recliner hinge level2- gear swap
- Thread starter nakman
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- #22
Two more of the install... one shows the cover removed, with the modified hinge in place. Second one is zoomed in..
nakman said:
Thats the lowest you can go?
C'mon 
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cool, thanks Mot. If you know how to make an aminated .gif, have at it. They're all the same size & location from a tripod. Maybe Tyler will grace our presence on this tread and hook us up, so we can watch that baby go up and down..
mot said:Following the pics made me wanna lean back in my chair!
Very nice of you to let us in on this mod.
Mot
I dont want just to get lean but also get clean...
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Now for some assembly/disassembly drawings.. I'm going to post them up first then come back with comments on what they are.. sit tight.
edit: so a pic of the hinge, a pic of the spring removed, with the E-ring being removed with a screwdriver. Then a pic of the hinge with all of my screws removed, where you can see all of my threaded holes.
edit: so a pic of the hinge, a pic of the spring removed, with the E-ring being removed with a screwdriver. Then a pic of the hinge with all of my screws removed, where you can see all of my threaded holes.
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- #27
When you pop the lever support piece off the first time, you have to use a prybar or something. Next two pics show where to place it, followed by what it looks like with that first piece removed.
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Use a punch to remove the gear from the lower hinge arm.. if you cleaned up the burrs on the top it should pop right out. Next two pics are both sides of the gear and hinge arm, aligned as they are when assembled. third pic is a view of all of the separate hinge pieces.
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Almost done... next two are putting the lever parts back in, when you tap the lever piece on put something under the rivet on the back side to support it. finally, squeeze the E-ring back on with a long needlenose, or similar. The coil spring you can put on with your fingers, when the hinge is in the closed (folded up) position.
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So who else is in? from here on out if you only do the simple recliner hinge mod you are a big big {}
The guy has 1 brain fart and now he's the king of all mods
Nice job, I'm on vacation this week and might give it a go.
However does the 3rd row seat suffer any?
Nice job, I'm on vacation this week and might give it a go.
However does the 3rd row seat suffer any?
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LOL... yeah I deserved that, thanks Rick. 
3rd row suffers only in the sense of how it reclines. When the simple hinge mod is done, the 3rd rows get the multi-position, while the second row only gets 2 settings. Swapping the gears essentially swaps this, so the 2nd row gets all the positions, and the 3rd row gets two.. which equates to full upright. and leaning back against the hatch.
3rd row suffers only in the sense of how it reclines. When the simple hinge mod is done, the 3rd rows get the multi-position, while the second row only gets 2 settings. Swapping the gears essentially swaps this, so the 2nd row gets all the positions, and the 3rd row gets two.. which equates to full upright. and leaning back against the hatch.
I thought the standard 3rd row had upright and slightly tilted back, so now it's upright and reclined.
Is that right?
Is that right?
offroadkid
GOLD Star
Man, I thought I had the reclining seat mod all taken care of! Now there's more?!!
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3rd row "slightly tilted" is back against the pin that gets removed in the original hinge mod. If you were to remove that pin, then your 3rd rows would have multiple recline positions. If you do this more elaborate mod, then you lose that "slightly tilted" position.. it's either full upright or way back, hitting the hatch. Herein lies the opportunity cost.. best of both worlds is do the hinge mod to the 3rd rows, then buy a set of recliner hinges from Mot- that's the only way to get both rows to have multiple recline positions. Ok one other way.. pick up a set of 3rd rows from someone else then swap those gears into your second row, leaving that gear in your 3rd row hinges. Multiple recline positions can only be achieved with the gear found in the 3rd row hinges, or the hinges that come from Japan.
If MAF still sold the recliner hinges I would have picked up a set a year ago.. 2 years ago I couldn't come up with the extra scratch, finally decided to go for it and they were discontinued..
. But 5 hours work and at the expense of a little 3rd row comfort, for me is an easy decision since my 3rd rows are back inside trash bags in the attic above the garage. Don't worry Mot, you'll still get money from me some day, and there are others out there who would rather just drop a little cash and be done with it. Like most mods, it's not for everyone. 
If MAF still sold the recliner hinges I would have picked up a set a year ago.. 2 years ago I couldn't come up with the extra scratch, finally decided to go for it and they were discontinued..
. But 5 hours work and at the expense of a little 3rd row comfort, for me is an easy decision since my 3rd rows are back inside trash bags in the attic above the garage. Don't worry Mot, you'll still get money from me some day, and there are others out there who would rather just drop a little cash and be done with it. Like most mods, it's not for everyone.
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So if I don't remove the pin in the third row but still swap the gear, escentially it will be unchanged from how it is now.
It's just that on a long drive neither straight up or tilted back is going to be comfortable.
It's just that on a long drive neither straight up or tilted back is going to be comfortable.
Did I hear my name?
I'm in the process of picking up a few more sets of new hinges for those of you who are not technically savvy enough to perform this mod. I think the cost would be actually less than what I thought it might be before, at about $170 plus shipping. Shameless marketing plug.
SORRY!
Now you can go back to the regularly scheduled program.
Mot
I'm in the process of picking up a few more sets of new hinges for those of you who are not technically savvy enough to perform this mod. I think the cost would be actually less than what I thought it might be before, at about $170 plus shipping. Shameless marketing plug.
SORRY! Now you can go back to the regularly scheduled program.
Mot
mot said:
The wonders of supply and demand.
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Rick, you're right I hadn't considered that, and this comment brings the mod to yet an entire new level. If you do the gear swap, then replace the original "hinge mod" pin on the 3rd rows, you'll be right back to where you are now, with full upright & slightly tilted on the 3rd rows. In fact, if you put in a slightly smaller pin (like a screw or something) then I bet they'd tilt back a little farther.
Best thing to do is take the hinge off, remove that big coil spring so you don't mousetrap your finger (yeah I did that), and fiddle around with it for a minute seeing what does what in various positions.
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landtank said:
Can't blame me for trying, right?
[edit] Actually, the reduction in price (compared to what I thought it might be before) came as the result of my decision to buy 10 sets (5 tan and 5 gray), and not because of me thinking "Damn it nakman, nobody will buy them stupid hinges now that your thread is up!" I placed my order after his initial post was well established.
There! That still doesn't sound good, does it?
Mot
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