I am prepping a little bit for the upcoming Death Valley adventure. Past adventures all went fine, but always felt I could improve the organization of what I am packing...ie: move three things to get to the one thing you need. I also wanted to pack my things more low in the vehicle and insure all is anchored securely than before which always involved ice chests on the rear seat, and the back end of the G loaded almost to the headliner...not real good in trying to somewhat maintain a low center of gravity and tame sudden stops.
I have also contemplated taking out the rear passenger seat to make it possible to sleep but never got to excited about removing the seat as everyone said it takes two people etc etc.
Today I said screw it, and removed the two bolts at the floor mount area and voila....seat is loose. Yes, it is as heavy as people have said, I would say pushing 180-200 pounds. I managed to remove by myself, but do not recommend it for those not familiar with leverage and proper lifting techniques.
I than unbolted the rear jump seats from their mounts and figured that I could utilize the framework for tie down points.
With all the seats gone I now have tons of room in the back, anchor points and I could swear my G sits about an inch higher in the back.
Here are some photos showing the anchor points you can gain. I also posted a photo showing an idea I have about utilizing the rear jumpseat framework for some sort of stowage box or something as it has plenty of mounting points to do most anything. I am not sure what I really want to do here, if anything.
Mike