Raising back seat

Ok, My friend built a speaker box for my truck, it looks and fits great. The only problem is that he never accounted for the lip of the speaker sticking out of the top of the box. The seat goes down, but you have to sort of force it. I guess is part of the seat frame that comes down on the back of the speaker lip ...and i dont want all the weight on the speakers.

I was thinking of raising the back seat. it only needs to go up about 1/2 inch or so. First I thought of just using some washers under the seat mounts...but then i realizes that wont let the "foot" of the mount be flush with the floor. Then I thought I could just get some small metal plates and just drill some holes..... anyone else have any ideas or have already done this? I need to get this dont by the weekend before I have people pile in my back seat. thanks.

p.s. I will post up some pics soon.

When I was going to raise a 02 back seat, we considered using either some square tubing, or round tubing to lift about an inch or so. It all looked like it would work, I'm not sure though. You could also fab a small bracket that would mount to the factory holes, and then mount the seat to your newly fabbed bracket.

Nigel,

Considering that the seats are already properly placed, secure, and comfortable - how about just shaving down the speaker box? If that is possible - don't just take off the 1/2 inch, maybe go 3/4 so there is not pressure on the cabinet - you'll get better response.

White Lightening

yea, i was lookin to get a metal plate and drill holes to match the factory bolts. At first we thought to just shave down the box but its not thick enough..pluss its too sweet to possibly damage. Maybe ill get some more responces

It would be easy to make the little spacers. How about like cutting a a hockey puck and drilling a hole in the center for the bolt...people even use those for body lifts on their trucks.

It would be easy to make the little spacers. How about like cutting a a hockey puck and drilling a hole in the center for the bolt...people even use those for body lifts on their trucks.

yea and they die, thats a horrible way to do a bodylift

i would rather use metal than a hockey puck...

I raised the bench seat in my 92 reg cab for the same reason, got some 1.5" by 3" metal tubing and put under there, I dont mind the seat being higher either. I can't really say that I know what your seat looks like so the pics would be nice but maybe just some metal pipes that you can slip a bolt through, just cut them down on a chop saw and get some longer bolts.

Just out of curiosity why not flush mount the speakers. Router the ring of the sub so it's flush with the box? Or can you mount the subs from inside the box???
Or
Cut the carpet out???? not really an option as it would really hurt your resale value...

yea and they die, thats a horrible way to do a bodylift

I was using that as an example. Where did I say I agree with lifting a truck like that?

Exactly.

I am in the process of raising my backseat right now. I am using 1 1/2 in. steel square tubing. I custom fabricated them, but now am stuck wondering how to mount the back of the seat to the wall??!! So if anyone has any ideas on how to mount the back of the back seat to the wall let me know. But thats how I did the bottom.

Here are pictures of the mounting bracket (http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/765541/3)

Let me know what you think

If the link above doesnt work, just copy and paste this one.
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/765541/3

I am in the process of raising my backseat right now. I am using 1 1/2 in. steel square tubing. I custom fabricated them, but now am stuck wondering how to mount the back of the seat to the wall??!! So if anyone has any ideas on how to mount the back of the back seat to the wall let me know. But thats how I did the bottom.

Here are pictures of the mounting bracket (http://http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/765541/3)

Let me know what you think


What year truck do you have? On the '01 I just installed some stuff in, the back seat came out as a whole. I thought they were all like that.. oops

What year truck do you have? On the '01 I just installed some stuff in, the back seat came out as a whole. I thought they were all like that.. oops

You're correct it is one whole piece, its just that the back of the back seat slides down into place on these little U-shape things. The U-shape things are welded to the back of the cab. So i need to figure out how to make it slide down back into them. See what I'm sayin??

I have an 01 too.

I gotcha now. I'll check out that truck I did and see.

I had my back seat out before and i dident see anything welded to the back of the seat. Well, Ive decised I need two 2" x 7" blocks that are 1" tall.... a tube steal would probly work good but then its gonna b a pain in the ass to drill holes.... I was wondering if wood blocks would hold?? It would be alot easier to do. Then wit would be the same shape as the foot of the back seat. Since my truck is a 3 door, the foot where the door is, is located on the little shelf where the jack and stuff is, and the one on the driver side is more of a leg that extends to the floor.

So does anyone think wood will be a good idea?

I had my back seat out before and i dident see anything welded to the back of the seat. Well, Ive decised I need two 2" x 7" blocks that are 1" tall.... a tube steal would probly work good but then its gonna b a pain in the ass to drill holes.... I was wondering if wood blocks would hold?? It would be alot easier to do. Then wit would be the same shape as the foot of the back seat. Since my truck is a 3 door, the foot where the door is, is located on the little shelf where the jack and stuff is, and the one on the driver side is more of a leg that extends to the floor.

So does anyone think wood will be a good idea?

