YellowToy

I just installed a pair of folding third row seats from Little Passenger Seat (littleseats.com). I've seen a few pictures of the bench seats, but I wanted folding seats so I would have the storage room when the seats are not in use.

The install is pretty simple & the instruction are adequate. The best thing is it comes with a steel plate template for drilling, no cheap cardboard. The folks there were great & they matched the leather perfect (yes leather).

They accidentally sent a set with cloth seats the first time, and I must say the cloth looked exactly like the factory material & patterns. They had UPS pick up the mis-order at their cost & had the new seats sent out quickly. Excellent service.

Here it goes...

1. The typical "before" shot...


2. Center the steel template place & measure 6-1/4 inches from the metal bracket for the storage area cover. Drill 1/4 pilot holes, followed up with larger holes per directions.



3. This is not in the directions, but I sprayed a couple of coats of Rustoleum (top and bottom) on the holes to prevent corrosion.



4. Climb under the Jeep & hold up the bottom bracket while someone else starts the bolts. The 1/4-inch bolts hold the bracket in place, the plate is threaded. The larger bolts (grade 8, 5/16) attach the seats to the bracket. The bolts fit very easily, my 8-yr old was able to start the bolts for me from inside the jeep.




5. This is a picture with the optional "side-facing" bracket. The visible bolt heads connect the "side-facing bracket" to the bottom bracket. If you want the seats to face rearward you simply remove those & bolt the seats directly to the floor/bottom bracket. If your remove the seats, there is nothing visible above the carpet of the Jeep.




6. Rear-facing install. The one on the right is a very tall 3rd grader (8 yrs). The one on the right is a kindergarten (5 yrs).



7. The side-facing install with seat up. The side install interferes with the storage lid. You have to cut it to use it. Right now I've just pulled mine off.



8. The side-facing install with seats down. The space is tight, but there's actually plenty of room for the little kids to sit. The bigger kids just put their feet to the side of each other a bit. It's OK for running around town, but not for long trips. They do like facing each other as they ride with their friends.

The two boys are each in kindergarten, about 4 feet tall.



9. A view of the tailgate clearance in the side-facing install.






One last thought.... If you were adventerous, I think you could play with the bracket location a bit. If you are only going to install side-facing you can shift it forward & add another 4 inches of tailgate clearance. Or, you could have a custom bracket fabricated to let you face the seats forward, but the storage would then be in front of the seats.

yellowjeeper85

Looks good, i baught a middle row bench from a minivan from the junkyard, the width is perfect, the seat is great, i just need to fab up mounting and figure out where to put that dang sub. I guess if i made it rear facing it would solve a lot of issues, however, i kinda want it forward facing. Great write up. If i could afford the Little Seats set up, i would do it to. but i can't so handy man it will be.

YellowToy

You probably saw this already, but... click this link

I think his hardware attachment is clean, but I would put a bigger plate below. Do the minivan seats have the seatbelt attached to them? I don't know how else you could attach a shoulder belt.


The Little Seats set-up was part of the plan when we bought the Jeep. My wife will be getting a sedan next spring for our trip drives, but we needed at least 6 seats to haul the wife, 2 kids & their friends around town for weekend activities.

yellowjeeper85

yup saw that, thats what i went to the junk yard looking for, a tj seat, but couldn't find any, so for 36 bucks i got the minivan seat. It has the buckles built into the center of the seat, but i have to get the rest of teh set up. I'm not sure if i'll be going lap belts or shoulder belts or how'll i'll mount any of them. My first issue is relocating the sub, after that mounting the seat, then seat belts. I'll figure it out eventually i suppose

YellowToy

FYI, the belt retractor for the LIttle Seat is mounted to the back side of the seat frame & comes over the top of the seat. It seems very do-able for your set-up. PM me & I can send you photos of the back side of the seat.

blkpearl

I dig the seats, i have one for mine and love it, i live the seat i like the fold option for those.. are the able to face forward??

here was my post.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38819&highlight=row+seat

and here is another one from chumpmann

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46973&highlight=row+seat

justinstoffregen

Cool........

YellowToy

These are not able to face forward "as built" by Little Seats. However, I think It would not take too much to set them up that way, maybe just re-position the bottom bracket or maybe a custom adapter plate instead of the side-facing adapter plate.

yellowjeeper85

I've thought about doing this, however, my rear passengers are older, i don't have kids yet, but i do a lot of driving and DD-ing to and from the bars and i'm usually the one to drive anyway. I'm not sure how well it would suit the adult sized riders to have the shoulder strap set up like that. I might start with a lap belt and move on to a shoulder belt later when i figure it out. For now, i just wanna get the dang thing in there. I think i figured out the sub location issue, and it looks like there will be plenty of room, i'm hoping to position it just right so the soft top can fold down without interfering with the seat at all.

thanks for your input, i'll try to snap shots and post em up when i do it.

blkpearl

little seats have three models, single folders, bench with headrest and shoulder belts, and bench with laps, i got the laps for the same reason, just incase an adult or a big teenager sits in the back......you can slide the seat back further, but whe the top folds, you will not be able to lay down all the way....if you mount just as little seats directions describe top will lay down all the way.....two adults can sit in the back...but not comfortable at all...low seat height.....but being a dd from the bar, short trips are tolerable....when i get off my butt i will use my old tj underseat tool box and bolt to the little seats mounting bracket and that will make a nicer and more comfortable ride for the big kids.....