Help needed near Charlotte - Rear Seat Install in FJ40 (1 Viewer)

[planyourday]

David and Del -- It has been about five years. How have the seats and instals held up? Would you go the same route today or do something different? Thanks. Scott

 

[FJinTegaCay]

Would I go the same route today? Probably not. Given the dramatic rise in the value of these trucks in recent years and how stock/original my 40 is/was, I don't think I'd be willing to drill any holes.

As far as the seat, my girls have grown but continue to fit in it just fine. I've not had any issues with the seat's quality and it cleans up well after dusty trail rides. The fold and tumble feature has worked out well, as I can easily fit all my gear for big trips when it is folded. If I was more gifted, I would have put more effort into figuring out a 3-point seat belt for rear passengers but these days, I rarely have more than one passenger and my girls are able to ride up front alongside me.

Best wishes and don't hesitate to let me know if you need pics of anything.

 

[planyourday]

David thanks for the feedback!

 

[AZmarkymark]

Hey Hey, fellow FJ-40 Bothers & Sisters:
I want to install a folding rear bench seat in the '76 FJ-40 project. I see CCOT has a modified Trailmax II for around 5 large. Any feedback or better option? Also, custom spare tire carriers. Installed is a very beefy 6" tall & 2" thick bumper. I looked at Or Fab & Body Armor. Want something Stout & functional. Finally, tow bars that work. Had a Smitty Built for 14 years on my '75 rig, seemed to work well. But, there may be better options without having to Custom fabricate (weld) brackets for the Smitty, thoughts? Thanks, make it a great day!

AZmarkymark

 

[roadstr6]

For the rear bench, no need to pay CCOT to be the middle man. They basically take a Bestop seat and put some $2 fancy pants backets on it and mark it up another $200. Just order the Bestop 39435-01 from Amazon or Summit Racing. It fits great as is and looks great. You will need to drill 6 holes and purchase some bolts, nuts and washers to fit it. I've installed this seat in two 40's now and I like it a lot. Installing the seat is simple. Figuring out how to get belts on the bench seat is a little more difficult. I ordered my belts from Seatbelt Planet. They are 3-point belts. I have a full cage in my rig so the upper pivot mount was not a big deal for me. You may not have that luxury. Lap belts may be the way to go in some applications.

I can't speak to your questions about custom tire carriers or tow bars. I use the factory tire carrier and I don't tow my rig. Maybe somebody else will chime in.

 

[AZmarkymark]

For the rear bench, no need to pay CCOT to be the middle man. They basically take a Bestop seat and put some $2 fancy pants backets on it and mark it up another $200. Just order the Bestop 39435-01 from Amazon or Summit Racing. It fits great as is and looks great. You will need to drill 6 holes and purchase some bolts, nuts and washers to fit it. I've installed this seat in two 40's now and I like it a lot. Installing the seat is simple. Figuring out how to get belts on the bench seat is a little more difficult. I ordered my belts from Seatbelt Planet. They are 3-point belts. I have a full cage in my rig so the upper pivot mount was not a big deal for me. You may not have that luxury. Lap belts may be the way to go in some applications.

I can't speak to your questions about custom tire carriers or tow bars. I use the factory tire carrier and I don't tow my rig. Maybe somebody else will chime in.

Awesome, thanks for the quick reply & info!

 

[cuencanolenny]

Would I go the same route today? Probably not. Given the dramatic rise in the value of these trucks in recent years and how stock/original my 40 is/was, I don't think I'd be willing to drill any holes.

As far as the seat, my girls have grown but continue to fit in it just fine. I've not had any issues with the seat's quality and it cleans up well after dusty trail rides. The fold and tumble feature has worked out well, as I can easily fit all my gear for big trips when it is folded. If I was more gifted, I would have put more effort into figuring out a 3-point seat belt for rear passengers but these days, I rarely have more than one passenger and my girls are able to ride up front alongside me.

Best wishes and don't hesitate to let me know if you need pics of anything.

I'm a retired tooling guy living in Cuenca, Ecuador. As usual, the price on stuff is not the problem, it is the shipping and customs fees. So out comes the pencil and paper, again. This time for a fold and tumble seat. As of today, 22JAN18, both frames are welded. I still have to position the backrest hinge plates and weld them on. My '79 FJ40 is currently many hours away for body repair/paint and so I don't have access to it. Since the gas tank is under the drivers seat (not sure if your tank is under or in the rig) I'm wondering if the gas tank poses any problem with access to bolts? Since my seat setup is custom I will have to drill holes. Thank you.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

I'm a retired tooling guy living in Cuenca, Ecuador. As usual, the price on stuff is not the problem, it is the shipping and customs fees. So out comes the pencil and paper, again. This time for a fold and tumble seat. As of today, 22JAN18, both frames are welded. I still have to position the backrest hinge plates and weld them on. My '79 FJ40 is currently many hours away for body repair/paint and so I don't have access to it. Since the gas tank is under the drivers seat (not sure if your tank is under or in the rig) I'm wondering if the gas tank poses any problem with access to bolts? Since my seat setup is custom I will have to drill holes. Thank you.

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As my truck is a 1977, the gas tank is beneath the passenger seat. I am sorry I can’t be of any assistance.