Rear seat removal and platform

[garnerbiker]

I am leaving to go to Death Valley for a while and needed more room in the H3. There had been talk with friends that I would take the seats out and make it flat back there. Today, I did it and was successful. You can sleep 2 back there on Thermarests. I am 6' tall and fit fine. I think it could only fit up to 6'2". I also got some angled steel to bolt onto the side seat posts for extra tie downs. Everything turned out better than I thought. It is a prototype and made in a short time for the Death Valley trip. I'll have pics from there when we return.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07549-med.JPG
The easy part. 18mm nuts were cake. The backs of the seats were another story.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07552-med.JPG
This shows the fronts removed with the nut covers replaced, so I didn't cut myself.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07555-med.JPG
You have to remove the nuts under these plastic flaps.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07558-med.JPG
The backs are out now. They come out in one piece. I suggest 2 people to get it out of the H3. I see how much room there is now.

[garnerbiker]

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07560-med.JPG
This is what I could use to bring the front up to level. Not very clean, but gets the job done for now.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07559-med.JPG
I opted for 1X4's since they are stronger that a sheet of plywood. Well, at least what I could find. I used only one floor support where the floor mats are and the rear of the slats rest on the cargo area notch.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07562-med.JPG
This is the beast getting the rear underneath support installed. This joker is strong now.

[garnerbiker]

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07564-med.JPG
Ahhh! The carpet stretching. I want to eat dinner.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07566-med.JPG
This looks better than I thought. I put my Thermarest in there and laid down with the rear door closed. Sorry, no pics of that. I think that this will work for real.

http://www.gmhummer.com/gallery/data//542/157DSC07567-med.JPG
All I need now is to thoroughly test drive with it in there. It doesn't budge on the street. It seems really steady. I will show some more pics of the tie down possibilities later.

[Sewie]

That is some serious ghetto engineering right there. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif But whatever works for you. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Just curious, once you took the seat bottoms out, did the backs lay down any flatter?

[Idaho-Hummer]

Yeah, I got to ask. What did you use the hacksaw for? http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif

[Idaho-Hummer]

But it does make it easier to figure out where the dynomat needs to go.

[fourfourto]

To put a bed in the back ,I was thinking of a small air mattress to go in cargo area to bring floor up to folded seat level then put a twin air bed over it.The roof is high enough to do it this way and alot less work. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[garnerbiker]

yes it's ghetto, and there is no chrome on it. It is really sturdy though and can take a lot of weight.

I didn't notice much of a difference in space when I took out the seat bottoms. Also, the floor studs would poke into the seat tops. I had to watch out.

The idea of raising the cargo area is good, but I wonder how comfortable it would be once you lay down for the night.

Maybe I am the only one ghetto enough to do this. HHAHAHHAAAA It was fun though.

[The Green Lantern]

I think it's very creative. It reminds me one of those "redneck" thing in the other thread http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif.... but not bad at all, good Job!!

[HummerNewbie]

Originally posted by The Green Lantern:
I think it's very creative. It reminds me one of those "redneck" thing in the other thread http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif.... but not bad at all, good Job!!

I agree and it is better than the redneck measuring tape http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[The Green Lantern]

http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[aetherH3]

Not bad... Looks like you can stuff a lot of gear in there now and there is definitely a bunch of possibilities for tie-downs.

There are really only 3 things that disappoint me with the H3.
1) With all the engineering that goes into a vehicle, you'd think they would have been able to figure out how to make fold FLAT seats.
2) Make a compartment under the rear cargo area, even if it is a small one, its still another place to put some gear... maybe even just a first aid kit.
3) Add a bunch of hooks and tie-downs a la Xterra.

[garnerbiker]

I think that the cargo box that AMSTAR is making will allow for the seats to fold flat with the rear. Does anyone know more about that cargo box?

[Desert Dan]

Garnerbiker
That is sort of what I had in mind.

Great proto type. Maybe I could make a hinged lid so you could put stuff underneath there?

I have aslo thought of a rear platform that would alow for a flat sleeping area. Problem is the back of the seats aren't level for gear storage boxes or dogs??

Where the back seats hard to get out? Nuts/bolts accessed from above or below?

Have fun in Death Valley!

[garnerbiker]

Desert Dan,

The seat bottoms were simple to get out. The backs were a little tricky since they are all one piece. I did it myself, but it would have been easier with a hand bringing them out the side door. As for the hardware, 18mm nuts all around. There are 2 that are hidden under plastic flaps and 2 behind the seat backs.

THe Death Valley trip was amazing! I will get the pics up as soon as possible. We slept one night inside the H3 and the others were in the tent. THe seats gotta go back in tonight. It should be fine.

Let me know if you try something like that.

garnerbiker

[DRTYFN]

Was all the effort to remove the seats really worthwhile just to get that miniscule bit of space?

[Desert Dan]

It is nice to have the option to sleep inside the vehicle if the weather is bad and you don't have time to set up a tent or arrive late at night etc.

It is better than a pick-up since you can reach the cd player and lights and look out the moon roof etc.

Maybe you could make some no-see-um window screens for the side windows and the back door?

Too bad there isn't an inside latch for the rear door.. I bet it could be done

[Steve - SanJose]

Originally posted by garnerbiker:
yes it's ghetto, and there is no chrome on it. It is really sturdy though and can take a lot of weight.

I didn't notice much of a difference in space when I took out the seat bottoms. Also, the floor studs would poke into the seat tops. I had to watch out.

The idea of raising the cargo area is good, but I wonder how comfortable it would be once you lay down for the night.

Maybe I am the only one ghetto enough to do this. HHAHAHHAAAA It was fun though.

Yea it's ghetto but it works for your camping purpose. I'll bet an aftermarket sunroof installation looks a lot uglier than this project. Nothing like sawing into a perfectly good and finished roof for fun.

S.

[garnerbiker]

I just put the rear seats back in with out a problem. NOthing got banged up like I had thought. It is not something that you want to do often, but if you are going a trip cool enough to need the room, it's worth it.

I should have taken a pic of the platform with the cooler on it. I bolted a little piece of angled steel to the seat studs on either side and then used a ratcheting belt clamp to secure it with. It held up to 300 miles of Death Valley washboard and crawling.

It was surely worth it. It freed up a ton of space back there and now I dont have to lug the heave seatbacks somewhere where it will just be me and my wife.

If anyone esle does it let me know. Good luck.

g