if I try to jerk the seats around now, the truck just moves. I think I could use them as a tow point...View attachment 2153135

Spears41 how much space do you have between the back seat and the tailgate?