Thursday, July 12, 2012

Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap

Chevy Prizm 2001 rear backseat swap

I had heard that the LSi model had a fold-down backseat, and a few corolla owners claimed it could be swapped so I gave it a shot.

There were some suggested directions from corolla forums, which I will try to paste into the bottom of this, but I modified them.

http://trdforums.com/threads/diy-how-to-swap-your-bench-rear-seat-into-60-40-folding-rear-seats.23379/#navigation

http://trdforums.com/threads/woohoo-i-just-got-my-folding-60-40-rear-seat-swap.23303/


At the junkyard I found a good candidate and removed the bottom seat by pulling up on it- it snaps in and out.

Then I unbolted the backseat mounts, and the lower seatbelt.  Also the backseat clip hardware.

I removed the release cables from the trunk and took those as well.

Everything reinstalled in my car easily except the bottom lower corner mounts.  These mounts were originally screwed into a 3D angled bracket that was welded onto the frame.  I couldn't take that with me, and spent several hours inprovising.

My final solution was to get two stainless bolts from the hardware store and drill through the frame into the wheelwell.  The bolts cannot be too long or they will shred the tire.

I will write more about the bolt parameters when I have more time, and I will include photos of the end product.

I did not wash the seats with water; instead I used some scrub brushes and an upholstery cleaner

At the bottom of the photos you will see the seat installed in the car newly.  Note the silicone gobs over the drilled holes in the frame.  I should note that the bolts are held in place by stop nuts such that the head is on one side and the stopnut is on the other side, then follows a spacer ring in order to achieve the correct angle for the mount.











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