I'd definately lean towards some sort of metal, but if you want wood it will work. I guess you could always go with some oak so it's stronger, than pine anyways, and paint it or maybe even carpet the pieces of wood to match but I think it might wear out after awhile but wood would(ha) be lot easier and I would carpet the pieces to match the interior.

I had my back seat out before and i dident see anything welded to the back of the seat. Well, Ive decised I need two 2" x 7" blocks that are 1" tall.... a tube steal would probly work good but then its gonna b a pain in the ass to drill holes.... I was wondering if wood blocks would hold?? It would be alot easier to do. Then wit would be the same shape as the foot of the back seat. Since my truck is a 3 door, the foot where the door is, is located on the little shelf where the jack and stuff is, and the one on the driver side is more of a leg that extends to the floor.

So does anyone think wood will be a good idea?

Greetings Again Nigel,

Direct contact from seat bracket to floor offers the least leverage or strain on the bolts and bracket - and gives you the best "connection" or security if you have strain placed on that seat by hard braking or impact. Personally - as I expressed before - I just wouldn't mess with the seat - I'd redo the speaker box instead. The box created the problem and either rabbitting a relief slot or recessing the speaker seems much less effort than does changing your seat geometry.

However - if you are absolutely determined to raise the seat and nothing else will do - then I'd recommend raising it 1/4 inch more than the minimum amount of clearance you need. Why? Because greater height puts more strain on "shifting leverage" of the bolts etc. and you don't want the seat experiencing strain fracture (from normal bumps and bounces) or worse (from braking or accident issues). No wood in my opinion. Use metal square tubbing - or I'd personally use solid nylon block or solid resin block (available in many places) - something that doesn't give, or doesn't expand and contract with temperature or moisture and doesn't absorb water or "crush". Solid nylon or solid resin block is easy to drill or cut and relatively light in weight - yet its solid, strong, and inert. Remember - a safe and secure seat belt is only as good as the seat and brackets it works with.

White Lightening

Greetings Again Nigel,

Direct contact from seat bracket to floor offers the least leverage or strain on the bolts and bracket - and gives you the best "connection" or security if you have strain placed on that seat by hard braking or impact. Personally - as I expressed before - I just wouldn't mess with the seat - I'd redo the speaker box instead. The box created the problem and either rabbitting a relief slot or recessing the speaker seems much less effort than does changing your seat geometry.

However - if you are absolutely determined to raise the seat and nothing else will do - then I'd recommend raising it 1/4 inch more than the minimum amount of clearance you need. Why? Because greater height puts more strain on "shifting leverage" of the bolts etc. and you don't want the seat experiencing strain fracture (from normal bumps and bounces) or worse (from braking or accident issues). No wood in my opinion. Use metal square tubbing - or I'd personally use solid nylon block or solid resin block (available in many places) - something that doesn't give, or doesn't expand and contract with temperature or moisture and doesn't absorb water or "crush". Solid nylon or solid resin block is easy to drill or cut and relatively light in weight - yet its solid, strong, and inert. Remember - a safe and secure seat belt is only as good as the seat and brackets it works with.

White Lightening


That's why you use a grade 8 bolt...no offense but the wood would not determine weather the seat stays in it's place in an accident, the same thing could happen without the wood, or if it was metal because the bolt is what holds the seat to the floor, if the bolt breaks it's not the wood's fault. Now if your using say a 2 by 4 as a spacer then I'd agree, it'd be stupid and pointless to go with that big of a piece of wood instead of metal, but talking about 3/4" to 1" I think he'll be alright. While I would recommend the metal and do that myself, I think the wood will be alright as long as he is doing the 2" wide, 7" long and 3/4 - 1" high it should be alright. My seat has the 2" by 3.5" iron and it's tough stuff, we could not get the seat to flex/wiggle at all pushing on it and it pushed the truck instead, now if i had a 2/4 in place i wouldn't trust it at all. Wood is perfectly fine if he's using it as a spacer, but if it's something like an L bracket I'd go for angle iron or something else. It has a lot of variables, I mean is he doing this just for the seat to be higher?? I'm assuming that he prefers to keep the truck clean and that so the wood shouldn't get wet too much and I really wouldn't have people sit back there too much but then again I wouldn't be using the wood. If you do use the wood I'd cut the pieces, get some kind of sealer maybe or wrap it in plastic and then carpet it for sure, the wood will last longer, it will look nicer and you shouldn't have problems with it.

Your suggestions on the resin or nylon are great too, if he got some of that I'd almost do that over the metal just because of the ease either way go with something solid. I dont think you have any worrying to do over using the wood though, if it's solid and not plywood.

Ok, I think I got the spacer issue worked out.. im either gonna use the wood, or hopefully I can get ahold of some tube steel that will fit.... But, under further examination lastnight, I realized, while the bolts are long enough, their ate no threads at the top of them... So I am going to have to replace the bolts as well. his shouldent be hard to do, but I first have to figure out how to get the factory ones out....
any ideas?

p.s. sorry for not getting any pic up yet, by the time i get home from work its already dark, and im just a lazy person :)