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Removing car seat back

10 years ago

Is this difficult to do - does it weaken the structural integrity of the car in any way? The bottom part of the seat would stay. Ive googled and it seems possible but its not clear how or if I could just remove the back without taking out the bottom part. - do you have to remove the bottom to get at the bolts that would remove the seat back?

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Comments (5)

jemdandy
10 years ago
Not enough information. A picture would help.
Is it a front or back seat?
Is it a driver's seat with motor driven adjustments?
What model of car?
Debbie Downer
Original Author
10 years ago
No specific model - just general question about whether they afe easily removed on all cars - or if not all,which ones?) Are they integral to the structure of the car which means maybe I shouldnt remove it?

Either hatch or cars w opening into the trunk - the ohjective is to have more hauling space for car camping and for gardening equipment (i tend to use my cars like a truck - well, why not make it more truck like! Are ya with me here? (ideally it could also be easily put back in case I want to sell it or use it as a car again.) thnx
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Oh, this is such a hot button for me! I am a retired/disabled paramedic who spent over 20 years working on the ambulance in the streets of Atlanta and then several more years in the ER and PICU at one of our large children's hospitals. During that time, I saw countless infants and children who were severely injured or deceased, simply because their parent was too lazy/stubborn/ignorant/etc. that day to put their child in a PROPER child safety seat. It is so very sad to see a parent lose a child in ANY situation. It is especially difficult to see it when you know they will have to live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. One thing that really frustrates me, too, is that many parents do not know that it is not just babies and toddlers who need to be restrained in a safety seat. ALL children should be in a safety seat until they are AT LEAST 80-100 pounds AND 4'9" tall. MANY parents don't know/understand this because in many states it has not been made into law. However, in order to keep your child as safe as possible, they must be restrained in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit properly in a regular seatbelt. Seatbelts are specifically designed for ADULTS ONLY. If a small child is in one without a proper safety seat, they can be decapitated by the shoulder strap that is sitting too close to their neck, they can have severe pelvic/abdominal injuries due to the ill-fitting lap belt or they can be ejected if the shoulder strap is placed behind their back, which many children are taught to do. MANY parents do this, not knowing that it completely renders the entire seatbelt non-operational as it interferes with the mechanism of how it is supposed to work. When I was still working with EMS, I was also a member of SafeKids of GA. SafeKids has SO much info about Child Safety, especially Child Safety Seats. Here are a few links you all might be interested in: (They also have pamphlets, posters, etc. they will sent you.) Car Seat, Booster and Seat Belt Fact Sheet Find A Safety Seat Inspection Station I hope things work out for your family and that your brother and SIL decide to do what is right for their precious little one! Blessings, ~Addy~ Here is a link that might be useful: SafeKids USA
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You are welcome. Glad I could be of some help. Sometimes little solutions like that get very frustrating and take forever to find on the web.
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Debbie Downer
Original Author
10 years ago
PS this would be back seat not front.
jemdandy
10 years ago
Look at a repair manual for your car.

A general approach, not necessarily applicable for all models:

1. Reove the seat. Its fastneing method varies with the car. On some, the seat is held down by clip-in arrangement. You depress/push the seat in a certain direction to unclip it and then lift out.

2. Look inside the trunk to try to discover how the seat back is held in and proceed from there.

3. I should have mentioned this first. Look inside the trunk at the construction behind the seat back. you may find a formed sheet metal bracing that spans the area behind the seat and this will defeat your project, because after the seat back is removed, that bracing will still be there and is part of the body work.

4. Your best bet would be to get a model that has fold-down rear seats. The work is already done for you. Just fold down the seats to increase the rear cargo space. This feature is more likely to be found on SUVs: For example, a Jeep Cherokee or a Honda CR-V.
* * * * * * * * * * *
If you intend to haul stuff on a regular basis, why not get a small pickup or a SUV in the first place?
Debbie Downer
Original Author
10 years ago
Why not suv and truck - gas mileage, initial cost of vehicle & comfort for long drives (I find most large vehicles extremely uncomfortable physically - to drive I mean - aggravates an old back injury & my body justI prefers cars designed for short small people!

And - we want to use the car as camper and sleep in it. Most cars with fold down seats do not have a flat surface so even with a hatch wed be wanting to remove the seat back.

Why not? Its a creative,thing - fun to think outside the box once in a while!. If you have limited funds why not modify it to suit your needs? Id love a honda fit (folds down to flat surface) but alas its out of my price range. Looking for ~7K.

Anyway thnx for the info.

This post was edited by kashka_kat on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 22:31

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