The Best 100 Series Fridge Setup- 40/40 Rear Seats

[GTV]

I can't take credit for the idea but I might be the first to pull it off. I read a comment about it here years ago, somewhere in the Mud archives, once the seed was planted I couldn't shake it. I really don't like any of the fridge slides, drop downs, etc. They all come with compromises and usually a big price tag.

The idea- As we know the second row seats are a 60/40 split. In RHD countries it's a 40/60 split, that's to say they're reversed. So replace the LHD 60% seat for a RHD 40% seat and you'll have an open 20% in the middle for activities. The only sacrifice is the, IMO, worthless middle 5th seat.

The problem- Getting one in the States. Maybe you can pry one out of the JDM's that are being imported but I'm impatient and I want it now. Camping season is coming up and I am OVER the Yeti. I found a guy in southern England with two of the 40% seats (tan and grey) but shipping was wildly cost prohibitive, £1650, or $2,130 in today's American dollars. To ship ONE seat!!! I figured my buddy and I could both buy round trip tickets for less than that and check them as luggage, so that's exactly what we did!

And here they are. Yup, I bought them both. Message me if you're interested in the tan unit. SOLD

I'm using the grey one. They're both cloth but I'll be swapping over my leather. Some plastic got cracked in transport but I can use most of the plastics from my original 60% seat, which is good because I learned there is at least two shades of grey Toyota used. The cloth seat used more of a blue/grey compared to the light grey in my '07 LC. No idea which year/model these came out of originally. Plenty of english dog hair at no extra charge.

First trial fit as soon as I got home yesterday to make sure the fridge I chose (ICECO JP30) would actually fit in the middle. And it will. Hoo-rah!

Today I figured out how to bolt it up. The black bracket in the upper left of the photo needs to be moved towards the outside. So first, take out both seats and pull the carpet forward. The 60% seat is HEAVY.

You'll see by these two "holes" that Toyota planned for it. Unfortunately they don't have welded nuts underneath. I drilled them out and was just able to reach my hand through the fuel sender access hole and bolt the bracket down with some flanged 10x1.25 nuts underneath. I picked up a pair of short 10x1.25 bolts to close up the holes that are no longer used.

Next, trim the carpet. Just look at what the factory did and mimic that. Go slowly.

Lay the carpet back down

 

[GTV]

Put all the fittings back in place. I'm looking for one of these single latches and plastic covers if anyone has one kicking around. I'm planning on using some the old seat mounting locations to solidly mount the new fridge.

The new 40% seat bolted straight up

It latches, first try!

So much room for activities! Edited to include the width between the seats is roughly 14.5"

Money shot!

Roughly the same height as the seats folded flat

So why do I think this is the best? In no particular order-
Utilizing under utilized space. No one ever sits in my middle seat.
The fridge is accessible by every seat in the house. No need to pull over to grab something out of it and get in the hatch to put something in it.
The 40% seat weighs 39lbs. The 60% seat weighs a shocking 86lbs. The fridge weighs 36lbs. So I'm actually losing 11lbs and gaining a fridge at the same time.
Weight is kept very low. Center of gravity is a real thing.
No sacrifice to rear visibility.
Will be bolted down and will never need to be moved during normal use. No rattles.
Located in the center of the roof structure so it should see very little direct sun which should help efficiency.
Roughly at the same height as the drawers and seats when folded. I'll still be able to sleep up to two inside but now with a fridge as well, meaning I'll be able to ditch the RTT for most adventures.
Easy installation and factory appearance.
Doubles as an armrest.
The third row (if still equipped) would remain accessible. The 40% seat is easier to shift and the missing center backrest would make ingress and egress easy on both sides.

Compromises, I only see two but I'm open to criticism-
The fridge is only 30L/32Q. That's fine for my use. It's 50% larger than my Yeti and it won't need ice. There are other models out there that may make better use of the space. ICECO's JP series is available in larger volumes but they get taller which would get in the way of the sleeping platform.
The fridge isn't accessible from the rear, while cooking or tailgating.

What's next? Now that the seat is bolted in I can see what space I have to work with for a battery/power station. I think I'll be able to mount one directly behind the fridge. Research has already begun. Upholstery... I wish I would have found a grey leather seat but I used to be an interior trimmer so I can make this one work. I'll use most of the leather from my 60% seat and I'll only have to make a few new panels for the area near the fridge. I'm seeing now that the foam and listings sewn to the covers are different. Of course I will document all of this as I figure it out.

Thanks for watching!

 

[OffRoadRN]

So awesome! How much are you asking for the beige seat?

 

[GTV]

So awesome! How much are you asking for the beige seat?

PM sent.

If anyone else is interested please PM me. SOLD

 

[stiover]

Amazing write up. Only thing I'd like to know is the dimensions of the space you gained

 

[MongooseGA]

I really love this. If not for the lanky dog in the backseat I'd probably do exactly what you've done. Really cool that you and a buddy made an international trip for it, too!

 

[GTV]

Amazing write up. Only thing I'd like to know is the dimensions of the space you gained

Thanks! It's about 14.5" wide, you might be able to push it to 15". Length is dependent on your layout (drawers or 3rd row) and how far you're willing to go forward.

I really love this. If not for the lanky dog in the backseat I'd probably do exactly what you've done. Really cool that you and a buddy made an international trip for it, too!

It was an epic trip! Far exceeded my expectations. It made for some funny looks when people asked why we traveled there I'd say, "You know, a lot of people travel for no reason at all, at least I'm getting some seats out of it!"

 

[TheIcemanCometh]

The biggest issue I see is that those sitting in the second row will have way too easy access to the beer. Glad it all worked out.

 

[GTV]

I'm liking the new view through the second row.

Once the seat and fridge are sorted out the next goal will be to integrate water storage under the right drawer wing so the deck will be completely open.

I was eyeing the leather cover on the 60% seat today, I think with some well thought out surgery I won't have to buy any new leather...

 

[RKRUGER]

Very cool and resourceful idea, well executed. Having the fridge in the second row would be wonderful for long trips.

 

[bj70bc]

nice one!
flys to get it too
extra land cruiser points

 

[GTV]

Travelled as far south as Portsmouth and north to Chester. We saw a lot in a week+, including my old car from 12+ years ago. That car is where my screen name was born.
It was a rad trip.

 

[riffman12]

what is this sourcery

 

[marcfj60]

That's friggin' cool. I wish I had heard/known about this 6 months ago. I would have looked around Austria for some excess seats when I was there in November and brought some back with me. Of course, I was in Vienna and I only saw one 100-series the whole time. I did see a few Hilux pickups when I was in the small towns with wine estates outside of Vienna though. And then there is the complication that anything in Austria, or Europe (minus the UK) isn't RHD so maybe it wouldn't have made any difference anyway.

 

[excessive]

very cool. I always love seeing what we didn't get in the USDM models

 

[97 AZ LC]

On a somewhat related note Southwest Airlines just killed their two free bags up to 50 pounds each policy - for bookings after May 28, 2025. So if you need to get a set of alloy wheels or other heavy auto parts cross country for free you need to book your flight by then. It's a sad day.

 

[GTV]

The double latch on the passenger side wouldn't allow the fridge to sit perfectly flat. I got a second single latch and plastic cover, problem solved and I lost a little more weight.