Hmmm... I think the forum was on the fritz yesterday. This is my second attempt at posting this; I apologize for the duplicates.

I got rid of my rear seats, at least one of which was completely and utterly useless. (I'm 6'4".) It's a fine combination of 5/8" LDF/particle board, which happened to be what I had on hand; a piece of cedar decking for the hardware at the leading edge; industrial packing felt for sound deadening and (basically) raised/rolled edges; and whatever carpeting Canadian Tire had on hand. I rolled the packing felt twice around the top and side edges before carpeting. It's surprisingly quiet - I think more so than it was with the seats just folded down!

I glued the carpeting down with 3M spray adhesive... Only the first time it got hot the glue released! So at some point in the future I'll tighten it all up with upholstery tacks on the underside. Pretty standard hardware forms a hinge at the leading edge, so the space underneath, such as it is, is still useful. It's a straightforward trapezoid, and I cut everything with the 40-year-old circular saw I found in my garage.

This isn't my first attempt at upholstery, but it certainly is on a car interior. I'm REALLY pleased - dare I say surprised! - with the results. This was a pretty fly-by-night (and very hungover) operation, but if anyone wants some measurements to attempt their own, let me know!

 

looks pretty good.

I did something similiar, but mine is hinged the opposite direction. also, the wood board I could find at Home Depot wasn't the perfect size but it gets the job done for cheap and minimal effort lol.

i put those handles there so I could have something to hook bungee cords to if I have something in the back.

 

Bungee attachments are a great idea! I might think about doing that when I pull the thing out to tighten up the upholstery... Maybe I'll even just permanently attach a stretchy net? Hmmm... Ideas, ideas!

 

I built a similar one last year, also hinged in the front. Has a full wooden perimeter frame, and center beam, with 1/4" ply for the floor. I unbolted my seatbelts and hid them behind the side panels. Then made my retro version of a spare tire mount like I had seen in some old Ferraris using two large black leather mens belts, and some small metal drawer pulls that are reinforced underneath with additional wood where they screw into the ply base.

 

how much weight saving is the rear seat delete?

 

Not much really, the whole back seat probably weighs about 30lbs. It just frees up some wasted space, if you don't use the back seats, and creates a hidden storage area underneath.

 

I can't believe that, at least given my modifications, there was any significant weight savings. Particle board and packing felt are not light stuff. I'm sure it's lighter than the seats, but not such that there would be any performance gains... Mostly I'm just happy to have a bit more utility, and to have gotten rid of what for me were useless ornaments. It gives the car a bit more sense of purpose, I guess!

I've had some requests for measurements, so here they are. Just keep in mind that I drew this up in ballpoint pen on a napkin, basically, so your mileage may vary. Leading edge: 42". Trailing edge: 35.5". Depth front-to-back: 21.5". Again, the basic platform of the thing is 5/8" particle board. I only used this because I had it on hand; 1/2" would more than suffice and probably offer more significant weight savings, and 3/4" would work just fine, albeit with a bit more heft. (Mine appears to be reinforced down the centre because it's actually two pieces; I would recommend if you're buying new materials just to buy a panel big enough and cut it from that.) Under the leading edge is a 2x2" piece of cedar that happened to come in exactly 42" width with nice tapers pre-cut (I put these on the underside, obviously). This 2x2 (plus the additional height of the 5/8" particle board, but any other thickness will supply the same result) makes the whole thing damn near level with the ground, or at least level with the trunk bed; I didn't plan this, but I also couldn't have planned it better! Deviate however you want from any of these measurements, but I'd stick with a two-inch height under the leading edge for this reason alone. For assembly, I glued and screwed, but either glue alone (assuming decent wood glue and clamping time) or screws alone are probably sufficient.

Once you get this symmetrical trapezoid made, how you upholster it is up to you. I'd recommend buying your carpet and felt, padding, etc., first and adjusting the width accordingly, because you don't want it too tight up against the plastic interior (or you'll lose a bunch of utility, because it won't fold up or down smoothly).

Then just lay the thing in the car and mark the holes you'll need to install the hardware at the leading edge for the "hinges," and drill four holes accordingly. I think mine were 2" in and then 1.5" apart, but I would highly recommend marking your own. I used eye bolts with nuts, washers and lock-washers on the back, and decorative stainless concave washers on top of functional steel washers on the front. Through these I inserted 3/8" bolts and nuts with washers and lock-washers as necessary. Such fat bolts are overkill, and as you can see, mine (3", I think) are far too long. I slipped a piece of heat-shrink tubing over mine before inserting them in the hopes of having a bit less metal-on-metal contact, but I can't see that this serves any purpose. Button-head bolts and/or nuts might be great in this application, but despite my attempt to dress it up, the hardware is not visible without folding the front seats forward.

Feel free to fire away with any more questions!

 

Well, I guess you're all awaiting my reply... Dear moderators, I understand your reservations, but I promise not to post any pure garbage, so if you can take me off the "pre-approval required" list, that would be just great!

 

Attempt number two...

I can't believe that, at least given my modifications, there was any significant weight savings. Particle board and packing felt are not light stuff. I'm sure it's lighter than the seats, but not such that there would be any performance gains... Mostly I'm just happy to have a bit more utility, and to have gotten rid of what for me were useless ornaments. It gives the car a bit more sense of purpose, I guess!

I've had some requests for measurements, so here they are. Just keep in mind that I drew this up in ballpoint pen on a napkin, basically, so your mileage may vary. Leading edge: 42". Trailing edge: 35.5". Depth front-to-back: 21.5". Again, the basic platform of the thing is 5/8" particle board. I only used this because I had it on hand; 1/2" would more than suffice and probably offer more significant weight savings, and 3/4" would work just fine, albeit with a bit more heft. (Mine appears to be reinforced down the centre because it's actually two pieces; I would recommend if you're buying new materials just to buy a panel big enough and cut it from that.) Under the leading edge is a 2x2" piece of cedar that happened to come in exactly 42" width with nice tapers pre-cut (I put these on the underside, obviously). This 2x2 (plus the additional height of the 5/8" particle board, but any other thickness will supply the same result) makes the whole thing damn near level with the ground, or at least level with the trunk bed; I didn't plan this, but I also couldn't have planned it better! Deviate however you want from any of these measurements, but I'd stick with a two-inch height under the leading edge for this reason alone. For assembly, I glued and screwed, but either glue alone (assuming decent wood glue and clamping time) or screws alone are probably sufficient.

Once you get this symmetrical trapezoid made, how you upholster it is up to you. I'd recommend buying your carpet and felt, padding, etc., first and adjusting the width accordingly, because you don't want it too tight up against the plastic interior (or you'll lose a bunch of utility, because it won't fold up or down smoothly).

Then just lay the thing in the car and mark the holes you'll need to install the hardware at the leading edge for the "hinges," and drill four holes accordingly. I think mine were 2" in and then 1.5" apart, but I would highly recommend marking your own. I used eye bolts with nuts, washers and lock-washers on the back, and decorative stainless concave washers on top of functional steel washers on the front. Through these I inserted 3/8" bolts and nuts with washers and lock-washers as necessary. Such fat bolts are overkill, and as you can see, mine (3", I think) are far too long. I slipped a piece of heat-shrink tubing over mine before inserting them in the hopes of having a bit less metal-on-metal contact, but I can't see that this serves any purpose. Button-head bolts and/or nuts might be great in this application, but despite my attempt to dress it up, the hardware is not visible without folding the front seats forward.

Feel free to fire away with any more questions!