 |
|
The Simple Big Boy modification to the Driver seat. |
| 1/20/2007 Enjoying your jeep driving is great, but comfort for a big guy 6 feet or tallker, and over 220lbs, can be a little cramped. Here are some steps to make a chair modification that will give you more leg and breathing room without modifying your wheel wells. Its a chair modification. First, find an old beat up or Repo drivers chair (one you don't mind modifying). In my case, I didn't want to modify my F marked original seat, so I picked up a beat up old MB seat. 
|
1/20/2007 The Driver Seat modification is pretty basic that anyone to do, and do in different ways. The basic idea, is to remove the round tube on the back support which takes up to 2-3in forcing your back forward. We want to utilize this room, but removing the round tube, bending the chair to incline more, and replace it with a flat bar for support. That simple.
|
1/20/2007 First, if you picked up an original chair that needs modifications, fix those first. In my case, I wanted to replace the sheet of metal on the chair that was torn out.
|
1/20/2007 The first part of the modification is to remove the tube from behind the seat. Your going to shave off a little more on the driver side than the passenger side when the flat bar gets measured up. Start with this and you can adjust little later. After you do this, place the chair back into your jeep and you can see how much room you have to bend.
|
1/20/2007 I placed the chair in the position after each stage just to be thinking of what the accomplished goal will be. Here you see how much room I have to bend the chair back, and where the flat bar will come across the wheel well. I have a good 3-4inches I can bend the chair back.
|
1/20/2007 As you can see in this picture, I have a cheap butane flame. It DID NOT get hot enough, and I don't have oxy/acc tanks, so I decided to cut the chair and weld it back with my mig welder.
|
1/20/2007 I cut the chair at the angle of bend that would go right up the wheel well. After this cut, I placed the seat back in the jeep to take a look at the angle of the seat. It looked good, so now I will shave off a little of the top of the chair to continue the angle and tack the chair back together and verify.
|
1/20/2007 I took a grinder and shaved off the back half of the chair, to give it the incline i wanted. I only took off a hair to continue the angle of the bottom piece. 
|
1/20/2007 After tacking the two pieces back together, I set the chair back in the jeep to verify the angle. Notice how it has given be me a good 3-4in now because of the incline. I am content with the angle, so I will firm up the welding, and grind it up to look good.
|
1/20/2007 Here is another look at the angle. I don't have the flat bar sitting on the wheel well yet, but you get an idea on the angle is much better. This will give me more leg room, and I won't be sitting on my nuts!
|
1/29/2007 Now, take a piece of flat bar and start on the driver side of the seat and tack it in staight across the seat.
|
1/29/2007 Before tacking in the passenger side, I wanted to look at the position to make sure it would land on the wheel well properly. I was looking to make sure the seat would be above the gas tank, and that it would sit on the wheel well for support. It does... so I can continue
|
1/29/2007 Another angle to look at... note, the flat bar will need to bow out a bit to sit on the wheel well nicely... we will resolve that when we tack in the passenger side of the flat bar.
|
1/29/2007 Now, we want a little "bow" in the bar to sit on the wheel well, so cut the flat bar a little long. Here you see I pried the flat bar out so it would fit on the passenger side and give it about 1/8in bow, and is tight.
|
1/29/2007 Her you see it sits on the wheel well nicely. If you look closely, you can see where the hole in the wheel well will have a bolt that will connect to the back of the flat bar and keep the flat bar on the support of the wheel well. Looking good.
|
1/29/2007 Here you can see the flat bar bowing out. This will work great sitting on the wheel well. So time to tack the flat bar in and check the fitting in the jeep.
|
1/29/2007 Here is a look at what the chair looks like from the back. Doesn't stand out. The jeep police will eventually catch it, but well worth the comfort of the drive.
|
1/29/2007 Another angle of the chair, you see that extra room is very nice. 
|
1/29/2007 Here I finished welding the flat bar in. I also tacked in, for support a little section in the center to the back of the seat for additional strength. 
|
1/29/2007 The final fit looks good. Now I need to fill some holes in the seat, drill the hole from the wheel well, and fit a nut behind the flat bar (original tube had a caged nut)... primer, paint and cover.
|
1/29/2007 Chair looks good in its position, so I need to primer and paint it to strap it in.
|
2/15/2007 Now that the chair is painted, I bolted in the front two bolts to the chair so I can mark and drill the hole in the back brace that connects to the wheel well.
|
2/15/2007 I marked the location that I needed to drill from the hole in the wheel well. I pulled the chair back out and drilled the hole as needed.
Next, I put tank cover plate on (back of the driver seat, and then installed the chair, I tighted everything up and it looks good.
|
2/15/2007 Now the real test. Yep, I have plenty of room. This picture is shown without the canvas, but I have at least 3-4in before my gut will hit the steering, and I have a little more leg room. It is much more comfortable.
|