The Seat Bolt Mod
By: Bob_98SR5
Written: 4/2/06
Vehicle: 1998 4Runner


Parts
Wing Nut"C" - 40mm (McMaster Carr Part #92625A529)
Sixty 1/4" washers (you need 54 to be exact)

Tools & Supplies
JB Weld (Two part liquid type)

Disclaimer
I am providing this write up for illustrative purposes only. Perform at your own risk. Any mods (including this one) you perform on your vehicle is your responsibility. Commercial use of this write up will result in legal action as well as the undying scorn from members of the online Toyota 4Runner community. You've been warned.

Summary
This is a spin off of the original seat knob mod, which has officially been scuttled because of this improvement. Thanks to Yotatech member 4Runr for correctly pointing out that the seat knob mod does not let you fold down the seat without unscrewing the seat knobs. Thus, this mod was borne from his feedback in this thread.


Step 1: Removing OEM Seat Bolts
Lift up the cover in an upwards motion.The bolt also has an unremovable lock washer and regular washer built into the unthreaded part. Remove all the covers and bolts:
Remove cover (C) and remove bolt (B)


Step 2: Assembling the Parts
Take your Wing Nut C bolt and JB weld the 1/4" washers to the wing nut. Put on 13 of the washers and let dry. Repeat 4 times.

    
Remove cover (C) and remove bolt (B)    

Test fit a set of two on one side and tighten until the angle of the wing bolt is diagonal. Fold the seats up and down to make sure there is clearance to do so. Here are some pics of the wing seat bolts installed:

  
Front view   Side view



Step 3: Optional- Cutting Plastic Covers
Steve Schaefer of Sonoran Steel figured out the correct cutting point. Use a 1.5" hole saw to make a hole as shown below:

    
1'5" hole saw here   Hold on tight as the teeth make contact   Covers back on


So What's The Big Deal?
With the new seat wing bolts, you can now remove your seat bottoms without tools. With the seat bottoms folded up, you have about 5'5" of flat space from the tailgate to the backside of the seat bottoms. With the seat bottoms removed, you have an additional 12 inches of space. So what can you do with that space? Here are two pictures. One is of my sleeping platform (minus the bedding, of course) which is exactly 6'4" long and the other is a picture of three TJM 17 bumpers that could never have fit in my cargo area without removing the seat bottoms.

  
6'4" sleeping platform   Three TJM-17 bumpers with seat bottoms on top


For Sale - Sonoran Steel TIG welded Seat Bolts
Steve Schaefer of Sonoran Steel got the bright idea of making more professional looking TIG welded seat bolts. You can buy them on his website by clicking on this link. Here's a picture of them below:



Hey Steve, when are those royalty checks coming!?! :-D

 

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